Educational Chess in Vulnerable Primary Education: A Neuro-Inclusive Systematic Review of Cognitive and Socio-Emotional Effects (1980–2025)

Sonia Patricia Carrillo-Carrillo

Abstract


In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, primary education systems in vulnerable contexts face learning loss, emotional distress, and declining student engagement, revealing a “double vulnerability” in which academic and socio-emotional difficulties are deeply intertwined. Within this scenario, educational chess emerges as a neuro-inclusive pedagogical strategy capable of fostering both cognitive and socio-emotional development during a critical stage of child development. This study aims to characterize the evolution of scientific publication on educational chess between 1980 and 2025, with a specific focus on vulnerable primary education contexts. A systematic review combined with bibliometric mapping was conducted to identify research trends, methodological approaches, and conceptual connections from a corpus of 31 publications. Findings indicate that educational chess contributes to the development of executive functions such as attention, working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control, as well as socio-emotional competencies including self-regulation, decision-making, and resilience. Critically, the “chess effect” requires intentional pedagogical mediation to bridge gameplay with real-life challenges and intellectual agency. These effects are particularly significant in primary education and support inclusion, engagement, and a sense of belonging in vulnerable settings. This study concludes that educational chess is a relevant pedagogical tool to address dual academic and socio-emotional needs as well as highlights the need for integrative research to inform educational policy and practice.


Keywords


Educational Chess; Inclusive Education; Primary Education; Post-Pandemic Education; Socio-Emotional Learning; Vulnerable Contexts

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.17509/ebj.v8i1.95895

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