Esports, or competitive video gaming, is a rapidly growing in high school education as more content that aligns to academic goals becomes available. Participation in esports programs, whether as competitors, commentators, or analysts, can provide students with access to interdisciplinary curriculums, and social skills and job training opportunities. This project will develop a prototype of a scholastic esports evaluation platform. This platform will enable administrators and teachers to organize school participation in esports activities, and to evaluate the effects of esports programs on students in areas related to social and emotional learning and in school climate. At the end of Phase I, in a pilot study with two groups of 30 students, one group in middle school and one high school, the researchers will examine whether the prototype functions as planned, and whether participation in a six-week after school esports program improves the social and emotional development of students as measured by engagement and motivation.
