Nesta pesquisa é proposto o uso Role-Playing Game, mais conhecido como RPG, como uma estratégia no processo de ensino e aprendizagem no ambiente escolar. Os estudos com RPG e educação demonstram grande potencial como tecnologia educacional, proporcionando aprendizagem ativa e significativa modificando a forma como se ensina. Este trabalho teve como objetivos: investigar sobre as possibilidades educacionais da implementação do roleplaying game (RPG) no ambiente escolar como uma atividade pedagógica complementar e voluntária no ensino de ciências, verificar a aprendizagem de conceitos fundamentais de ciências que foram expostos aos alunos através do RPG, bem como analisar as impressões dos alunos quanto ao contato desses conteúdos de ciências por meio do RPG e também quanto à experiência de jogar RPG no ambiente escolar com o professor. Para tanto procurou-se inicialmente, um levantamento bibliográfico de algumas obras que discutem os problemas educacionais brasileiros e expõem estratégias para solucioná-los, dentre essas, destacou-se as que verificam a viabilidade da utilização de jogos didáticos. Em seguida, essa pesquisa sintetiza as publicações referentes ao uso de jogos de RPG, na educação em diversos níveis e faixas etárias. Em seguida, faz-se uma breve descrição do que é RPG, e da metodologia usada nesse trabalho, no qual foi realizado um experimento com alunos do oitavo ano do ensino fundamental que jogaram RPG no ambiente escolar, de maneira voluntária e fora do horário de aula, juntamente com o professor, que abordou por meio do jogo, conceitos de ciências, como: ácido, base, escala de pH, densidade, as três Leis de Newton e também morfologia de artrópodes - insetos. Para o levantamento dos dados foi utilizado uma pesquisa qualitativa exploratória por meio da observação, questionários e um teste para avaliar o aprendizado de ciências, principalmente dos conceitos de ácido, base e escala de pH. Os resultados apontam elevado potencial do uso do role-playing game na escola como uma atividade voluntária e complementar ao ensino de ciências, bem como a formação do aluno em geral, pois além da eficiência do uso pedagógico deste jogo para o ensino de ciências, observou-se que o RPG além de motivar os alunos, proporcionou um ambiente de cooperação, interação, construção conjunta do conhecimento e criatividade. / In this research it is proposed to use Role-Playing Game, better known as RPG, as a strategy in the process of teaching and learning in the school environment. Studies in RPG and education demonstrate great potential as an educational technology, providing active and meaningful learning by modifying the way it is taught. The objective of this study was to investigate about the educational possibilities of the role-playing game (RPG) in the school environment as a complementary and voluntary pedagogical activity in science teaching, to verify the learning of fundamental science concepts that were exposed to the students through RPG, as well as analyzing students\' impressions regarding the contact of these science contente through the RPG and also the experience of playing RPG in the school environment with the teacher. In order to do so, a bibliographical survey of some works that discuss Brazilian educational problems and strategies for solving them was presented, among them, those that verify the viability of the use of didactic games. Next, this research synthesizes publications regarding the use of RPG games in education at various levels and age groups. Next, a brief description of RPG is given, and the methodology used in this work, in which an experiment was carried out with eighth grade elementary students who played RPGs in the school environment, voluntarily and outside of school classroom hours, along with the teacher, who approached through the game, science concepts such as: acid, base, pH scale, density, the three Laws of Newton and also arthropods morphology - insects. For the data collection a qualitative exploratory research was used through observation, questionnaires and a test to evaluate the learning of sciences, aim at the learning of acid, base and pH scale concepts. The results point out a high potential of the use of role-playing game in school as a voluntary activity and complementary to the teaching of sciences, as well as the formation of the student in general, because besides the efficiency of the pedagogical use of this game for the science teaching, observed That the RPG besides motivating the students, provided an environment of cooperation, interaction, joint construction of knowledge and creativity.

Will more realistic behaviour among non-playing characters (NPCs) in a role-playing game(RPG) improve the overall feeling of the game for the player? Would players notice the enhanced life of a NPC in a role-playing game, or is the time spent in cities and villages insufficient to notice any difference at all? There are plenty best-selling RPGs with simplistic, repetitive NPC behaviour on the market. Does that mean that smarter NPCs is not necessary and that an improvement of them wouldn't benefit the players' impression of it? Or would some of these well recognised games get even better with a more evolved AI? These are some of the thoughts that created the initial spark of curiosity that inspired the making of this article. By assuming that a more complex game AI for the NPCs will improve the realism and feeling in a role-playing game, a research about possible techniques to achieve this was made. The technique Smart Terrain was found most beneficial for the purpose with this research. It's been used successfully in the well-selling game The Sims and appeared to be a good choice for an NPC AI with the flexibility and expandability it delivers. With a technique of great potential selected, a first version of an AI using it was implemented as a module to the commercial RPG Neverwinter Nights 2(NWN2). With the implemented Smart Terrain AI at hand, twelve testers got to compare this AI with the one that is encountered in the original campaign of NWN2. As all the participants in the test thought the new version of the AI more realistic than the original AI, the hypothesis was proven to be true. The results gave a strong indication of that using the Smart Terrain technique is a good choice to achieve higher realism among non-hostile NPCs in a RPG like NWN2.

