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Education Sciences
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Serious Games and Gamification in School Education
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Serious Games and Gamification in School Education

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 June 2025 | Viewed by 1985

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Carlos Vaz de Carvalho

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal
Interests: learning technologies; game-based learning; serious games; e-learning; multimedia
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Hariklia Tsalapatas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Thessaly, 38333 Volos, Greece
Interests: serious games; game-based learning; assessment and evaluation; design thinking
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Serious games and gamification in school education are research areas that focus on the integration of games and/or game elements into educational settings to enhance learning, engagement, and motivation. In the scope of this Special Issue, we understand serious games as fully fledged games designed with education as their primary purpose, rather than as pure entertainment, while we understand gamification as the introduction of game design elements and game principles into school education contexts.

Both serious games and gamification can significantly increase student engagement by making learning more interactive and experiential. Engaged students are more likely to attend classes, pay attention, and put effort into their work, leading to better educational outcomes and improved knowledge acquisition and retention. But beyond content knowledge, these approaches can help students develop essential 21st century skills, including problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, and digital literacy. Serious games and gamification platforms can track user progress and performance, providing valuable data that educators can use to tailor instruction to meet individual student needs.

This Special Issue on serious games and gamification in school education aims to consolidate the latest research, theories, practices, and methodologies in the field, providing a comprehensive overview of how these innovative approaches are reshaping educational landscapes. The primary aims of the Special Issue are to:

  • Showcase Innovation: Highlight cutting-edge research and innovative practices in the use of serious games and gamification in educational settings, demonstrating their potential to enhance learning and teaching;
  • Inform Practice: Offer evidence-based insights and practical recommendations for educators and educational institutions seeking to implement serious games and gamification strategies effectively;
  • Guide Future Research: Identify gaps in the current research landscape and suggest directions for future studies to deepen understanding and improve the efficacy of game-based learning interventions.

The scope of the Special Issue encompasses a broad range of topics related to serious games and gamification in school education including, but not limited to:

  • Theoretical Foundations: Discussions on the pedagogical theories and frameworks that underpin the design and use of serious games and gamification in education;
  • Design Principles: Insights into the design process of educational games and gamified systems, including considerations for engagement, learning outcomes, and user experience;
  • Implementation Strategies: Case studies and best practices for integrating serious games and gamification into various educational contexts and curricula;
  • Technological Innovations: Exploration of the latest technological advancements supporting serious games and gamification, such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence;
  • Assessment and Evaluation: Research on the methods and tools for assessing the impact of serious games and gamification on student learning, engagement, and motivation;
  • Diverse Contexts: Studies that examine the use of serious games and gamification across different subjects, educational levels, and cultural settings;
  • Policy and Ethics: Consideration of the policy implications, ethical considerations, and potential challenges associated with the adoption of game-based learning strategies in education;
  • Future Directions: Speculation on the future of serious games and gamification in education, including emerging trends and potential areas for innovation.

By addressing these themes, this Special Issue seeks to provide a valuable resource for anyone interested in the intersection of gaming and education, contributing to the ongoing evolution of teaching and learning practices.

Dr. Carlos Vaz de Carvalho
Dr. Hariklia Tsalapatas
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • serious games
  • gamification
  • educational games
  • game-based learning
  • school education
  • secondary education

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 3904 KiB  
Article
Tailoring Gamification in a Science Course to Enhance Intrinsic Motivation in Preservice Primary Teachers
by Gregorio Jiménez-Valverde, Noëlle Fabre-Mitjans, Carlos Heras-Paniagua and Gerard Guimerà-Ballesta
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(3), 300; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15030300 - 27 Feb 2025
Viewed by 273
Abstract
This study examines the intrinsic motivation of preservice primary teachers in a science education course designed with player-type personalization in gamification strategies. Using a mixed-methods approach, a one-group post-test-only design was combined with qualitative analysis. Game elements were personalized based on the HEXAD [...] Read more.
This study examines the intrinsic motivation of preservice primary teachers in a science education course designed with player-type personalization in gamification strategies. Using a mixed-methods approach, a one-group post-test-only design was combined with qualitative analysis. Game elements were personalized based on the HEXAD user typologies, aligning with Self-Determination Theory to support autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Quantitative data from the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory revealed high median scores across these psychological needs, suggesting that customization fostered deeper engagement. Key elements included cooperative challenges, branching narratives, and flexible participation pathways. Qualitative findings reinforced these results, highlighting students’ increased sense of agency, social connection, and investment in learning. The structured integration of narrative played a crucial role in contextualizing academic tasks, transforming the learning process into an immersive experience. Overall, the findings indicate that well-designed, personalized gamification strategies effectively bolster preservice teachers’ intrinsic motivation in this science education course. By demonstrating how player-type personalization optimizes motivation in gamified teacher education, this study contributes to the growing body of research on tailored gamification. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Serious Games and Gamification in School Education)
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16 pages, 632 KiB  
Article
Financial Literacy Games—Increasing Utility Value by Instructional Design in Upper Secondary Education
by Liane Platz and Marina Zauner
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(2), 227; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15020227 - 13 Feb 2025
Viewed by 435
Abstract
Empirical findings show that students often have insufficient financial literacy, even though they increasingly make independent financial decisions. Financial education at school can provide a foundation for a lifelong proactive approach to financial matters with increasing utility value and financial interest. This includes [...] Read more.
Empirical findings show that students often have insufficient financial literacy, even though they increasingly make independent financial decisions. Financial education at school can provide a foundation for a lifelong proactive approach to financial matters with increasing utility value and financial interest. This includes the simulation of future financial decisions with serious games. Despite a wide range of serious games to promote financial literacy, there is a lack of empirical research on the instructional design of such games. This includes the instructional design of game mechanics as action-guiding and reflection prompts for debriefing. In a quasi-experimental intervention study with a 2 × 2 research design, upper secondary students were assigned to four groups (n = 293). They played the game Moonshot with different combinations of game mechanics and reflection prompts. Based on mixed ANOVA analysis, the combination of strategic game mechanics and direct reflection prompts significantly increased students’ utility value for a financial literacy game, which underlines the importance of the instructional design of game mechanics and reflection prompts in serious games. But only a group-independent time effect was found for financial interest. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Serious Games and Gamification in School Education)
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19 pages, 2282 KiB  
Article
Active Gamification in the Emotional Well-Being and Social Skills of Primary Education Students
by María del Carmen Carcelén-Fraile
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(2), 212; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15020212 - 10 Feb 2025
Viewed by 504
Abstract
(1) Background: Gamification has emerged as an innovative strategy in education and involves integrating game elements into pedagogical activities to enhance motivation and the development of cognitive and social skills. The aim was to analyze the effects of active gamification on the emotional [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Gamification has emerged as an innovative strategy in education and involves integrating game elements into pedagogical activities to enhance motivation and the development of cognitive and social skills. The aim was to analyze the effects of active gamification on the emotional well-being and social skills of primary school students. (2) Methods: A total of 120 children with a mean age of 9.40 ± 0.98 years were divided into an experimental group (EG) that carried out a program based on gamification in physical exercise and a control group (CG). (3) Results: The EG improved significantly in self-concept compared to the CG, as did the levels of personal self-esteem, which increased significantly. Likewise, improvements were found in all the subdomains of social skills, except in the subdomain of jealousy/loneliness. (4) Conclusions: The introduction of gamification into Physical Education classes is recommended as an effective tool to improve self-esteem, self-concept, and social skills in primary education. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Serious Games and Gamification in School Education)
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