Design and validation of a scale for the assessment of educational competencies in traditional musical games

The study investigates the relevance of traditional musical games (TMGs) for primary school students’ competency development and aims to assess their broader educational implications. It situates TMGs within children’s right to play, emphasizing international recognition (UN 1959, 1989) and the role of play in holistic development (creativity, physical, social, cognitive, emotional). It frames musical games as structured, rule-governed activities that foster group belonging, motor skills, and socio-emotional growth through singing, rhythm, and movement. TMGs contribute to identity formation, transmit cultural values, and promote prosocial behaviors via shared musical-rhythmic experiences. Preferences for games and choice of play partners relate to enjoyment, competence, and social affinity, with implications for cooperation and inclusion. The introduction foregrounds inclusion, equal opportunity, empathy, and attitudes toward peers with differing capacities, motivating the need to assess competencies fostered by TMGs in school contexts.

Prior tools measure emotions in games and sports (e.g., GES-II; Lavega-Burgués et al., 2018; GES-C; Alcaraz-Muñoz et al., 2022) and attitudes toward disability in games (CATCH; Rosenbaum et al., 1986; Bossaert & Petry, 2013; March-Llanes et al., 2023), but these are largely situated in physical education and do not address music education processes via traditional games. The theoretical framework integrates: (1) Allport’s intergroup contact hypothesis and Pettigrew & Tropp’s intergroup contact theory—highlighting equal status, common goals, cooperation, and normative support—applied to TMGs’ interactive, prejudice-reducing potential; (2) Schwartz’s theory of cultural values—intellectual/emotional autonomy, group membership, egalitarian commitment, hierarchy, harmony, mastery—mapped onto TMG contexts; and (3) Triandis’s Triadic Model of Attitude—cognitive, affective, behavioral components—aligned with TMGs’ rights/recognition (cognition), preferences/fun (affect), partner choice (behavior), and emotions/inclusion (affect-empathy). These perspectives guided category development and item formulation for the proposed scale.

Design: Mixed-methods scale development and validation using classical test theory. Qualitative phase included theoretical triangulation and expert review; quantitative phase included exploratory factor analysis (EFA), parallel analysis (PA), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Participants: N=276 primary school children (boys 144, 52.2%; girls 132, 47.8%). Median age 8.71 years (SD=0.77). Convenience sampling with parental consent; questionnaires administered in classrooms with teachers present; participation voluntary and anonymized. Instrument development (qualitative): An ad hoc questionnaire was created to assess socio-educational competencies related to TMGs, plus demographics (age, sex, school year). Based on Allport, Schwartz, and Triandis, four research categories were defined: (Q1) Right to Play; (Q2) Preferences for specific TMGs; (Q3) Criteria for choosing game partners; (Q4) Emotions and Inclusion. Items (Likert 7-point scale) were generated with intentional overproduction (30 items) to enable refinement. Three Spanish experts in traditional games (n=3) evaluated items for comprehensibility, appropriateness, and plausibility; wording and categorization were refined accordingly. Procedures and analysis (quantitative): - Software: SPSS 22.0 for descriptive statistics and EFA; AMOS 2.0 for CFA. - Initial EFA: Principal components extraction with Varimax rotation. Sampling adequacy: KMO=0.787; Bartlett’s sphericity χ2(435)=2153.757, p<0.001. Initial solution yielded 9 components with eigenvalues >1, explaining 58.50% of variance. The first factor explained 19.375% (notable unidimensionality signal), with subsequent factors explaining 8.36%, 6.24%, etc. However, item grouping and factor structure did not align fully with the theorized categories, suggesting overextraction and low discrimination in some items. - Parallel analysis: Implemented via SPSS syntax extension (O’Connor, 2000). Comparison of empirical eigenvalues vs. random data indicated an inflection at Factor 4; only the first three factors clearly exceeded random eigenvalues (PA vs. EFA: Root1 5.812>1.674; Root2 2.509>1.578; Root3 1.929>1.504; Root4 1.387<1.442). This guided refinement and informed subsequent CFA. - CFA: Tested a 4-factor model grounded in the qualitative framework. Initial CFA grouped 30 items into four categories: C1 Right to Play (items 12,13,14); C2 Fun and Preferences (3,4,5,9,10); C3 Choosing Game Partners (2,6,11,16,18,19,21,22,23,25,28,30); C4 Emotions and Inclusion (1,7,8,15,17,20,24,26,27,29). Initial fit: CMIN/df=2.064; CFI=0.765; RMSEA=0.062. Based on low loadings (<0.40), modification indices, and error variance considerations, 12 items were removed: 1,3,4,6,7,8,11,13,22,25,26,30. - Final CFA: 18-item, 4-factor solution with improved fit: CMIN/df=1.653; CFI=0.929; RMSEA=0.049; ECVI(Default)<ECVI(Saturated). All standardized loadings >0.40 except item 28, retained for theoretical congruence. Bootstrapping (n=10,000) yielded Bollen–Stine p=0.334, supporting model fit. Final scale composition (18 items): - C1 Right to Play: items 12,14. - C2 Fun and Preferences: items 5,9,10. - C3 Choosing Game Partners: items 2,16,18,19,21,23,28. - C4 Emotions and Inclusion: items 15,17,20,24,27,29. Ethics: Approved by University of Zaragoza ethics committee (ETHCOM 135/2022); informed consent obtained; procedures adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki.

