The Effects of Role-Playing Activities Combined with Active Learning on Students’ Understanding of Citizens’ Roles in a Democratic System: A Case Study of Matthayom Suksa 1 Students at Wat Tongpu School

Abstract

The objectives of this research were: 1. to compare the students’ learning achievement before and after participating in role-playing activities integrated with active learning, 2. to study students’ satisfaction toward the role-playing activities integrated with active learning, and 3. to analyze guidelines for organizing social studies learning activities that promote an understanding of citizens’ roles in a democratic system. The sample group consisted of 25 Mathayom Suksa 1/1 students from Wat Tongpu School, obtained through simple random sampling using the classroom as the sampling unit. The research instruments included 15 lesson plans, a 30-item learning achievement test, a 16-item student satisfaction questionnaire, and a 9-item semi-structured interview form. Data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and paired-sample t-test.

The results revealed that: 1. students’ learning achievement after participating in the activities was significantly higher than before the instruction at the .05 level; 2. students’ satisfaction toward the role-playing activities integrated with active learning was at a high level (𝑥̄ = 4.49, S.D. = 0.45); and 3. guidelines for organizing learning activities that promote students’ understanding of citizens’ roles in a democratic system consisted of three main aspects: 1) designing activities connected to students’ real-life experiences, 2) organizing activities emphasizing participation and collaborative learning, and 3) encouraging teachers to act as facilitators to stimulate analytical thinking and reflective learning.