AI role-play as a research methodology: Systematic simulation for educational research

This tutorial introduces AI role-play as an innovative research methodology for exploring complex, multi-stakeholder scenarios in educational contexts. The methodology addresses limitations of traditional qualitative methods when investigating emerging phenomena where stakeholders cannot articulate challenges they have not experienced. Through systematic prompt design, multi-perspective simulation, and critical validation protocols, AI role-play enables researchers to generate diverse stakeholder viewpoints rapidly and systematically. The tutorial explains the theoretical framework and provides practical guidance for implementation using multiple AI systems, followed by rigorous thematic analysis and cross-system validation to distinguish genuine insights from potential biases. Case studies illustrate the methodology's application in analyzing educational futures and Agile-blended learning implementation challenges, revealing stakeholder dynamics that might not emerge through traditional interviews. The tutorial presents findings from research using AI chatbots, showing how systems can simulate authentic stakeholder reasoning patterns while maintaining distinct perspectives based on their training paradigms. However, critical limitations include potential cultural misrepresentation, oversimplified social dynamics, and embedded training biases requiring careful methodological consideration. The tutorial establishes protocols for ethical implementation, emphasizing transparency in AI use, human guidance in interpretation and acknowledgment of limitations. The methodology serves as a valuable complement to traditional qualitative methods, particularly for hypothesis generation and exploratory research.