Gamification in Nursing Students Through the Game Pasapalabra

Abstract

Gamification has become a current practice in higher education, addressing the challenge of teaching innovation and fostering motivation, participation and meaningful learning. At Arturo Prat University, the Nursing career has incorporated this strategy using the television game “Pasapalabra” as a formative evaluation tool. The objective of the study is to measure the level of satisfaction of fourth year students who experienced gamification through the game “Pasapalabra” in the children's area. A mixed study was used with a quantitative phase of descriptive design and a qualitative phenomenological phase, through content analysis. A Likert scale was applied, via online, to seventh semester students, validated by experts and a pilot test, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.986. The last question was open-ended and qualitative in nature. The results showed an overall satisfaction level of 4.57 out of 5.0, considered very high. It is concluded that these dynamics can be included in higher education, providing high motivation and activating learning in a playful way. In addition, they promote generic competencies such as teamwork and communication. Several authors emphasize that active-participative teaching, including play, is essential to achieve meaningful and lifelong learning, increasing student engagement and improving their academic performance. These findings underline the importance of gamification as an effective tool for educational innovation in higher education.