Designing a Role-Play Activity about Social-Emotional Learning for the Indian Context Based on the Integrated Design Framework for Playful Learning

The game design for social-emotional learning (SEL) activities is underexplored worldwide. In particular, there is little research on how to establish best practices for designing SEL games in India. SEL games are vital for children's development, focusing on understanding and managing emotions, building healthy relationships, and making responsible decisions. However, the current state of SEL in India faces several challenges. While a few educational institutions have begun integrating SEL into their curricula, the majority of others remain unaware or lack the resources to implement effective programs. To address this gap, we explored how we can implement game-based learning, in particular, the integrated design framework for playful learning (IDFPL), for SEL in the Indian context. Two pilot tests were conducted with Indian children to assess the appropriateness of such gameplay processes within the cultural context. Six master’s students from an Indian university and eighty rural Indian children participated in the game pilot. We conducted four role-play activity sessions by 45 minutes each. The activity included icebreakers, emotional charades, and role-play exercises to encourage the expression and recognition of emotions. A validated Kids Empathy Development Scale (KEDS)-inspired design of this role-play activity in order to engage children to SEL practice and explore the ways to assess their empathy-related skills, including emotion recognition (affective empathy) and ability to understand and explain others’ emotions (cognitive empathy). This paper discusses the non-digital design process for Indian rural schoolchildren to teach SEL, lessons learned from designing this game activity, and insights on incorporating affective and sociocultural components of IDFPL into the design process. Pilot tests indicated positive outcomes in enhancing relatedness, observational learning, goal orientation, motivation, interest, and self-esteem among participants. However, hierarchical dynamics between children and adults presented challenges in promoting agency, participatory learning culture, and open social interaction. Additionally, the study emphasizes the need for further empirical research using mixed methods to understand children's engagement with SEL games more deeply. It also suggests developing digital versions of the role-play game, creating a culturally tailored IDFPL for India, and providing guidelines for designing SEL games across diverse cultural contexts.