Board games involving emotional skills: promoting positive emotions and emotion regulation skills in adolescents

Study 1: Socio-emotional competencies and academic performance in adolescents: comparative evaluation of mindfulness meditation, improvisational theater and board game interventions at school (IMAGINE project)In response to the Swiss educational initiatives regarding the strengthening of socio-emotional competencies in adolescents within the school context, a first study got underway in 2020 in collaboration with Professor David Sander from the University of Geneva (also a lecturer at UniDistance Suisse). This study was carried out at the Centre de Formation Pré-professionnelle (CFPP) as well as in two schools of “Culture Générale” (Ecole de Culture Générale - ECG) in Geneva with the support of the CFPP school principal Pascal Edwards. The aim was to compare and validate three interventions (mindfulness meditation, improvisational theatre, and board games focused on emotional competencies) and to test their efficacy in regard to the intra-personal skills (e.g., emotion regulation, stress management) and interpersonal skills (e.g. empathy, conflict management) of adolescents. We have also explored the effects on general functioning (e.g., absenteeism, academic performance).

The chEERS games, developed by the chEERS Lab, were used as the main tools in the psycho-educational board game-based intervention that was led by Alexandra Zaharia. Three Master students in Psychology at UniDistance Suisse have contributed to this project within their internship in the chEERS Lab, along with Giona Di Poi, research and teaching assistant at UniDistance Suisse. Thus, the chEERS games were evaluated for acceptability, feasibility, and efficacy. For more information about this collaborative project, click here: https://www.unige.ch/cisa/research/current-specific-research-projects/imagine/

Study 2: Board games and emotional competencies in pre-adolescents (10-12 years)
The aim of this study was to explore the potential of the new board games as tools for measuring emotional competencies: emotion recognition, emotion differentiation, and emotion regulation. This second study took place in a school in the canton of Valais and was led by Alexandra Zaharia. Three Master students in Psychology at UniDistance Suisse have contributed to this research within their internship or Master’s thesis project in the chEERS Lab, along with Anouk Papon, research and teaching assistant at UniDistance Suisse.  

If you would like to find out more, please do not hesitate to contact us: alexandra.zaharia@unidistance.ch or 022 379 09 25.