The Use of the Role-playing Technique STARS in Formal Didactic Contexts

Abstract

Live action role-playing games (larps) are an effective, yet uncommon learning tool in schools. For broader implementation, the design of the game has to serve curricular and pedagogical needs alike. This paper presents core principles of design and implementation of educational live action role-playing games in curricular primary and secondary education. Over the course of 5 years, 16 live action role-playing games with a total of 53 cycles of Design-based Research (DBR) including design, testing, and evaluation were conducted in German schools. This paper synthesizes 17 essential principles from the DBR cycles as best practice in the context of subject-bound curricular focus. The results of our study show that four parameters differ in schools from extracurricular live action role-playing activities: curricular guidelines, compulsory participation, grading practices, and time/space confinements. These four parameters need to be taken into consideration at all times when designing and conducting a live action role-playing game in a school environment. Moreover, design for simplicity and inclusion is paramount for successful implementation within subject-teaching in schools as a rewarding tool to foster content-knowledge and to promote social and personal skills.