Gamification of Assessments in the Natural Sciences Subject in Primary Education

Abstract

The type of tests used most by Primary Education teachers in the Spanish education system is traditional examinations, despite not fulfilling the educational qualities that pedagogy and the Spanish law prescribe for assessment processes. In this study, an assessment test has been designed by applying game-design elements to examinations of the Natural Sciences subject of Spanish Primary Education, considering the potential games have for learning at school. A sample of 217 teachers divided into two groups was studied. Teachers who agreed to apply gamification in class were included in the experimental group and teachers who declined to apply gamification were included in the control group. Both groups answered a questionnaire on their perception of how each type of assessment influenced different didactic aspects. The comparison of the traditional assessment model and the game-based model revealed that the gamified exam presented notable advantages associated with increased motivation and increased capacity of the assessment activity to continuity the learning process beyond the school context.