Preservice Secondary School Teachers’ Knowledge and Competencies When Reflecting on the Incorporation of Gamification in the Teaching of Mathematics

This study analyses how preservice mathematics teachers reflect on the incorporation of gamification in their teaching practices after participating in a training cycle focused on this active methodology. The cycle, applied to 31 students in the Secondary Mathematics Teacher Education Master’s progr...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Cortés, Alexandre, Breda, Adriana, Sánchez Brualla, Alicia, Verón, Manuel Alejandro
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2026
Country:España
Institution:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repository:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:2445/226160
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/226160
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Ludificació
Ensenyament de la matemàtica
Formació del professorat
Gamification
Mathematics education
Teacher training
Description
Summary:This study analyses how preservice mathematics teachers reflect on the incorporation of gamification in their teaching practices after participating in a training cycle focused on this active methodology. The cycle, applied to 31 students in the Secondary Mathematics Teacher Education Master’s programme in Catalonia, integrated game elements—such as narratives, quests, and badges—alongside the Didactical Suitability Criteria as a tool for developing competency in the analysis and evaluation of didactical suitability. The reasons preservice teachers provided for using gamification in mathematics teaching were analysed at two points: upon completing the training cycle and after implementing teaching proposals incorporating gamification with secondary education students in Catalonia. The results show that preservice teachers show an improvement in their reflective competency regarding gamification, as well as increased use of this active methodology. Additionally, the knowledge and competencies considered relevant by preservice teachers for working with gamification in mathematics teaching were identified. It is concluded that training in the use of gamification in mathematics teaching is necessary to apply this methodology appropriately, and that tools such as the Didactical Suitability Criteria are fundamental for reflection on, and improvement in, the use of active methodologies