Acceptability and effectiveness of the "Education in Action-ABALL1" intervention program in primary school-aged children

Abstract

Background: Research has consistently shown the benefits of developing intervention programs in educational settings, enhancing the learning process and socioemotional skills. There is a growing investment in creating and supporting a healthy school environment, prioritizing learning through play. This study aimed to assess the acceptability and e􀀀ectiveness of an innovative intervention approach—“Education in Action—ABALL1”—focused on promoting literacy and numeracy skills and socioemotional competencies of second-grade children. Methods: A total of 113 children aged between 7 and 9 participated in the study and were allocated into two groups: intervention (N = 69) and control (N = 44). The intervention consisted of 24 educational games aligned with the mathematics and Portuguese curricula, applied for 3 months, twice a week; two self-report instruments were used to measure aptitudes for school learning and socioemotional skills, considering two assessment moments: before and after the program implementation. In addition, a focus group involving a subsample of children and teachers who followed the intervention in di􀀀erent school cohorts was carried out. Results: Our results suggested a positive e􀀀ect of the program concerning children’s academic skills, showing a significant improvement in terms of the pre–post-intervention scores in the intervention group (Cohen’s d = 0.95). Moreover, the qualitative findings also indicate the high acceptability of the program among children and head teachers, who reported a positive e􀀀ect on the acquisition and consolidation of reading, writing, and arithmetic skills and on the promotion of teamwork, empathy, autonomy, and self-reflection. Conclusion: Overall, the “Education in Action—ABALL1” program provides a promising intervention based on learning through play directly impacting second- grade children’s academic, emotional, and interpersonal skills. Further studies are required to understand the transdisciplinary capacity of this intervention approach and its e􀀀ectiveness at di􀀀erent school levels and curricula.