Using role-play to develop science concepts

Abstract

There is an urgent need in science education to explore new and innovative ways to teach science to children at all levels of the education system in ways that will pique their curiosity and hold their interest. This article reports on the use of role-play to develop children's ideas and understandings about energy concepts and energy conservation issues/practices. The findings show that children retain many abstract science concepts when taught using this approach and, further, that this method of instruction allows them to make linkages and distinctions among several energy concepts and to appreciate the importance of energy conservation