Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SEL 360 Gomins (The first holistic mobile game for evaluating and supporting the development of social and emotional skills and competences in childhood)

Teaser

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is critical to student success in school, work, and life. SEL involves the processes of developing competencies, including self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. This is...

Summary

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is critical to student success in school, work, and life. SEL involves the processes of developing competencies, including self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. This is fundamental nowadays, where 21st century context requires a new set of competences beyond the obvious ICT literacy: communication, collaboration, social and cultural skills, creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, productivity in a globalized world, learning to learn skills, self-direction, planning, flexibility, risk taking, conflict management and a sense of initiative and entrepreneurship.
For this reason, child behaviour in the natural environment is a subject that is relevant for many areas of social science and bio-behavioural research. However, the measurement of these social and emotional skills in childhood is currently based mainly on subjective approaches such as parent questionnaires or clinical observation.
The current lack of quantitative scales for measuring social skills and emotional behaviour in childhood – as well as the lack of methods of evaluation which are more objective and accurate that the perception of parents and teachers/professionals- reduce the possibility to early identificate social-emotional difficulties and behavior disorders. Counting on a quantitative, accurate and easy to use tool is crucial for parents and professionals to track the evolution of children regarding self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Moreover having a solution to check the evolution and train the development of social skills would be also useful to prevent social-emotional problems by building positive partnerships with families and optimizing positive parent–child interactions in the first years of lifeÁlava Reyes, a Spanish leader psychologist center (SME) founded in 2003, has developed an ICT-based system for the evaluation and development of emotional and social skills, easily accessible through an application for smartphones. The system, commercially called Gomins®, feeds on the knowledge and professional experience from a team of experts in clinical child and adolescent psychology, psychopedagogy, psychological evaluation and behaviour modification. Gomins®, tested with more than 300 children between 4 and 12 years old (free users of the app), and a group of 410 children supervised by a group of psychologists and rated by their parents in different psychological and psychopathological factors, has demonstrated to be an affordable and cost-effective ICT solution.
SEL 360 Gomins®’s unique design and technology allows us to achieve two clinical objectives:
1. To identify at early stage, by objectively and accurately quantifying in real time, deviations and deficits in social behaviour competences and emotional skills
2. To deliver personalized reports, enabling optimal training by parents, teachers and schools at home and schools under remote medical support and tracking.
A feasibility study (Phase 1) has been conducted to confirm the viability for commercializing SEL 360 Gomins® at global level and then proceed with the validation of its performance and efficacy in clinical trials (Phase-2). Together, this will pave the way for a successful commercial launch on 2019 Q4 to deliver the first scientific-based game for supporting million of children to enhance their social behaviour and emotional skills.

Work performed

The main actions carried out during the project are listed below:
a) Market study. One-to-one interviews were conducted with 155 directors of private and partly privately-run schools. This study enabled us to calculate the economic side of the project as well as to identify risks associated to it and gain a clear idea as to price flexibility (annex 1). This work was done by IKERFEL, SA.
b) Intellectual property management. Patent as copyright the three elements of the system under the U.S. Copyright Office (USCO). This is a global coverage deal that includes all signatories of the Berne Convention (167 countries to date) making trademark registration or renewal unnecessary on a country-by-country basis. The 3 elements are: the Gomins video game, the Gomins Viewer for Parents and the control panel. Processing this was outsourced to Balder IP Law, SL.
c) Evolving development. The appropriate system changes were made so as to make new features available to new user profiles. An initial version of the web site was created in which information was gleaned from the video game enabling personalised student registration and management in line with their respective school or learning centre. These modifications were used over the course of the market study phase.
d) Analysis of biometric technology. Different available technologies were analysed for the recording of biometric parameters relevant to the project with a concept test being done in those cases in which initial analysis deemed it necessary.
e) Clinical validation study. A study including 360 patients aged 4 – 12 years was conducted. Profiles were taken through the system and reports obtained from teachers and parents. The study was carried out by our staff.
f) Product testing (video game). Was carried out by our team of technicians and psychologists. We analysed the experiences of 136 children aged 4 – 12 years which enabled us to identify flaws in the design, layout and graphics as well as the corrective action that needed to be taken.
g) Contacts and presentations made to stakeholders

As a result of studies conducted and analysis done through coaching sessions, we have developed a business model pivot. The previous version featured two types of user (children and parents/ teachers) and one client, (parents/ teachers). Our axis allows for a third kind of user, one who will become the client around whom the model will rotate, in other words, the schools themselves. In the new model, schools will become simultaneously the main client and prescriber of the service, or family advisors. Families will enjoy free usage once education centres are signed up as clients.
Data obtained in this study suggest this change could lead to significant improvements in the efficiency and profitability of the model. We can testify that there is a great deal of awareness in education as to the importance of emotional and social skills sets, reaching 98% in learning centres which is in stark contrast to awareness shown by families, being 20% lower.

Final results

As we have set out, project feasibility is high if different scenarios are planned and action taken focused on maximising product efficiency and profitability.
Firstly, the sales focus will turn to schools, which will become the primary market, with families being given free access in line with the type of subscription the school signs up to. This change to the business model will lead to considerable simplification to the management of the tool – as it will become a formal activity – as well as to client access - as existing channels and strategies can be used or designed on an ad-hoc basis. Similarly, this change combined with potential cross selling will lead to greater ‘flow’ of families who come into contact with the product through direct recommendation from their children’s education centre and/ or other parents thus creating greater product trust and loyalty.
Once again, defining the value of emotional intelligence as universal and excellent – as highlighted by 98% of centres - leads us to believe we have uncovered a gap in the market – a rich seam of potential - which remains untapped. So considering information provided to us by school directors, we have concluded privately-run schools to be primary sales targets followed by part-privately run centres, all of whom will be targeted through sales and marketing channels described above.

Website & more info

More info: https://www.gomins.es/home/.