- Instrument reduction: From 30 initial items to a validated 18-item questionnaire grouped into 4 theoretically grounded subscales: Right to Play (2 items), Fun and Preferences (3 items), Choosing Game Partners (7 items), Emotions and Inclusion (6 items). - Psychometrics: • Sampling adequacy: KMO=0.787; Bartlett’s χ2(435)=2153.757, p<0.001. • EFA: Initial 9 components (eigenvalues>1) explained 58.50% variance; first factor explained 19.375% (indicative of substantial common variance); subsequent factors 8.36%, 6.24%, decreasing to ~3% by factor 9. • Parallel analysis: Only first three empirical eigenvalues exceeded random benchmarks (Roots: 1=5.812>1.674; 2=2.509>1.578; 3=1.929>1.504; 4=1.387<1.442), indicating potential overextraction in PCA and guiding refinement. • CFA (final model): CMIN/df=1.653; CFI=0.929; RMSEA=0.049; ECVI(Default)<ECVI(Saturated). Bootstrapped Bollen–Stine p=0.334 indicated adequate fit. All standardized loadings >0.40 except item 28 (retained for theory). - Content validity and theoretical alignment: Items map onto Allport’s intergroup contact, Schwartz’s cultural values, and Triandis’s attitude components across four domains: Right to Play; Fun and Preferences; Choice of Game Partners; Emotions and Inclusion. - Practical outcome: A concise, theory-driven, psychometrically supported scale to evaluate educational competencies associated with TMGs, emphasizing inclusion, social relations, and socio-emotional development.

The validated 18-item, 4-subscale instrument addresses the research aim by providing a reliable, theory-informed tool to assess competencies developed through traditional musical games in primary education. The results substantiate that TMGs foster social interaction under conditions consistent with intergroup contact theory (equal status, cooperation, common goals, normative support), potentially reducing prejudice and improving inclusive attitudes. The scale captures cognitive recognition of the right to play, affective engagement and enjoyment with music-based games, behavioral tendencies in selecting partners (including sensitivity to gender and ability differences), and pro-social emotions and inclusion. This operationalization supports the educational significance of TMGs, linking musical participation to social, emotional, cognitive, and motor competencies. The strong CFA fit indices and bootstrap validation indicate the model’s robustness despite initial EFA overextraction concerns, and the content mapping to major social-psychological theories enhances construct validity. The findings are highly relevant for educational practice and policy, offering measures to inform program design, monitor inclusion efforts, and support TMG integration in curricula to cultivate empathy, cooperation, and cultural identity.

Traditional musical games constitute an integral educational activity supporting children’s physical, intellectual, social, emotional, and cultural development and align with children’s right to play. This study designed and validated a concise, 18-item, 4-factor scale—Right to Play; Fun and Preferences; Choice of Game Partners; Emotions and Inclusion—that demonstrates good psychometric properties and clear theoretical grounding (Allport, Schwartz, Triandis). The instrument fills a gap in measuring TMG-related competencies beyond physical education, enabling educators and researchers to evaluate inclusion, attitudes, and socio-emotional development through music-based play. Future work should replicate and extend validation in diverse contexts and cultures, employ longitudinal and qualitative methods (e.g., discussion groups with students and teachers) to deepen understanding, and inform educational policies that allocate space and time for TMGs to promote inclusive, culturally sustaining education.

- Sampling by availability (convenience) limits generalizability; future studies should use probabilistic or stratified designs across diverse regions. - Potential sample size limitations addressed via bootstrapping, but larger multi-site samples would strengthen stability of parameters. - Parallel analysis suggested three factors surpass random eigenvalues, while the final model retained four theoretically driven factors; further cross-validation is warranted. - Lack of concurrent validity evidence with external measures specific to music education contexts; future studies should examine convergent/discriminant validity and test–retest reliability. - Predominantly quantitative validation; qualitative protocols (focus groups, interviews) are recommended to enrich interpretation and contextualization.