Competenze in gioco. Un’esperienza di serious game applicata alle competenze sociali ed emotive

The contribution presents the results of a research conducted in Turin high schools using a serious game to investigate some social and emotional skills (cooperation, resistance to stress, perseverance). The topic of social and emotional skills is acquiring growing relevance both in research and educational contexts. A large international literature has in fact highlighted the positive implications deriving from having these skills, with reference to school performance, employment perspectives, and the fight against risky behaviors. However, their relevance is still a subject of discussion: alongside the consolidated questionnaires, successfully tested by the OECD in various international surveys, other techniques are making their way. In particular, serious games, generally applied to disciplinary learning, can also find space for the observation of social and emotional skills, as presented in this study. The results highlight the persistence, even in this area, of the influence of the track attended (high schools, technical or professional schools) and of gender.