The findings highlight how interactive classroom activities can give children more opportunities to speak, ask questions, exchange ideas, and collaborate. Rather than relying mainly on listening to explanations, students take part in learning by portraying characters, discussing stories, responding to classmates, and reflecting on what they have learned.
Addressing Passive Participation in the Classroom
Active participation is an important part of elementary education, particularly in Indonesian language lessons, which help children develop literacy, communication, and critical-thinking skills. Students need opportunities not only to understand reading materials but also to explain ideas, ask questions, and communicate with others.
However, preliminary observations at SD Negeri 17 Singki found that participation among fifth-grade students was uneven. A small number of students tended to dominate discussions, while others remained quiet or hesitated to express their opinions. Some students also lacked confidence when speaking in front of the class.
These challenges can limit opportunities for children to practice communication and engage directly with learning materials. The Merdeka Curriculum emphasizes student-centered learning, making classroom approaches that encourage participation particularly relevant.
The research team examined role-playing as one way to address this problem. In this learning model, students act out characters or situations based on a prepared scenario. They work in groups, perform their assigned roles, observe other groups, exchange feedback, and discuss the lesson's key messages.
The activities were incorporated into Indonesian language instruction on Chapter VI, “Cinta Indonesia” or “Love for Indonesia.” Through stories and role-play, students were encouraged to explore the material while practicing communication, teamwork, and confidence.
How the Research Was Conducted
Nur Ilmi, Usman, and Mardatillah conducted classroom action research involving one teacher and 15 fifth-grade students at UPT SD Negeri 17 Singki. The group consisted of four boys and 11 girls. The research took place during the second semester of the 2025/2026 academic year in Singki Village, Anggeraja District, Enrekang Regency, South Sulawesi.
The study was organized into two cycles, each comprising four stages: planning, action, observation, and reflection. After reviewing the results of the first cycle, the teacher adjusted the learning activities to address difficulties experienced by students.
During the lessons, students were divided into groups and assigned roles according to a scenario. They prepared and performed their roles, watched other groups, participated in discussions, gave feedback, and worked with the teacher to draw conclusions.
The researchers collected information through classroom observations, tests, and documentation. Observations focused on students’ involvement in group activities, their willingness to ask and answer questions, their confidence in expressing opinions, and their participation in reflection. Tests were also used to assess learning outcomes, while photographs, videos, student work, and field notes provided supporting documentation.
The researchers set a minimum success indicator of 76% for learning activeness. This threshold was used to assess whether the classroom intervention had achieved its intended target.
Student Activeness Rose to 90.38%
The results showed a clear improvement across the two learning cycles.
During Cycle I, student activeness reached 55.76% at the first meeting and increased to 69.23% at the second meeting. Although participation improved, both results remained in the moderate category and fell short of the study’s 76% success threshold.
Observations during this cycle identified several challenges. Some students were hesitant to perform their assigned roles, others contributed little to group discussions, and some struggled to express opinions or summarize the lesson independently.
The teacher used these observations to revise the next cycle. Instructions about the storyline and role assignments became clearer, and students received more intensive guidance during performances and discussions. The teacher also encouraged every group member to participate and provided feedback on students’ work.
PowerPoint presentations, student worksheets, and simple props were used to make the activities more engaging and help students understand the learning material.
The changes were followed by higher participation in Cycle II. Student activeness reached 78.84% at the first meeting and rose to 90.38% at the second meeting. Both results were classified as high and exceeded the study’s success threshold.
The increase from the first meeting of Cycle I to the final meeting of Cycle II amounted to 34.62 percentage points. The researchers also reported improvements in the implementation of classroom activities by both the teacher and the students, suggesting that more structured guidance and active participation helped improve the learning process.
Why Role-Playing Can Make Learning More Interactive
The researchers’ findings suggest that role-playing can give students concrete reasons to participate. Each child receives a role or task that contributes to the group's performance, creating opportunities to speak, listen, cooperate, and respond to others.
The approach also connects language learning with practical communication. Students must understand the scenario, portray a character, coordinate with their peers, and communicate ideas in front of classmates. Discussions after the performances allow them to reflect on the story and identify its messages.
In their article, Ilmi, Usman, and Mardatillah describe improvements in students’ confidence, group collaboration, classroom discussion, and willingness to express opinions during the second cycle. These observations support the use of interactive activities as an alternative to lessons in which students mainly listen to the teacher.
For elementary school teachers, role-playing may be suitable for lessons involving folktales, dialogue, characters, everyday communication, and social values. Teachers can adapt the scenarios to students’ reading abilities and interests, divide roles fairly, and provide clear guidance so that quieter students also have opportunities to contribute.
The findings also underline the importance of reflection. The first cycle did not meet the success target, but the teacher used the observed difficulties to improve the second cycle. This process illustrates how teachers can adjust classroom strategies based on students’ actual needs rather than relying on a single teaching approach.
Findings Need Broader Testing
Although the results are encouraging, the research has limitations. It involved only 15 students in one school and covered two classroom action research cycles. The findings therefore cannot automatically be generalized to all elementary schools or establish that role-playing will produce the same results in every classroom.
The study primarily documented changes in learning activeness during the intervention. Further research involving more students, additional schools, and longer observation periods could help determine whether the approach also produces lasting improvements in learning outcomes, critical thinking, communication, or self-confidence.
Nevertheless, the experience at SD Negeri 17 Singki offers a practical example of how structured role-playing, teacher guidance, and suitable learning materials can create more opportunities for students to take part in Indonesian language lessons.
Author Profiles
Nur Ilmi, Usman, and Mardatillah are affiliated with the Elementary School Teacher Education program at Universitas Negeri Makassar, Indonesia. The published article identifies their institutional affiliation but does not provide complete academic-degree and individual-specialization details for all three authors; these details are therefore not inferred here.
Research Source
Article title: “The Implementation of The Role-Playing Learning Model to Improve the Indonesian Language Learning Activeness of Fifth-Grade Students at SD Negeri 17 Singki, Enrekang Regency”Authors: Nur Ilmi, Usman, and Mardatillah
Journal: International Journal of Sustainable Applied Sciences (IJSAS)
Publication details: Volume 4, Number 10, 2026, pages 1463–1476
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59890/ijsas.v4i10.88
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