Gamification in Initial Teacher Training to Promote Inclusive Practices: A Qualitative Study

Ana Manzano-León; José Manuel Aguilar-Parra; Javier Rodríguez-Moreno; Ana María Ortiz-Colón

doi:10.3390/ijerph19138000

Gamification in Initial Teacher Training to Promote Inclusive Practices: A Qualitative Study

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jun 29;19(13):8000. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19138000.

Authors

Ana Manzano-León¹, José Manuel Aguilar-Parra¹, Javier Rodríguez-Moreno², Ana María Ortiz-Colón²

Affiliations

¹ Health Research Centre, Department of Psychology, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain.
² Department of Education, University of Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain.

Abstract

Gamification consists of the use of ludic elements in non-ludic contexts. It is becoming an educational trend, due to its ability to work on curriculum skills in a fun and motivating way. This article exposes a program of gamified university practices, "Super-Profes", for the subject of Developmental Disorders. To gain an understanding of student impressions about this methodology, a qualitative study was carried out, based on a survey with open questions, and, subsequently, analyzed with the Atlas.ti 8.4 program. In total, 63 s-year students taking the Early Childhood Education degree participated. Two main categories emerged from the study: gamification as a fun and motivating educational experience, and knowledge and skills acquired after studying a gamified subject. The research concluded with an assessment of educational gamification as a motivating and effective methodology for the acquisition of content and skills necessary for future teaching.

Keywords: educational innovation; gamification; higher education; qualitative study.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Child, Preschool
Curriculum
Gamification
Humans
Qualitative Research
Students
Teacher Training*

Grants and funding

This research has been funded, in part, by the Ministry of Universities through the University Teacher Training Program (FPU2019). The support of the Ministry does not imply acceptance of its contents, which is the sole responsibility of the authors.