The effectiveness of a training program based on role-playing to develop the skill of cooperative behavior among children with learning disabilities<>

Abstract

The research aimed to verify the effectiveness of the role-playing strategy in developing cooperative behavior skills among children with learning difficulties. The study utilized an experimental design, considering one group as both the control and experimental group simultaneously. The sample consisted of 20 male and female students with learning difficulties, evenly distributed based on several variables (gender - years of education) in the region of Sahneh, rural Damascus. The following instruments were employed: the "Michael Best" scale for assessing student behavior in cases of learning difficulties, the "Ziyat" scale (1999) for assessing behavioral characteristics of students with learning difficulties, the "Rahma" scale (2004) adapted to the Syrian environment for assessing consecutive matrices of Raven, and the cooperative behavior scale, along with the role-playing

training program.

The experimental group underwent a 5-week role-playing training program, consisting of 12 sessions, with three sessions per week, except for the first and last week, which had three 90-minute sessions each. To analyze the results and verify the hypotheses, the t-test, mean, and standard deviation were used.

The research results revealed that the cooperative behavior skills of children with learning difficulties were at a low level. However, the results also showed a significant improvement in the cooperative behavior skills of the experimental group, as compared to their pre-application measurements. Additionally, there were no statistically significant differences in all dimensions of cooperative behavior and the overall level among the members of the experimental group, based on gender (males-females) and pre-school years (one or two years).