Development, Usability and Feasibility Pilot Study of a Videogame Aiming to Stimulate Cognitive and Non-cognitive Skills Among Low-income Preschoolers in Chile
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 已完成
- 入组人数
- 317
- 试验地点
- 1
- 主要终点
- Functionality of video game: Mechanical errors
研究概览
简要总结
Mental health disorders are one of the leading causes of illness globally. The importance of psychosocial skills acquired in early childhood, such as executive functions, inhibitory control, emotional regulation, and social problem-solving, in preventing mental disorders has been reported. Furthermore, mental health care delivery is evolving, and mobile technology is becoming the medium for assessment and intervention. We developed Japi 1.0, a video game, to stimulate cognitive and non-cognitive skills in early childhood. This study aims to assess the functionality of this video game, student engagement and behavior, classroom climate, the feasibility of the implementation of the study and to explore the impact of the video game on the development of cognitive and non-cognitive skills.
详细描述
The use of technology in preventive interventions allows, on the one hand, the development of cost-effective strategies and, on the other, access to a large population. There are a number of therapeutic and preventive initiatives that have begun to be used in the mental health field in adolescents and adults. These interventions have been delivered through websites or mobile applications, and have shown some effectiveness. However, there are no studies on using these technologies in preschool populations. There is consensus in the scientific community that the stimulation of cognitive and non-cognitive skills in the first years of life promotes development in general and produces a beneficial impact in the long term on health and on different economic indicators.
The objectives of this research are: 1) To develop a video game prototype to be used on tablets by pre-kindergarten students from socio-economically vulnerable schools, which allows stimulating working memory, behavioral inhibition, emotion recognition, and social problem-solving skills in such a way as to prevent the development of behavioral problems and general psychological distress; 2) To carry out a pilot cluster Randomized Controlled Trial to evaluate several aspects of functionality of this video game, student engagement and behavior, classroom climate, the feasibility of the implementation of the study and to explore the impact of the video game on the development of cognitive and non-cognitive skills.
It is expected to recruit eight schools with at least one pre-kindergarten class, with an average of 30 students per class. Schools will be randomly allocated to intervention and control groups in a ratio of 1:1. The control group will receive their usual curricular activities. Meanwhile, the students in the intervention group will play the ten 30-minute video game sessions supervised by preschool teachers and research assistants. The frequency of sessions is expected to be twice a week for 5 weeks. Both groups will be evaluated at the beginning and after implementing Japi 1.0. The assessment will include the direct in-person measurement of working memory, behavioral inhibition, emotion recognition, and social problem-solving skills among children and evaluating children's emotional and behavioral problems rated by parents or caregivers. As the primary outcomes of this study are the evaluation of the functionality of this video game, student engagement, and behavior during playing, classroom climate, and the feasibility of the implementation of the study, the research team has developed quantitative and qualitative measures to collect this data.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Randomized
- 干预模型
- Parallel
- 主要目的
- Prevention
- 盲法
- Single (Outcomes Assessor)
盲法说明
Statistician was blinded to the group allocation
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 4 Years 至 6 Years（Child）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 是
入选标准
- •Schools located in Santiago (Chile).
- •Schools with Preschool Education.
- •Mixed-sex schools.
- •Schools with high vulnerability (≥ 75%), as stated in the School Vulnerability Index - National System of Equality Allocation (IVE-SINAE). This index is the proportion of high-vulnerability students in a given school, considering socioeconomic variables such as the mother's educational level, the father's educational level, and total monthly household income, among others.
排除标准
- •Four or more classes in Preschool. This criterion was considered for economic and practical reasons.
- •Implementing a manualized program to promote cognitive or social-emotional skills.
- •Participating in a similar study.
- •Inclusion Criteria for Students:
- •Children attending pre-kindergarten (aged around 4 years old).
- •Exclusion criteria for Students
- •Children with intellectual disability.
- •Children unable to understand and speak Spanish
研究组 & 干预措施
Control
The control group receives standard school curricula.
Japi 1.0 Intervention
Video game of 10 sessions with activities stimulating cognitive (working memory and inhibitory control) and non-cognitve (emotion recognition and social competence) skills. Children will play with the game two times a week, each lasting 30 minutes, over 5 weeks. Sessions numbers 1 to 5 were focused on emotional recognition and inhibitory control. Sessions numbers 6 to 10 worked on working memory and social competence. Each session had eight activities and five tasks per activity with increasing difficulty levels.
干预措施: Japi 1.0 (Behavioral)
结局指标
主要结局
Functionality of video game: Mechanical errors
时间窗: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
The number of errors in the video game (e.g., wrong interface, stuck or frozen screen, wrong reward stimulus after students´ correct responses) registered for tasks and activities during sessions.
Functionality of video game: Failure to record data in the server
时间窗: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
The number of students whose data from video game play was not recorded in the server.
Poor student engagement
时间窗: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Percentage of students who lack attention and engagement and prematurely stop playing, making them unable to finish the tasks and activities during each session.
Feasibility: Participant recruitment
时间窗: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
The number of parents/caregivers and students who were contacted and those who consented and agreed to participate.
Feasibility: Student attandance
时间窗: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
We will collect student attendance data by session to play with Japi 1.0.
Feasibility: number of eligible schools
时间窗: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
The number of eligible schools, those contacted, and those who agreed to participate.
Feasibility: Attrition
时间窗: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
The number of participants' losses during the study.
Feasibility: Intervention duration
时间窗: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Data will be collected on the time needed to complete the intervention.
Feasibility: Time requirement needed for measurements
时间窗: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Time invested in baseline and after-intervention measurements.
次要结局
- Emotion recognition: Assessment of Children's Emotions Skills (ACES)(Through study completion, an average of 1 year)
- Social competence: Challenging Situations Task (CST)(Through study completion, an average of 1 year)
- Working Memory: Corsi Block Test(Through study completion, an average of 1 year)
- Executive function: The Minnesota Executive Function Scale (MEFS)(Through study completion, an average of 1 year)
- Working Memory: Woodcock- Muñoz Auditive Working Memory test(Through study completion, an average of 1 year)
- Inhibitory control: The Hearts and Flowers task(Through study completion, an average of 1 year)
- Behavioral problems and psychological assessment: The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).(Through study completion, an average of 1 year)
研究者
Jorge Gaete
Full Professor
Universidad de los Andes, Chile