Role Play Method of Instruction In Nursing What Is the Role Play Method of Instruction in Nursing Education?
The role play method is an instructional technique in which learners engage in unrehearsed dramatizations to simulate real-life scenarios. Learners are assigned specific roles and are asked to act as those characters would behave in realistic situations. This method primarily focuses on achieving behavioral objectives in the affective domain, which relates to feelings, emotions, and attitudes.
Unlike high-fidelity simulations used to teach psychomotor skills, role play is intended to enhance learners’ understanding of interpersonal dynamics by placing them in scenarios that allow them to explore emotions, motives, and behaviors. The goal is for learners to empathize with others and understand their behavior in different situations (Comer, 2005; Lowenstein & Harris, 2014; Redman, 2007).
For example, in a nursing education setting, learners could take on the roles of patients with sensory disabilities, like wearing glasses that simulate impaired vision to understand the patient’s perspective. This method helps nurses explore responses to challenging health conditions, such as having children role-play with puppets to express their emotions about illnesses like asthma (Ramsey & Siroky, 1988).
When Is the Role Play Method of Instruction Effective?
The role play method is especially useful in nursing education for several reasons:
- Develops Interpersonal Skills: Role play encourages learners to understand their feelings and values while developing essential problem-solving and decision-making skills. It provides deeper insights into interpersonal relationships and promotes empathy.
- Explores Emotions and Values: Role play helps learners explore their emotions and others’ values in a safe, structured environment. It allows them to rehearse desired behaviors, explore a topic in greater depth, and gain insight into the emotional aspects of patient care.
- Problem-Solving and Decision-Making: The method provides opportunities to practice and improve decision-making skills in a non-threatening environment.
For the role play to be effective, the educator designs a situation with enough context for the learner to assume the role without a script. Sometimes learners are asked to play themselves to practice a desired behavior, while the educator may serve as a role model. Most often, the educator assigns learners to different roles and facilitates the interaction. Participants act out behaviors based on how they perceive their assigned characters would behave in real-life situations (Comer, 2005).
Key points for effective role play:
- It is essential that learners feel comfortable before participating in a role play. The educator must ensure that rapport is established among learners and with the educator, as discomfort can lead to self-consciousness.
- Role play should not be used at the beginning of a learning session. Group members need time to get comfortable and secure in their learning environment before taking part.
- Small group settings are ideal for role play so that every learner can either actively participate or observe the session. A follow-up debriefing session is critical for learners to reflect on their experiences, discuss their feelings, and gain insights into the behaviors they observed.
Role play is most effective for teaching in the affective domain, where learners can reflect on their emotional responses to role expectations and conflicts. It is important for all participants to engage in post-activity discussions to internalize the learning and apply it to real-life situations.
Who Is a Role Model?
In nursing education, role modeling is a teaching method where educators demonstrate behaviors or skills that they want learners to adopt. This method draws on Bandura’s social learning theory and Erikson’s psychosocial stages of development, which suggest that people learn behaviors through observation and identification with role models (Crandell, Crandell, & Vander Zanden, 2012; Snowman & McCown, 2015).
Role modeling is particularly effective in promoting behavior change in the affective domain. It involves the learner identifying with a mentor or preceptor who exemplifies the values and behaviors of the nursing profession. Role models guide, support, and help learners, such as students or novice practitioners, transition to higher levels of clinical competency and professionalism (Doherty, 2016).
Key features of role modeling:
- Preceptors and mentors serve as examples for nursing students and new staff, helping them navigate the transition from theoretical knowledge to real-world clinical practice.
- By setting an example through their behavior and actions, nurse educators inspire learners to adopt professional standards and values in their own practice. Role modeling helps learners develop critical thinking skills, improve their interpersonal abilities, and assume the responsibilities of their profession (Sorensen & Yankech, 2008).
- A significant part of role modeling is the social norms and professional expectations that learners must meet. Educators help learners adapt to these expectations, especially when a learner’s prior behavior conflicts with new roles they must assume.
Actions speak louder than words when it comes to role modeling. The example set by the educator through actions, behavior, and attitude can have a profound influence on the learner’s motivation and performance. Whether working with patients, staff, or students, educators have many opportunities to demonstrate the professional behaviors they wish to instill in learners.
By consistently setting a positive example, educators help learners align with the professional values and behaviors expected of them in nursing practice.
Conclusion
The role play method is an effective instructional technique that allows learners in nursing education to explore interpersonal dynamics, develop problem-solving skills, and gain emotional insights into their own and others’ behaviors. Through active participation and reflection, learners can better understand the challenges faced by patients and colleagues, thereby improving their empathy and clinical judgment.
Role models, whether preceptors or mentors, play a key role in helping learners transition from theoretical knowledge to clinical practice. By demonstrating the values and behaviors of the nursing profession, role models help learners develop critical thinking skills, enhance their interpersonal abilities, and assume the responsibilities expected of healthcare professionals.
Together, role play and role modeling provide powerful tools for promoting professional growth and improving patient care in nursing education.