Impact of a digital serious game on emotional variables of students of the master’s degree in teaching

Abstract

The training of future teachers requires innovative strategies that involve and motivate students. The aim of this study was to analyse the impact of a digital serious game on students’ emotional vari- ables. A total of 62 students aged 22–23years of age from a Master’s degree participated. A digital serious game called ‘The case of the stolen exam’ was carried out in an experimental group to analyse its impact on emotional variables, in comparison with a control group that did not take part in this serious game. To evaluate several emotional variables, the Gameful Experience in Gamification scale was used, including five dimensions: enjoyment, absorption, creative thinking, activation, and absence of negative effect. Significant differences were observed favourable to the experimental group in all the questionnaire’s dimensions with an overall high effect size (r ≥ 0.61). New innovative approaches in education are needed to improve students’ commitment and motivation.