JOINclusion: A Mobile Game for Social Inclusion in Multicultural School Contexts

Alessandra Colella, Annaleda Mazzucato, Dario Bacchini, Ioannis Christidis, Concetta Esposito, Enrique Hortal, Eleni Aikaterini Leligkoy, Loukas Oikonomakis, Katerina Palaiologou, Yusuf Can Semerci

Abstract: Cultural diversity is pivotal in our society, making inclusive education a priority. Serious games offer unique avenues for fostering diversity in schools. JOINclusion, an Erasmus + funded project, developed and tested a mobile game across Greece, Italy, and the Netherlands. The game aims to facilitate harmonious and prosocial interactions in multicultural school settings. It consists of two learning scenarios, each consisting of four levels, each one targeting specific Social Emotional Learning (SEL) skills. Furthermore, a collaborative level is implemented, which allows children to practice the skills strengthened in the previous two scenarios. Thanks to a captivating and entertaining plot, children will have to search for magical gems scattered throughout the various rooms of the school and collaboratively solve social dilemmas based on the game's levels to save the school from an evil witch who is intent on destroying it. Additionally, an easy-to-use authoring tool for school educators has been developed to generate customized materials for the collaborative level. This study presents initial findings from the game's pilot phase, assessing its usability and educational value among children. Additionally, leveraging machine learning, the study examines children's game interactions to group them based on similar patterns. This grouping has the potential to predict behaviors related to social inclusion and identify influential game interaction features. Teachers can then use this information to gain a better understanding of how to create an enriching game experience and a more inclusive school environment. The results revealed that students who played the game enjoyed the experience, expressed a desire to play it again, and acquired new skills and knowledge. Cluster analysis showed three interaction profiles potentially predictive of expected behaviors and influential game features. Overall, the findings emphasize that JOINclusion provides an innovative platform to enhance empathic skills and cultural awareness among students.