Descripción

Gamification, an educational strategy that incorporates game elements into the learning process, is emerging as an effective tool to motivate and engage students, especially in challenging components such as chemistry. This study is part of a broader research that aims to design and apply a gamification-based didactic strategy to improve chemistry learning among ninth-grade students during the 2023-2024 school year. Using a qualitative approach, chemistry teachers were interviewed and a socio-critical approach was adopted to consider political, economic and cultural factors in education. Among the findings, it is highlighted that educational standards as well as the use of didactic strategies to teach chemistry are varied; flexible assessments focused on student progress are essential in the learning process. Similarly, difficulties in understanding abstract and mathematical concepts were identified, so it is necessary to address these areas with improvement plans and additional instruction. In this sense, the potential of gamification as an effective educational strategy to motivate and engage students in learning chemistry is highlighted. These findings highlight the importance of constantly adapting pedagogical practices to meet the changing needs of students and improve the quality of chemistry education.