Gamification to Improve the Critical Thinking of Seventh Year Students in a School in Ecuador

Abstract

This study examines the impact of a gamification program on the development of critical thinking among seventh-grade students in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Given the urgent need to enhance critical skills within the Ecuadorian educational context, the aim is to implement innovative strategies that promote reflection and analysis.

The primary objective of the research is to demonstrate the effect of gamification on students' critical thinking. A quantitative approach is employed, utilizing a quasi-experimental design that includes a control group and an experimental group. The sample consists of 60 seventh-grade students, selected for convenience and evenly distributed between the two groups.

A validated questionnaire served as the data collection instrument, achieving a Cronbach's alpha of 0.947, ensuring high reliability. The results, analyzed using SPSS software, indicate that the experimental group showed significant improvements in critical thinking after the intervention, with a p-value of 0.032 in the post-test, confirming that the observed differences are statistically significant.

Notably, the experimental group, consisting of students from seventh grade "B," improved significantly compared to the control group from seventh grade "A." After the implementation of the gamification program, 46.7% of students in the experimental group reached a high level in the post-test. This underscores the effectiveness of the program, which fosters essential critical skills for the students' overall development. In conclusion, gamification proves to be an effective strategy for enhancing critical thinking and preparing students to be engaged and responsible citizens.