Serious Game-Based School Intervention to Enhance Socio-Emotional Competence and Well-Being in European Adolescents

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

SEL4@ll: SEL4@ll is a school-based digital intervention targeting students aged 10-16 (Primary and Secondary Education). It combines: (1) a serious game with five missions promoting SEL skills (1/week), playable online at home or school; (2) a digital teacher handbook with classroom activities used 1-2 times per week; and (3) online surveys to assess impact. The program lasts 8 weeks: 2 weeks for pre/post assessments and 6 weeks of gameplay and classroom sessions. Surveys are administered online (3 waves), and optional focus groups are conducted with a subsample of students. Teachers complete an online evaluation after implementation.

Study summary

The goal of this study is to evaluate whether a digital, game-based social-emotional education intervention (SEL4@ll) can improve socio-emotional competencies, well-being, and inclusion in primary and secondary school students aged 10-16 across four European countries. The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does participating in the SEL4@ll serious game increase students' socio-emotional competencies, such as self-awareness, empathy, and decision-making?
* Does the program enhance students' sense of well-being and social inclusion within the classroom environment?

Researchers will compare outcomes between students who participate in the SEL4@ll intervention and those in the control group who follow standard curricular activities to see if the game-based program leads to significant improvements.

Participants will:

* Play a serious game focused on five themed "portals" that develop emotional intelligence, leadership, gratitude, resilience, and justice.
* Complete questionnaires at three different time points (pre-, post-, and follow-up) to assess changes in competencies.
* Take part in focus groups (students) and provide implementation feedback (teachers).
* Engage in teacher-led activities and worksheets designed to support reflection and integration of SEL4@ll content.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Social Skills Improvement System Social and Emotional Learning Brief Scales (Anthony et al., 2020) — Three measurement points: T1 (one week before intervention "baseline"), T2 (after intervention, eight weeks after T1) and T3 (follow-up, three months after T1).
  The SSIS SEL Brief Scales is a 20-item questionnaire developed to assess social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies in children and adolescents. The items are organized into five domains that align with the core SEL areas defined by the CASEL framework (2020): self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Each item is rated on a 4-point Likert scale, from 1 (Not True) to 4 (Very True), resulting in a total score ranging from 20 (minimum) to 80 (maximum). Higher scores reflect stronger perceived social and emotional competencies.

Trial sites (1)

More University of Valencia trials in Spain