**6. Conclusions and future perspectives**

end, once the instructional design was done, the game was given shape by illustrators and

It should be noted that the game mechanics were designed with regard to the concept of intelligence being the ability needed to resolve problems or create worthwhile products [2], while bearing in mind that intelligences always work synergistically [2, 49], and that there are

Each game presents the gamer with a problem to solve. Depending on the skills or abilities the challenge requires, one principal intelligence and one or more secondary intelligences are activated. In this manner, one problem may require speed of reaction (activating visual‐spatial and bodily kinaesthetic intelligences), whereas another may ask for knowledge of various

When creating the problems and defining the game mechanics, the designers considered the key abilities Gardner and his colleagues recognised in Project Spectrum [43–45], such as musi-

To date, a total of 10 games have been designed and developed, covering at least one key abil-

• Tool time: classification of objects according to similarity to geometric shapes (visual‐spa-

• Electric colours: perception and recognition of primary colours and simple mixtures of

• Marathon Boogie: performing mathematical operations to develop mental arithmetic skill

• Rubbish rush: classification of rubbish according to material (naturalistic intelligence). The mechanics also need hand‐eye coordination to classify the rubbish (visual‐spatial and bodily

• Catch the cakes: reaction speed and hand‐eye coordination (bodily kinaesthetic and visual‐

• Photo booth Boogie: perception and identification of feelings from body, facial and gestural

• Word‐search: recognition of words and basic vocabulary management (linguistic and vi-

• Exploding keys: recognition of letters and writing training through widgets (linguistic,

• Musical Drops: listening, recognition, identification and discrimination of sounds and

• Yog's band: recognition and identification of instruments and their sounds (musical intelli

ity [43–45] from each of the 8 intelligences recognised by the theory. The games are:

graphic designers before programming was completed by the technical team.

different ways of being intelligent within a single intelligence [49].

cal perception or sensitivity to rhythm in the case of musical intelligence.

colour (visual‐spatial and logical‐mathematical intelligence).

expressions (interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences).

visual‐spatial and bodily kinaesthetic intelligences).

rhythmic patterns (musical and linguistic intelligences).

animal species (activating naturalistic intelligence).

90 Learning Disabilities - An International Perspective

tial and logical‐mathematical intelligence).

(logical‐mathematical intelligence).

kinaesthetic intelligences).

sual‐spatial intelligences).

gence).

spatial intelligences).

Digital tools may constitute an appropriate dynamic process for evaluating multiple intelligences as long as there are activities which work on the basic skills that define each learning area, and as long as these activities are planned within a meaningful and motivating learning context [23]. These types of tools also allow the introduction of evaluation and educational objectives without sacrificing entertainment and using a motivating and meaningful methodology [24]. Thanks to technological development, the current potential for digital tools is limitless. Based on these new methodologies, it is now possible to formulate an educational system capable of unbiasedly detecting students' skills, abilities and interests; the design of such a system must provide the opportunity to create intervention contexts which support and utilise student strengths while addressing and improving student weaknesses, especially in cases where there is a learning disability [36–38, 43].

Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences has significant educational implications, in that identified skills and abilities speak to the student's learning preferences, methods and styles, as well as their strengths. This is a fundamental element of the current educational context, and, even more so, in the context of learning disabilities, it involves a radical change in perspective as models based on deficits are rejected in favour of a model based on abilities and strengths [50, 51]. Thus, as students have different learning capabilities and these are expressed in multiple facets, a deficit in one specific area may be compensated by strengths in others [52].

In addition, these intelligences are measurable and may be revealed in various contexts in day‐to‐day life, particularly in the classroom [53]. Increasingly, teachers are recognising that students learn and excel in a wide variety of ways, and if strengths in their intelligences can be identified, the processes of teaching‐learning will be enhanced. A class which offers a variety of learning opportunities increases its students' chances of success [51, 54].

In terms of intervention, the study of multiple intelligences is currently a promising field of research. Many researchers are adopting this perspective as a way of including alternatives for improving the acquisition of language, reading and mathematics, as well as basic skills of behaviour control and attentional processes, with positive results [50, 51, 55, 56]. They have also found positive effects on motivation, self‐concept, self‐efficacy and, in general, academic achievement in students of varying ages with and without learning disabilities. One study [57] analysed the effect of instruction based on multiple intelligences in a sample of fourth year students and found improvements in academic achievement and school self‐concept.

Taken together, these studies provide empirical evidence supporting the use of a perspective based on multiple intelligences in evaluation of, and intervention in, learning disabilities, although they also indicate the need for additional research in this field. Accordingly, and aware of what new technologies and digital tools have been shown to offer to these processes, the principal use proposed here is to combine both perspectives (digital systems and multiple intelligences) in tools which allow identification and intervention in cases of learning disability. Therefore, by incorporating these perspectives with the results of previous research, we have developed a digital tool which combines a series of educational video games based on the postulates of the Theory of Multiple Intelligences: Boogies Academy.

Having developed the tool, our current objective is the analysis of its use as a complement in evaluation of and intervention in students with learning disabilities. More specifically, current research is aimed at two fundamental aspects: firstly, at the delimitation of students' profiles of intelligences, which will provide information on key points and highlight skill areas; and secondly, at the study of effects of the Boogies Academy software on levels of attention, motivation and anxiety in a sample of 80 students with learning disabilities aged 6–12. To do this, pre‐test and post‐test evaluations will be done, and a control group will receive intervention with the tool once the study is complete. The hope is that this intervention will produce positive results in the experimental group, specifically increased levels of attention, increased motivation to learn, and reduction of anxiety when compared to the control group.

Although Boogies Academy is a newly created tool, it is hoped future research will produce positive results regarding its use as a complementary method of evaluation and intervention in school‐aged children. In terms of future perspectives, there is a plan to create a new tool for use by older children, and to use the current tool in other populations with different problems, such as ADHD. This research will allow us to have a more accurate understanding of the potential of these digital tools, based on multiple intelligences, in different age groups and populations.

Based on the studies that are being conducted using the new tool, it is expected that Boogies Academy will be a reliable and valid assessment measure of multiple intelligence components, whose factorial structure fits the multiple intelligences model previously described. This type of evaluation seeks to go beyond traditional intelligence tests, providing a more comprehensive view of an individual's intelligence, skills, strengths and weaknesses. We expect that the different tests that comprise the Boogies Academy tool will show good reliability and validity, as well as significant correlations with other standardised intelligence tests.

On the other hand, it is also expected that this new tool will have an important impact on current intervention practices, by giving some clues on how to design and implement intervention programmes adjusted to individuals' intelligence profiles. The main objective in this sense is to design a tool that offers a tailored training itinerary, based on the analysis of intelligence profiles. For this purpose, Boogies Academy is intended to take advantage of an individual's strengths and use them as starting points to offset possible difficulties. It is also important to note the wide range of options that this new tool will offer to researchers, as it can provide real‐time data. Given its characteristics, the designed tool should also be helpful when conducting research on multiple intelligences in individuals with learning disabilities and associated clinical conditions (e.g. attentional problems, low motivation or self‐esteem).

Overall, it is expected that the current research on digital tools opens a new and promising path in the field of evaluation and interactive intervention in students with different learning difficulties.
