Role-Playing Game as a Way to Overcome Psychological Barriers in Teenagers Learning English

Nowadays, when English has become the first language in the world accelerating the pace of globalization being an integral part of the cultural and economic development of society, it is vital to be able to communicate in it. However, most people, especially teenagers, with a deep knowledge of vocabulary and grammar could not use it freely in the situations of real interaction because of some psychological difficulties. There are many ways to deal with them, and the main purpose of this study is to demonstrate how a role-playing game could be useful in overcoming psychological barriers that appear because of different reasons such as inner fear of mistake, the lack of motivation, anxiety and high levels of stress. Within the topic, studies of several authors were analyzed. Among them, there are works on modern approaches in teaching, on interactive teaching methods and some research studies on the topic of psychological barriers and the methods of dealing with them. Nevertheless, few studies are dedicated to the effectiveness of role-playing games in overcoming such difficulties that teenagers face. This work is aimed to address the research gap and assess the utility of this method for this age group. In order to measure the practical effectiveness of role-playing game, both primary and secondary data were performed, including two surveys among teenagers that were conducted in the second chapter. In addition to it, there were observed three classes (two were with the use of role-playing game, and one was without it) in three different groups. The findings of this research show that role-playing is an effective tool for increasing motivation and self-confidence, as well as reducing anxiety. Surveys that were conducted before and after classes show that students’ emotional state after lessons with the use of role-playing games is better than after lessons without it. It leads to the conclusion that role-playing game is an effective method of overcoming psychological barriers in teenagers. The results of this research could be used as a theoretical basis for the development of new methodological materials for English lessons, as well as a groundwork for further research on the role of role-playing game in the process of learning foreign languages and in the development of child's personality.