Using Roleplay Teaching Method to Improve the Creative Thinking
Abilities of Students with Special Needs in Primary School
Septiyani Endang Yunitasari, Siti Luthfah, Euis Sumiati, Yuli Nur Fauziah and Erna Hernawati
Special Education Program, School of Postgraduate Studies, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl. Dr. Setiabudhi No. 229
Bandung, Indonesia
Keywords: Creative Thinking, Roleplay Method, Students.
Abstract: A low level of creative thinking ability is the main problem faced by primary school students. The aim of
this study was to formulate an effective roleplay teaching method to improve primary school students’
creative thinking abilities. To this end, a quasi-experiment was carried out involving 31 students in a
primary school. The result revealed that the roleplay method was proved to positively improve students’
creative thinking abilities. The creative thinking abilities of some students could be classified into moderate
level, but those of the majority of students could be classified into the high level. The roleplay teaching
method was proved to effectively improve the creative thinking abilities and proved to be significantly
better than the conventional teaching method. This is evident in the increase in students' creative thinking
ability scores.
1 INTRODUCTION
The development of students’ creativity has not
received the teachers' attention the way it deserves
despite the fact that creativity is a very important
students’ psychological aspects (de Souza, 2000).
There are four factors contributing to the
development of students' creativity: (1) mental
stimulation, (2) climate and environmental
condition, (3) teachers’ intervention, and (4) parents’
intervention.
The facts show that most students have not yet
indicated the main characteristics of creative people.
Only 20% of students demonstrated the behavioral
creativity. (Westby and Dawson, 1995) One of the
contributing factors to the low level of students'
creative thinking abilities is the teacher. A
preliminary study in this primary inclusive school
revealed that only 42%, less than half, of teachers’
attitudes encouraged students to think creatively
(Borg, 2003).
Conceptually, the roleplay teaching method can
enable students to play imaginative situations that
are relevant to their real life. The aims are to help
them get self-understanding, to help them improve
their problem solving skills, to help them analyze
their own behaviors, to help them demonstrate to
others how one should behave (Bullough Jr. and
Stokes, 1994). The roleplay teaching method is
useful: (1) to explore students’ feelings, (2) to
transfer and actualize theories about behaviors,
values, and students' perceptions, and (3) to improve
problem solving skills. The ability of students to
solve problems can be construed as an actualization
of their creative thinking abilities (Fasko, 2001). In
addition, there are four indicators of creative
thinking which is (1) Fluency, fluency is capability
that comes out of the mind of a quickly in producing
many initiatives and ideas anf having alternate
problem solving in a short time. Fluency referring to
a number of which a notion may be created and
speed created. (2) Flexibility, flexibility is capability
to bring and yielding various solving or approach to
a problem, and capable of changing ways of
thinking. Ability to produce an idea, the answer or
question varying, capable of look at the problem
from different angle. Suppleness related to the
ability change ways of thinking or approach problem
solving used when the subject or need a new
approach. (3) Originality, originality is capability to
spark ideas by an original manner. Originality is
capability proposed an idea unusual, unique and
different form the others, and original out of own
mind. Originality this is how different, how special,
how unique, and how far thought than usual. (4)
1034
Yunitasari, S., Luthfah, S., Sumiati, E., Fauziah, Y. and Hernawati, E.
Using Roleplay Teaching Method to Improve the Creative Thinking Abilities of Students with Special Needs in Primar y School.
In 1st International Conference on Educational Sciences (ICES 2017), pages 1034-1038
ISBN: 978-989-758-314-8
Copyright © 2017 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved

Elaboration, elaboration is capability to decipher a
matter in detail and enrich and to develop something
that being attractive. Capable of connect or give a
notion or the answer to be given, that he able to
develop, enrich an answer with the detail something
until things small and detail (Fasko, 2001).
A study in SMP Negeri 3 X found out that the
seventh grade students who were taught using a
roleplay method in the Indonesian language class
outperformed those who are taught using a
conventional method in terms of speaking skill and
creativity. (Krisnayanti et al., 2013) Considering of
their work, the roleplay teaching method can be
applied to teaching students in primary schools
because they tend to learn by doing and simulate a
concept that is being learned. The appropriate
teaching method to improve primary school
students’ creative thinking abilities is a method that
enables them to learn in a cheerful ambience like the
roleplay teaching method.
There are four assumptions underlying the use of
roleplay teaching method; one of them is that
roleplaying allows students to express their feelings.
The main objective of expressing the feelings is to
release emotional burdens (Fasko, 2001).
Taking account of the above-described
empirical-conceptual condition, this paper attempts
to describe the use of roleplay teaching method to
improve primary school students’ creative thinking
abilities. All indicators or aspects of creative
thinking in this study are examined. Furthermore, in
this research resulted in the stage of the new role
play methods by which consist of four stages,
namely, the preparation stage, the stage of the initial
activities of the core activities, and phases of
reflection and conclusion. Method of role-play is not
only given to regular students, but also to special
needs students. In this study, the roleplay method
was applied to teaching the Indonesian language to
the fifth graders. Because in Indonesian language
there are so many materials that can use the roleplay
method and it can increase the creative and critical
thinking of students in the fifth grade. In addition,
the purpose of this research is to improve the ability
of creative thinking in terms of the overall aspect of
it, namely flexibility, fluency, originality, and
elaboration.
