Exploring Collaborative Role-Playing as a Pedagogical Strategy for Developing Young Learners' Communication Skills:
A Case Study at PAUD PKK Plosorejo Gampengrejo Kediri
Keywords:
collaborative role-playing, communication skills, young learners, early childhood education, case studyAbstract
Early childhood education requires engaging and developmentally appropriate pedagogical strategies to support children's communication development. Collaborative role-playing has been widely recognized as a child-centered approach that encourages interaction, language use, and social participation. This study explores the use of collaborative role-playing as a pedagogical strategy for developing young learners' communication skills at PAUD PKK Plosorejo Gampengrejo Kediri, Indonesia. Employing a qualitative case study design, data were collected through classroom observations, teacher interviews, field notes, and documentation of learning activities. The findings reveal that collaborative role-playing provided meaningful opportunities for children to communicate with peers, express ideas, respond to others, and participate actively in classroom interactions. The strategy also enhanced children's speaking confidence, vocabulary use, and willingness to engage in collaborative communication during learning activities. In addition, role-playing created authentic and contextualized learning experiences that supported children's social interaction and language development. Nevertheless, several challenges were identified, including differences in children's confidence levels, varying communication abilities, and the need for continuous teacher facilitation. The study concludes that collaborative role-playing is a valuable pedagogical strategy for fostering young learners' communication skills through interactive and cooperative learning experiences. The findings offer practical insights for early childhood educators seeking to promote meaningful communication and active participation in classroom settings.
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