The problem with which this investigation was concerned was that of determining whether role playing could be used successfully to help elementary school children clarify selected values claims. The changes in children's values claims were measured by using the Semantic Differential developed by Osgood and others. This study had a threefold purpose. The first was to determine if children's values claims in the third grade could be changed by a concentrated program of role playing. The second was to determine whether children's values claims in the fifth grade could be changed by a concentrated program of role playing. The third was to determine if there was a difference in the amount of change in third- and fifth-grade children's values claims after both grades had experienced a concentrated program of role playing. The following conclusions were reached: (1) Role playing experiences can be used successfully to change third-grade children's values claims in respect to the concepts of honesty and consideration of others. (2) Whether role playing can be used successfully with third-grade children to change their values claims in regard to respect for property is open to question. (3) Whether role playing can be used successfully with fifth-grade children to change their values claims in regard to honesty, consideration of others, and respect for property is open to question. The study implied that (1) role playing may be more effective with children in the third grade than with children in the fifth grade, (2) role playing may be more effective with some values claims than with others, (3) though the changes made by the fifth grade after role-playing experiences were not significant, they were in the positive direction. Consequently it is entirely possible that role playing could have been more effective with the fifth grade under differing circumstances, (4) significant changes in values occur slowly, and programs to change values should be extended over long periods of time.

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No description available.

Tabletop role-playing games (TRPGs) present a unique opportunity to study political behavior. In educational settings, role-playing games (RPGs) of all kinds have proven to be valuable educational tools, and even when played for fun, participating in role playing games has been shown to increase one's level of confidence. Knowing this, I designed an experiment to attempt to increase internal political efficacy through the use of a politically-themed TRPG. I took inspiration from the original TRPGs of the 1970s and 1980s which were used purely for entertainment purposes to create my own game in a traditional TRPG setting with current issues woven into the story of the game (also called a campaign), and utilized quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze participants' reactions to the campaign and levels of efficacy. In doing so, I seek to determine whether players will recognize real-world issues when presented in a science fiction or fantasy-themed campaign. Furthermore, given that TRPGs have the potential to shape players' understanding of how the world works and their place in it, will players be more motivated to act on said issues presented in-game, even if they do not consciously make the connection between the real-life issues presented in the science fiction/fantasy setting and those same issues in the real world?

The purpose of this study was to design, develop, and administer an Objective, Structured Management Exam (OSME) on management skills for pharmacy students. Pharmacy preceptors for the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy participated in focus groups that identified business, management, and human resource skills needed by pharmacy graduates. Once the skills were identified, gaps were identified for inclusion into the OSMEs. The OSMEs evaluated pharmacy students' performance on four skills: 1) managerial communication (oral and written); 2) conflict resolution; 3) decision-making; and 4) professionalism. The OSME consisted of a role-playing and a writing document. Both were graded using a developed scoring rubric. The role-playing scoring rubric contained 17 skills and the written document scoring rubric contained 8 skills. During the OSME, students interacted with a trained actor and were graded by a judge on their performance. Upon completion of the OSME, students completed a 29-question survey on a) their perceived ability and confidence to accomplish 8 selected skills; b) their opinion about the OSME and suggestions to improve the process in the future; and c) their background characteristics. Many-facet Rasch analysis provided detailed information with which to evaluate content validity and student performance taking into account difficulty of skills, rating scale function of the scoring rubric, judge leniency and severity. Rasch analysis provided detailed information on the scale performance and student ability and confidence. A step-wise linear regression was used to determine if any student characteristics predicted a higher OSME performance score. Ninety-six student pharmacists completed the OSME and ninety-five students completed the questionnaire. No student failed the role-playing scenario and 1 student did not complete the written document. Significant gaps were calculated between the easiest two skills, empty sounds and eye contact. Additionally, the seventeen items did not align with student performance measures. Finally, there were two separate groups of graders. The writing document scoring rubric had poor fit with the model and significant gaps were calculated. Student measures did not adequately align with item difficulty measures. For students' perceived ability, there was no significant change in overall mean student ability scores from before the educational lectures to after the OSME. However, 46% of students (n=44) had a significant change in ability scores. Three significant gaps were calculated between skills a) between decision-making and communication and between communication and active listening on the pre-educational lectures; and b) between decision-making and communication on after the OSMEs. Students appeared confident with their ability on the 8 skills. The overall mean student confidence measure did not significantly change between the three time points: 1) before the practice cases; 2) after the practice cases; and 3) after the OSMEs. However, 46% of students (n=44) had a significant change in their confidence from before the practice cases to after the completion of the OSMEs. Item difficult measures did not appropriately align with student confidence measures, meaning the items were too easy for students. Significant gaps were also calculated: a) between the motivation and communication items and between the communication and active listening items in the before the practice cases responses; b) between the motivation and decision-making items and between the communication and active listening items for the after the practice cases responses; and c) between the motivation and decision-making items; between the decision-making and communication items; and between the communication and active listening items for after the OSME responses. Based on the result of the regression, three characteristics predicted a higher performance score on the role-playing portion of the OSME: 1) previous management experience; 2) previous leadership experience; and 3) the total grade on the educational lecture quizzes. Three characteristics predicted a higher writing document score: 1) age between 26 and 28 years; 2) English as the primary language; and 3) previous pharmacy experience classified as "other" (i.e., pharmacy experience that was not hospital, community, or managed care). This was one of the first studies to develop a role-playing exercise on management skills in pharmacy education. The grading rubrics provided an initial structure for assessing student performance on these management skills. Some changes to the ability questions and the rubrics are suggested in order to improve the content validity. The findings provide the outline for the use of an OSME at schools/colleges of pharmacy as part of their curriculum. As exposure to management scenarios showed higher performance, educators should include these skills in the education of student pharmacists in order to prepare them for a future career in pharmacy.

