Development and evaluation of a serious game for bullying prevention with young students

摘要 欺负是所有太常见的在早期的学年，发生在大约相同的比率在幼儿园 和第一（K1）年级在后来的小学。研究强调了幼年时期的欺凌行为是如何 预测持续的欺凌和同伴受害，以及所有参与欺凌者，受害者和旁观者- 在孩子的社会、情感和学业生活的许多方面，都有更高的风险出现负面结果。 最近对以学校为基础的项目的审查表明，惩罚性的，纪律性的方法来欺凌， 预防不起作用，社会情绪学习（SEL）是有效计划的关键因素。 不幸的是，物流障碍（例如，时间、成本、对训练有素的工作人员的需求）往往会削弱学校的能力， 与所有学生一起实施传统的亲自SEL策略。此SBIR快速通道将利用切割- 边缘智能社交家教游戏技术打造一款全新的、有据可依的严肃游戏 旨在帮助年幼的学生发展他们需要的社交情感技能，以应对欺凌情况。 3C Institute是基于游戏的智能社交教学系统（ISTS）领域的领导者， 开发和测试SEL游戏。3C正在与华盛顿州的贝尔维尤公立学校合作， 学校社区-威克县公立学校，北卡罗来纳州，和我们的商业化合作伙伴，个性化 学习游戏，将提供一个坚实的基础上，建立，测试和商业化的建议 K1 SEL游戏产品。将实现五个具体目标。在第一阶段，我们将（1）创建一个 一个严肃的游戏原型，基于K1学生、家长和教育工作者的输入，带有定制的图形设计 和故事世界和五个原型社会问题解决（SPS）场景。我们还将（2）进行最终用户测试 与K1学生和教育工作者谁将审查和评估原型。在第二阶段，我们会（3）发展 完整的产品通过迭代测试过程，总共有25个SPS场景与CASEL的SEL一致 框架（自我管理，自我意识，社会意识，关系技能和负责任的决策 制作）以及在线学生，家庭和教育者门户网站。然后，我们将（4）进行随机活动 对照试验研究，检验严肃游戏对改善K1学生社会情绪行为的影响， 在欺负情境中解决问题的能力、应对欺负的自我效能感和行为意识 构成欺凌的行为我们预计SEL严肃游戏将在所有领域带来重大改进 与活性对照组相比。最后，我们将（5）通过进行聚焦，为商业化做准备。 小组与教育工作者敲定完整的产品，并为学校制定实施指南。 我们还将开发所有需要的在线培训演示和材料，最终确定在线报告功能， 将电子商务功能整合到网站中。我们提出的产品将满足巨大的市场需求， 第一个经过严格测试的严肃游戏，用于预防年轻学生的SEL欺凌。我们已经 与Personalized Learning Games，Inc.致力于提供产品。

Abstract Bullying is all too common in the early school years, occurring at approximately the same rate in Kindergarten and 1st (K1) grades as in later elementary school. Research underscores how bullying at an early age is predictive of continued bullying and peer victimization, and how all involved—bullies, victims, and bystanders— are at elevated risk for negative outcomes in many aspects of a child's social, emotional, and academic life. Recent reviews of school-based programs demonstrate that punitive, disciplinary approaches to bullying prevention do not work, and that social emotional learning (SEL) is a critical ingredient in effective programs. Unfortunately, logistical barriers (e.g., time, cost, need for trained staff) too often undermine schools' abilities to implement traditional in-person SEL strategies with all students. This SBIR Fast-Track will leverage cutting- edge intelligent social tutoring game technology to create a new, evidence-based serious game specifically designed to help younger students develop the social emotional skills they need to navigate bullying situations. 3C Institute is a leader in the field of game-based Intelligent Social Tutoring Systems (ISTS) with extensive experience creating and testing SEL games. 3C's ongoing collaboration with the Bellevue Public School in WA, Communities in Schools-Wake County Public Schools, NC, and our commercialization partner, Personalized Learning Games, will provide a solid foundation on which to build, test, and commercialize the proposed serious K1 SEL game product. Five specific aims will be accomplished. In Phase I, we will (1) create a serious game prototype based on input from K1 students, parents, and educators with a custom graphic design and storyworld and five prototype social problem solving (SPS) scenes. We will also (2) conduct end user tests with K1 students and educators who will review and evaluate the prototype. In Phase II, we will (3) develop the full product through an iterative testing process for a total of 25 SPS scenes aligned to CASEL's SEL framework (Self-management, Self-awareness, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, & Responsible Decision Making) as well as online Student, Home, and Educator Portals. Then, we will (4) conduct a randomized active control pilot study to test the serious game's impact for improving K1 students' social emotional behavior, ability to problem solve in bullying situations, self-efficacy for coping with bullying, and awareness of behaviors that constitute bullying. We expect the SEL serious game to result in significant improvements in all areas compared to the active control group. Lastly, we will (5) prepare for commercialization by conducting focus groups with educators to finalize the complete product and formulate implementation guidelines for schools. We will also develop all needed online training demos and materials, finalize online reporting functions, and integrate e-commerce functions into the website. Our proposed product will meet a significant market need as the first rigorously tested serious game for SEL bullying prevention with younger students. We have already secured a pathway to market, with Personalized Learning Games, Inc. committed to offering the product.