SEL4@ll program for social and emotional development among European adolescents: a study protocol for a randomized...

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Digital Learning
• Adolescent Development

Background:

• Modern challenges necessitate social and emotional skills beyond academics for youth adaptation.
• The SEL4@ll programme uses a serious game to deliver Social and Emotional Education (SEE).
• This intervention targets socio-emotional learning through engaging and inclusive digital methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design, implement, and evaluate the SEL4@ll intervention in European schools.
• To enhance students' social-emotional competencies, scholastic well-being, and social inclusion.
• To assess the cultural adaptability and generalizability of a shared SEE framework.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving ~1,000 students (ages 10-16) across Germany, Italy, Spain, and Finland.
• A six-week intervention combining individual gameplay with teacher-led classroom sessions.
• Quantitative (baseline, post-intervention, 2-month follow-up) and qualitative data collection, analyzed using linear mixed-effects models.

Main Results:

• Primary outcomes: social-emotional competence.
• Secondary outcomes: student well-being and social inclusion.
• Qualitative data explored user experiences and contextual factors.

Conclusions:

• SEL4@ll innovatively integrates digital serious gaming with social and emotional education.
• The cross-national design assesses the cultural adaptability of SEE frameworks.
• Findings will inform scalable, evidence-based strategies for technology-enhanced education to support youth development.