La gamificación en el aula: una asignatura pendiente para el profesorado

Abstract

Education must be an integral part of human life; it is essential for personal development and to become an agent of change in society. Therefore, we must ask ourselves how we are educating the adolescents who will soon be tomorrow's adults. In educational institutions, the importance of play in education seems to have been overlooked, not only in early childhood but also in adolescence. Play generates a radical shift in students' attitudes towards studying, motivating them not only to attend school but also to achieve meaningful learning. Immersion in the digital, technological, and metaverse era inevitably affects all aspects surrounding education and the teaching methods employed by educators, thus impacting students. This research aims to determine whether gamification-based learning is already being implemented in Spain as a teaching methodology and recreational activity to enhance student motivation, or whether teachers still do not place enough importance on the inclusion of new learning techniques such as gamification. It concludes that gamification should not be considered a replacement for traditional teaching methods but rather a complementary tool that fosters a positive shift in students' attitudes towards learning, enhancing their motivation and, consequently, their academic performance.