2 METHODS
This study used a quasi-experiment method whose
design included a control group that does not
completely control the external variables that affect
the implementation of the experiment. This design
was employed to measure the effectiveness of
roleplay teaching method in improving students’
creative thinking abilities. The type of design used in
this study was a non-equivalent control group design
involving experimental and control groups chosen
randomly.
Table 1: A non-equivalent control group design.
Group
Pretest
Treatment
Posttest
Experiment
O1
X
O2
Control
O3
O4
Note:
O1 = Pre-test for the experimental group
O2 = Post-test for the experimental group
X = Experimental treatment (being taught using a roleplay
method).
O3 = Pre-test for the control group
O4 = Post-test for the control group
Table 1 shows that each of experimental and
control groups received a pre-test and a post-test.
This was to measure the contribution of the
treatment; i.e., roleplaying, to students' creative
thinking method. The pre-test was administered to
measure the initial creative thinking abilities of both
experimental and control groups, and the post-test
was to measure the improvement of their creative
thinking abilities. The experimental group received a
treatment; i.e., being taught using a roleplay method,
and the control group were taught using a
conventional method. The difference in their ability
to think creatively indicated whether the treatment
was effective on the experimental group. Pre-test
held once before it was given treatment (method
role-playing) and post-test held once after given a
real treat (method role-playing). The sample
collection on this report is written purposive
techniques of sampling, this technique used
researchers if researchers have certain into account
in community sample or the sample collection for a
specific purpose (Arikonto, 2010). Based on the
proposal researchers chose class VA which totalled
31 people to be used as a class experimentation and
VB as a class control as many as 22 people. Which
consideration grade 5th having around the basic of
learning lessons a method of role-playing, learners
of grade 5th the average age of age 11 where
according to the theory of piaget (in Slavina, 2011)
the child has been having abstract reasoning and the
problem can manner in addition, the cooperation of
the master class VA in assisting the implementation
of learning by using learning methods role play.
Using Roleplay Teaching Method to Improve the Creative Thinking Abilities of Students with Special Needs in Primary School
1035

The first data analysis to find out the creative
thinking ability level of Class VA was carried out by
calculating the average scores of both pre-test and
post-test. The raw score was symbolized by X. The
raw scores were computed using Microsoft Excel
2007.
The data were classified based on assessment
criteria from the Technical Implementing Service
Unit of Guidance and Counselling of Indonesia
University of Education (UPTLBK UPI) as outlined
in Table 2.
Table 2: Criteria from the technical implementing service
UPTLBK UPI.
Criteria
Score
Note
Very high
≥ 66
At this level, students have reached a very
optimum level of development in every
aspect of creative thinking. Their creative
thinking ability level is very high.
High
56 – 65
At this level, students have reached an
optimum level of development in every
aspect of creative thinking. Their creative
thinking ability level is high.
Moderate
46- 55
At this level, students have reached a
moderate level of development in every
aspect of creative thinking. Their creative
thinking ability level is moderate.
Low
36 – 45
At this level, students’ level of
development in every aspect of creative
thinking is less optimum. Their creative
thinking ability level is low.
Very Low
< 35
At this level, students’ level of
development in every aspect of creative
thinking is not optimum. Their creative
thinking ability level is very low.
To measure the effectiveness of roleplay
teaching method in improving students’ creative
thinking abilities, the scores of pre-test and post-test
were analyzed using a statistical t-Test. This analysis
was done using SPSS 20.0. And then test reliabitas
used namely use the test retest a calculation using
formulas correlation Pearson we do some categorize
as follows,
0,80 – 100 : Very high degree of reliabitas
0,60 – 0,799 : High degree of reliabitas
0,40 – 0,599 : Enough degree of reliabitas
0,20 – 0,399 : Low degree of reliabitas
0,00 – 0, 199 : Very low degree of reliabitas
(Riduwan, 2010, page. 110)
Calculation was conducted using Microsoft excel
2007 and obtained data for r count at creativity of
0,572 showing greater or r chart with the economic
situation of real 0,279 or with the degree of trust
95% so test said reliable and Enough degree of
reliabitas. If the terms of each item, each of items
has reliabitas as follows: (1) Fluency with r count of
0,530 and having enough degree of reliabitas, (2)
the flexibility with r count of 0,496 and having
enough degree of reliabitas, (3) originality with r
count of 0, 581 and having enough degree of
reliabitas, (4) elaborate by r count of 0,468 and
having enough degree of reliabitas. So can be
concluded all items reliable because the greater of r
chart with the economic situation of real 0,279 it
means this instrument capable of producing score on
each item with were worthy to use in this research.
