Simulate for professionalism: Role-playing as a progressive methodology for communicational competency development in psychopedagogy

Abstract

Psychopedagogy training focuses mainly on assessment and diagnosis, while sometimes leaving aside the development of professional communication skills. This article systematizes two role-play experiences implemented as assessment activities during psychopedagogy practicum courses, with the aim of analyzing their contribution to the development of communication and professional decision-making competencies established in the graduate profile of the Psychopedagogy program at AIEP Professional Institute. The first experience consisted of a role-play involving the delivery of diagnostic feedback, in which the student communicated the assessment findings and recommendations to a person without technical knowledge who had participated in their Intervention and Assessment Practicum II. The second activity required students to present the case from their curricular practicum before an interdisciplinary committee, requiring them to justify and support their professional decisions before representatives of other disciplines. 

The analysis was conducted using a qualitative approach, combining the assessment rubrics from both activities with the students' final practicum reflections. The results reveal two complementary dimensions: in the first activity, students were challenged to balance technical rigor with the use of accessible language; in the second, they demonstrated their ability to argue for and justify the professional decisions they had made before peers from other disciplines. Both activities were highly valued by the students, who described the experience as meaningful and reported increased confidence in their professional practice. The findings suggest that role-play should be incorporated in a structured and progressive manner into the curriculum as a strategy to strengthen the communicative identity of future professionals.