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

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.

Conditions

• None - Study is to Determine Safety in Healthy Participants

Interventions

DEVICE

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.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universitat Politècnica de València

  collaborator OTHER

• University Of Perugia

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Eastern Finland

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Greifswald

  collaborator OTHER

• European Union

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Valencia

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Konstanze Schoeps · University of Valencia

Study Design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

10 Years

Max Age

16 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-01-01

Primary Completion

2026-05-30

Completion

2026-07-31

Countries

• Spain

Study Locations