3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Generally, the initial creative thinking abilities of
students of Class V before the treatment were at the
low level category. After the treatment their creative
thinking abilities improved to the moderate level.
That said, the use of roleplay teaching method could
be said to improve students’ abilities to think
creatively. Students managed to respond with
rational, varied, and multi-thematic answers. They
were also able to think outside the box to solve
problems and to deliver ideas in details.
Table 3 shows that the creative thinking abilities
Class VB as the control group in general were at the
high level category. It means some students had
achieved an optimum creativity level in every
aspect. Having been taught using a conventional
method, their creative thinking abilities were at
moderate and low level. It means that some of them
were at moderately optimum level and some at less
optimum level in every aspect. That said, a
conventional teaching method could be said to lead
to the decrease in students' abilities to think
creatively.
Table 3: Description of students’ creative thinking ability.
The effectiveness was measured using SPSS, and
the t-score was labelled Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) of
0.000. Since the p-value was below the alpha value
(0.000<0.05), H0 was rejected. It means that there
was significant difference between the post-test data
ICES 2017 - 1st International Conference on Educational Sciences
1036

of the experimental group (Class VA) and those of
the control group (Class VB).
From the perspective of Piaget’s cognitive
theory, their thinking at their age is called concrete
operational thinking (Desmita, 2010). At this stage,
students can think logically as long as the concept
can be applied to specific and concrete examples
(Santrok, 2007). It could then be concluded that
students are able to understand the instruction that
relates themselves to specific examples or real
events they experience in their everyday life. That is
why it requires an appropriate method so that they
can relate to specific and concrete examples to help
them solve their own problems in everyday life.
Whatever method applied in a classroom is, the
target is students’ learning process. Therefore, we
should always focus on the achievement of their
optimum learning. (Wiliam, Lee, Harrison, and
Black, 2004) A learning process can have said to be
optimum if it brings forth a meaningful behavioral
change. In this case, relation with creativity which is
when the learning process has been optimized as
maximum as possible both in term of the method,
teaching materials, and others it will improve
learning outcomes and creativity school tuition. A
learning process can be said to be meaningful when
students’ initial ability (entry behavior) blend with
new materials. Or, in Piaget’s formula, learning
process can be said to be optimum if the
mechanisms of assimilation, accommodation, and
equilibration take place in harmony and generate a
steady scheme in mind.
Based on the above description, the use of
appropriate teaching method will lead to a
meaningful learning process and the achievement of
a steady scheme of concept in students' minds. To
deal with the problems in this study, the roleplay
teaching method was chosen as a treatment in an
attempt to improve creative thinking ability. In terms
of students' linguistic development, children at the
age of nine start to use shorter but comprehensive
sentences, and they can arrange syntactic order
appropriately. In terms of psychosocial
development, students are characterized as follows:
Having a strong desire to go out and get along with
their peers, (2) having physical features that enable
them to do things that require physical skills, and (3)
having a mental drive to think about concepts,
logics, and symbols and to communicate
extensively.
Since this study was conducted at the fifth grade,
normally the students are 10-12 years old, the
roleplay teaching method is very suitable for their
age. Through roleplaying, students can work
together in a group to explore various social
problems. The roleplay teaching method is useful:
(1) to explore students’ feelings, (2) to transfer and
actualize theories about behaviors, values, and
students' perceptions, and (3) to improve problem
solving skills and behaviors. (Keys and Wolfe,
1988) Through roleplaying, students can learn how
to solve their everyday problems.
The use of roleplay teaching method in this study
was proved to improve students' creative thinking
abilities to the moderate category. It means that most
students' creative thinking abilities were at moderate
level, indicated by their ability to respond with
rational, varied, and multi-thematic answers. They
were also able to think outside the box to solve
problems and to deliver ideas in details.
Referring to the research findings and the above
description, the roleplay teaching method was very
suitable for primary school students because: (1) it
can explore students’ feelings, (2) it is a fun activity,
(3) it can allow them to simulate concepts they
currently learn, and (4) it is very good for their
cognitive development.
The improvement was very significant if
compared with the control group whose creative
thinking abilities decreased having been taught using
a conventional method. The pre-test scores of the
control group show that their thinking abilities were
at the high level, and their post-test scores show that
their overall creative thinking abilities declined.
Based on the aforesaid description, it can be
concluded that students who were taught using the
roleplay teaching method significantly outperformed
those who were taught using a conventional method.
4 CONCLUSIONS
The role play method was proved to positively
improve students’ creative thinking abilities. The
creative thinking abilities of some students could be
classified into moderate level, but those of the
majority of students could be classified into the high
level. The roleplay teaching method was proved to
effectively improve the creative thinking abilities
and proved to be significantly better than the
conventional teaching method. This is evident in the
increase in students' creative thinking ability scores
and increase in four aspects. The four aspects in this
result of research are fluency, flexibility, originality,
and elaboration.
Using Roleplay Teaching Method to Improve the Creative Thinking Abilities of Students with Special Needs in Primary School
1037

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