Sport psychological skills play an important role in sport performance. Evidence further suggests that the psychological skill levels may be influenced by the particular playing position. One hundred and eighty u/19 rugby players from the PUK Rugby Institute (average age: 18.79 +- 0.28 years) were tested during the 2003-2005 rugby seasons by means of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2), Psychological Skills Inventory (PSI), Athletic Coping Skills Inventory-28 (ACSI-28), as well as a questionnaire dealing with psychosocial factors influencing participation and performance in rugby. Players from the 2004 and 2005 seasons (n=120) were first divided into two groups (top- and lower ranked players) of 60 players each. Effect size results (practical significance) revealed moderately significant differences between the two groups, with the top ranked players outscoring their lower ranked counterparts in self-confidence, general coping resources, coping with adversity, average psychological skills score, as well as the effect of team members/team spirit, coaches and financial aspects on participation and performance. These results confirm that sport psychological skill levels and related psychosocial factors can distinguish between rugby union players of different participation levels. Secondly, the total subject group (n=180) was divided into seven positional groups (props, hookers, locks, loose trio, half-backs, centres and back three). These groups were compared by means of effect sizes (practical significance) for each of seven sport psychological skills as measured with the PSI. Moderate (46) and large (20) practically significant differences were reported for the 147 inter-positional comparisons. The results show that the half-backs and hookers consistently outperformed the other three positional groups, while the props, locks and back three often showed the lowest skill levels. While these results are discussed in reference to practical implications for future position specific sport psychological skills training sessions, they clearly show that sport psychological skill levels differ from one position to another. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

It has been the purpose of this study to examine representative beginning piano methods, as found available in published form, and to compare and evaluate them according to musical, psychological, physical, and educational standards.

O presente trabalho trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa etnográfica que objetivou descrever o modo como o brinquedo é utilizado no primeiro ano do Ensino Fundamental de nove anos, como estratégias de ensino e aprendizagem em sala de aula. Na revisão de literatura, observou-se que a maioria dos estudos enfatiza a importância da brincadeira na escola e desenvolvimento do estudante. Como instrumento de coleta de dados, foi utilizada entrevista semiestruturada com 30 professores da rede de ensino municipal de uma cidade do interior paulista. Foram realizadas duas entrevistas de aproximadamente 50 minutos, com três temas em cada uma. Além disso, observações participantes com três professoras, e dois encontros com cada uma delas. A partir da análise de conteúdo foi possível perceber que são várias as formas pelas quais a brincadeira se configura no contexto escolar, podendo ser desde uma prática pedagógica a uma atividade de descontração e socialização entre os estudantes. Além disso foi relatado um despreparo dos professores ao saírem da graduação quanto à utilização do lúdico em sala de aula, uma vez que os mesmos apontam ter sido este um ponto de baixa exploração e defasagem nas suas formações. Observou-se também o sentimento de frustração do professor relacionado à sua valorização profissional por parte do governo ou ainda, da sociedade. Concluiu-se que a brincadeira é um forte recurso utilizado na alfabetização de crianças, contribuindo para o desenvolvimento infantil como um todo. / The presente study is an qualitative ethnography, that had as object of study the way that toys are used in the first year of elementary school of nine years old, and how they use it as a resource of teach and learn in the classroom. In the literature review, we found that most of the studies emphasizes the importance of play in the school for the development of the students. As data collection instrument, it was used a semistructured interviews, used with 30 teachers from local school network of the city. The interview had two moments, and it was used 50 minutes with each one. In addition, it was perfomed remarks participants with three teachers, having two days of observation with each one. From the content analysis it was possible realize that are several ways of how the games and the toys are set in the school context, that can be from a pedagogical practice to a relaxation activity and socialization among students. In Addition of it, was reporting a lack in the preparation of the teachers when they leave the undergraduate and use the playful in the classroom, as they point out that this is a very low exploration point that lag in their training. Also there was an feeling of frustration from the teacher\'s related to their professional development by the government and even the society. It was concluded that the toy and the play are strong resources used in children literacy, and contributing to the child development.