The effect of a gamified motor skill intervention on emotional intelligence in 9-10-year-old disadvantaged primary school children

Rice, J (2025) The effect of a gamified motor skill intervention on emotional intelligence in 9-10-year-old disadvantaged primary school children. Doctoral thesis, Liverpool John Moores University.

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Abstract

Emotional intelligence (EI) and motor competence (MC) are important for child development, with evidence to suggest they are positively associated. Physical Education (PE) lessons are an important context for children to develop MC and EI. Motivation is considered a fundamental element to successfully acquire these skills. Accordingly, gamification has emerged as a pedagogical approach that may enhance MC and EI through strategies that make engagement within activities more motivating. However, empirical evidence of the effectiveness of gamification in a primary school context is scarce, with no studies exploring the effects on MC and EI. Therefore, an exploration of the effectiveness of a gamified PE intervention on children’s MC and EI was conducted.
Study One involved co-developing a gamified PE curricula with school-stakeholders to increase MC. Ninety-one children and four classroom teachers from three primary schools participated in co-development workshops. Children identified: (1) social (e.g. teamwork, leadership, and problem solving) and foundational movement skills (e.g. catching, kicking, and balancing) they wanted to improve; (2) enjoyable components of PE, such as skill development, and social interaction; (3) a desire to include more equipment in PE lessons; and (4) games and activities to include (e.g. ‘jumping beans’, ‘parkour’, ‘hot potato with different balls’). Teachers reported: (1) the barriers (e.g. lack of initial understanding of gamification) and facilitators (e.g. novelty, and gamification strategies) to implementing a gamified model in PE; (2) successful components of PE (e.g. structured lessons, peer and/or teacher demonstration, and variation); and (3) the overall development of the intervention using the children’s ideas. The co-development process resulted in three gamified PE curricula: (1) The American dream; (2) Treasure Island; (3) A quest through time.
Study 2 evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of the co-developed gamified PE curricula developed in Study 1. A single-group, pre-post-trial was conducted in three primary schools in the northwest of England with children aged 9 to 10 years. Classroom teachers delivered the 60-minute gamified PE lessons once a week for 10-weeks. Researcher logs assessed recruitment, retention, adherence and attrition. Feasibility and acceptability were evaluated using semi-structured interviews (teachers; n = 3) and focus groups (children; n = 18). Questionnaires assessed EI, Basic Psychological Needs (BPNs) and motivational regulations. The Körperkoordinationtest für Kinder (KTK3+) measured MC. Three teachers and 63 children (mean age = 9.43 years, 56% girls) participated in the study. Intervention adherence was good, with 26 out of 30 scheduled lessons delivered, and participant retention was excellent with a 0% attrition rate. Children and teachers reported that the gamified intervention were feasible and acceptable, as lessons were easy to follow, well-structured, inclusive, fun and increased teamwork. Challenges mainly related to logistics (i.e. set up time and equipment management). Pre- to post-test improvements were observed in EI (F = 41.93, p <.001), MC (p < .05), intrinsic motivation for PE (F = 10.08, p = .002), identified (F = 11.84, p < .001) and external regulation (F = 4.15, p = .046) for PA. Findings provide preliminary support for this co-produced curricula’s feasibility and effectiveness, warranting a pilot trial.
Study 3 examined the effects and acceptability of a gamified PE curricula on EI, MC, BPNs and motivational regulations. A secondary aim was to develop a tool to assess the implementation of gamification strategies in PE. A quasi-experimental, pre-post-trial was conducted in four primary schools, with two assigned to the intervention group and two the control group. Classroom teachers delivered the 60-minute gamified PE lessons once a week for 10-weeks. The Trait EI Questionnaire – child short form assessed EI, and the KTK3+ and MC assessment (MCA) assessed MC. Questionnaires assessed BPNs and motivational regulations in PE and PA. Acceptability data were collected from the intervention group only, through teacher interviews (n = 2) and child focus groups (n = 4). A total of 76 children, aged 9 to 10 (mean age = 9.53 years, SD = 0.50, 57.9% male) participated. Significant post-test differences were found between groups for most MCA and KTK3+ subtests (p <.05), relatedness satisfaction (p <.001) and a decrease in extrinsic motivational regulations in PA (p = 0.30) in favour of the intervention group. No significant differences were observed for EI and motivational regulations in PE. The gamified PE lessons were acceptable to both teachers and children. Teachers reported the lessons were developmentally appropriate, aligned with educational values, increased children’s participation, and were straightforward to implement. Children found the lessons enjoyable and exciting, with perceived improvements in teamwork and movement skills. The System for Observing Gamification in PE (SOG-PE) was developed to assess the implementation of gamification strategies and general teacher and child behaviour. SOG-PE data demonstrated increased use of gamification strategies during the intervention. In conclusion, gamification appears to be a promising pedagogical approach in PE. The findings suggest a gamified PE curricula can enhance certain physical and affective outcomes in children. Future research should explore longitudinal gamified interventions and assess implementation fidelity using the SOG-PE.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Motor Competence; Emotional Intelligence; Gamification; Primary School
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB1501 Primary Education G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure > GV561 Sports
Divisions:	Sport and Exercise Sciences
Date of acceptance:	20 November 2025
Date of first compliant Open Access:	15 December 2025
Date Deposited:	15 Dec 2025 14:00
Last Modified:	15 Dec 2025 14:00
Supervisors:	Fitton Davies, K, Foweather, L, Magill, C and Foulkes, J
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/27654

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