Abstract
BACKGROUND: Research has consistently shown the benefits of developing intervention programs in educational settings, enhancing the learning process and socioemotional skills. There is a growing investment in creating and supporting a healthy school environment, prioritizing learning through play. This study aimed to assess the acceptability and effectiveness of an innovative intervention approach-"Education in Action-ABALL1"-focused on promoting literacy and numeracy skills and socioemotional competencies of second-grade children. METHODS: A total of 113 children aged between 7 and 9 participated in the study and were allocated into two groups: intervention (N = 69) and control (N = 44). The intervention consisted of 24 educational games aligned with the mathematics and Portuguese curricula, applied for 3 months, twice a week; two self-report instruments were used to measure aptitudes for school learning and socioemotional skills, considering two assessment moments: before and after the program implementation. In addition, a focus group involving a subsample of children and teachers who followed the intervention in different school cohorts was carried out. RESULTS: Our results suggested a positive effect of the program concerning children's academic skills, showing a significant improvement in terms of the pre-post-intervention scores in the intervention group (Cohen's d = 0.95). Moreover, the qualitative findings also indicate the high acceptability of the program among children and head teachers, who reported a positive effect on the acquisition and consolidation of reading, writing, and arithmetic skills and on the promotion of teamwork, empathy, autonomy, and self-reflection. CONCLUSION: Overall, the "Education in Action-ABALL1" program provides a promising intervention based on learning through play directly impacting second-grade children's academic, emotional, and interpersonal skills. Further studies are required to understand the transdisciplinary capacity of this intervention approach and its effectiveness at different school levels and curricula.