Disruptive critique of gamification as an educational strategy in the 21st century

Abstract

The 21st century is accompanied by the emergence of new educational proposals linked to ICTs, proving to be promising sources of improvement in teaching-learning processes in the classroom. The purpose of this research essay is a critical reflection on gamification as a competent pedagogical strategy for the current needs of education. For this purpose, documentary information from doctoral theses, scientific articles, books and journals, consulted in libraries and virtual repositories, was taken into account as an epistemic source under the categories of gamification, motivation, play, and operant conditioning. This paper presents a critical analysis of the positive and negative aspects of gamification, both in its theoretical foundations and documented empirical results, in relation to motivation and its use in the classroom. It highlights positive aspects where gamification can be a sporadically useful methodology in classes, by improving students' extrinsic motivation and academic performance. However, on the other hand, it highlights negative aspects such as the lack of intrinsic motivation, which prevents the extrapolation of its concepts, and the reduced useful time in understanding concepts. At the same time, its behaviorist factor is evident, as it uses operant conditioning to generate motivation and changes in the user. The essay concludes with the possible consequences of its misuse, emphasizing stress or disengagement from the activity when exposed to these stimuli for long periods of time.