Modern Board Games for Teamwork and Social Skills in Higher Education

This study examined whether a facilitator-led modern board games (MBGs) program was associated with improvements in university students' social skills, attitudes toward teamwork, and teamwork competence. A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design compared 15 students who completed a 12-week MBG program (24 sessions) with 52 control participants. The intervention combined collaborative, cooperative, hidden-role, and murder mystery MBGs with guided facilitation and structured debriefing. Outcomes were assessed using the Cuestionario de Habilidades Sociales, Escala de Actitud hacia el Trabajo en Equipo, and Escala de Competencia Trabajo en Equipo. Linear mixed-effects models were estimated for each dimension, and repeated-measures analysis of covariance tests were conducted for total scores controlling for age and sex. Significant Time × Group interactions favored the intervention group for total scores on the Cuestionario de Habilidades Sociales, Actitud hacia el Trabajo en Equipo, and Escala de Competencia Trabajo en Equipo. These findings suggest that a structured MBG-based program may be a promising approach for promoting teamwork-related competencies in higher education.