Gamification in teacher education: Enhancing the motivation of pre-service primary school teachers

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46502/issn.1856-7576/2026.20.03.10

Keywords:

gamification of the educational process, motivation, future primary school teachers, digital environment, higher school.

Abstract

Gamification has emerged as an effective pedagogical approach for enhancing student motivation and professional competence in higher education. This study aimed to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a gamification-based instructional system designed to enhance the motivation of pre-service primary school teachers. A mixed-methods research design combined theoretical analysis with a pedagogical experiment involving 104 first-year undergraduate students in Primary Education, randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 52) and a control group (n = 52). The intervention integrated digital gamification tools, interactive learning activities, and targeted pedagogical conditions. The experimental group demonstrated significantly greater improvement than the control group. The proportion of students achieving creative and professional levels increased from 26.9% to 73.1% for the motivational criterion and from 26.9% to 71.2% for the content-activity criterion, while the proportion at the low level decreased from 42.3% to 7.7% and from 40.4% to 9.6%, respectively. Statistical analysis confirmed significant between-group differences following the intervention (t > 1.967, p < 0.05). The findings demonstrate that the systematic integration of gamification into digitally supported teacher education significantly enhances students' motivation and professional competence.

Author Biographies

Nataliia Lystopad, The Institute of Pedagogy of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine. 

Researcher of the O. Ya. Savchenko Department of Primary Education, The Institute of Pedagogy of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine. 

Halyna Kit, Vinnytsia Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi State Pedagogical University, Vinnytsia, Ukraine.

Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor, Associate Professor of Department of Primary Education, Vinnytsia Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi State Pedagogical University, Vinnytsia, Ukraine.

Ruslana Danyliak, Drohobych Ivan Franko State Pedagogical University, Drohobych, Ukraine.

Ph.D. (Pedagogy), Associate Professor, Associate Professor of the Pedagogy and Methods of Primary Education Department, Drohobych Ivan Franko State Pedagogical University, Drohobych, Ukraine.

Nataliia Mordovtseva, State Institution Luhansk Taras Shevchenko National University, Lubny, Ukraine. 

Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Primary Education, State Institution Luhansk Taras Shevchenko National University, Lubny, Ukraine. 

Oksana Tsalapova, State Institution Luhansk Taras Shevchenko National University, Luhansk, Ukraine. 

Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor, Associate Professor of the Department of Primary Education, State Institution Luhansk Taras Shevchenko National University, Luhansk, Ukraine. 

References

Aris, S., Sarfi, T., Akhavan, M., & Sabbar, S. (2024). Motivations for consuming avatar-specific virtual items on the Zepeto gaming platform. Cadernos de Educação Tecnologia e Sociedade, 16(4), 1248–1258. https://doi.org/10.14571/brajets.v16.n4.1248-1258

Bassanelli, S., Vasta, N., Bucchiarone, A., & Marconi, A. (2022). Gamification for behavior change: A scientometric review. Acta Psychologica, 228, 103657. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103657

Beheshti, M., Shah, S. A., Zhang, H., Barnett, M., & Hira, A. (2024). Affordances of technology for sustainability-oriented K–12 informal engineering education. Sustainability, 16(16), 6719. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16166719

Cabrera-Solano, P. (2022). Game-based learning in higher education: The pedagogical effect of Genially games in English as a foreign language instruction. International Journal of Educational Methodology, 8(4), 719–731. https://doi.org/10.12973/ijem.8.4.719

Cès, P., Duflos, M., Tricard, E., Jhean-Larose, S., & Giraudeau, C. (2026). Playing board games to increase emotional competencies in school-age children and older people: A systematic review. Leisure Sciences, 48(6), 1129–1152. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2024.2373415

Halatsyn, K., & Feshchuk, A. (2024). Wordwall as a tool for ELT. In ΛΌГOΣ: Collection of Scientific Papers (pp. 356–358). European Scientific Platform. https://doi.org/10.36074/logos-01.03.2024.078

Khaldi, A., Bouzidi, R., & Nader, F. (2023). Gamification of e-learning in higher education: A systematic literature review. Smart Learning Environments, 10(1), 10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-023-00227-z

Kuchai, T., Kuchai, O., & Pyrzyk, I. (2017). Studying the peculiarities of education development in Japan (in terms of primary education). Science & Education, 25(5), 34-40. https://doi.org/10.24195/2414-4665-2017-5-7

Lampropoulos, G., & Sidiropoulos, A. (2024). Impact of gamification on students’ learning outcomes and academic performance: A longitudinal study comparing online, traditional, and gamified learning. Education Sciences, 14(4), 367. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14040367

Li, Y., Chen, D., & Deng, X. (2024). The impact of digital educational games on students' motivation for learning: The mediating effect of learning engagement and the moderating effect of the digital environment. PLOS ONE, 19(1), e0294350. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0294350

Palshkov, K., Yaromenko, O., Pilishek, S., Golinska, T., Batenko, H., Lushchan, T., & Kuchai, O. (2026). Gamification in higher education: An experimental study. Revista Romaneasca Pentru Educatie Multidimensionala, 18(2), 147–169. https://doi.org/10.66388/rrem/18.2/36

Sáez-López, J. M., Vázquez-Cano, E., Fombona, J., & López-Meneses, E. (2022). Gamification and gaming proposals, teachers’ perceptions and practices in primary education. Interaction Design and Architecture(s) Journal, 53, 213–229. https://doi.org/10.55612/s-5002-053-011

Sinnivasagam, P., & Hua, T. K. (2023). Gamification functionality and features of Kahoot! in learning—ESL teachers and students’ perceptions. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 11(2), 404–421. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2023.112027

Stefaniak, J., & Carey, K. (2019). Instilling purpose and value in the implementation of digital badges in higher education. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 16(1), 44. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-019-0175-9

Su, Y.-S., Cheng, H.-W., & Lai, C.-F. (2022). Study of virtual reality immersive technology enhanced mathematics geometry learning. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 760418. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.760418

Vera-Monroy, S. P., Rodriguez, S., & Figueredo, M. A. (2024). Evaluating the effect of a blended collaborative/game-based learning strategy for skill reinforcement on undergraduate engineering. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 55(7), 1727–1743. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020739X.2023.2295892

Vrcelj, A., Hoić-Božić, N., & Holenko Dlab, M. (2023). Use of gamification in primary and secondary education: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Educational Methodology, 9(1), 13–27. https://doi.org/10.12973/ijem.9.1.13

Wulan, D. R., Nainggolan, D. M., Hidayat, Y., Rohman, T., & Fiyul, A. Y. (2024). Exploring the benefits and challenges of gamification in enhancing student learning outcomes. Global International Journal of Innovative Research, 2(7), 1657–1674. https://doi.org/10.59613/global.v2i7.238

Zaric, N., Röpke, R., Lukarov, V., & Schroeder, U. (2021). Gamified learning theory: The moderating role of learners' learning tendencies. International Journal of Serious Games, 8(3), 71–91. https://doi.org/10.17083/ijsg.v8i3.438

Zhang, Z., & Huang, X. (2024). Exploring the impact of the adaptive gamified assessment on learners in blended learning. Education and Information Technologies, 29(16), 21869–21889. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12708-w

Downloads

Published

2026-09-30

How to Cite

Lystopad, N., Kit, H., Danyliak, R., Mordovtseva, N., & Tsalapova, O. (2026). Gamification in teacher education: Enhancing the motivation of pre-service primary school teachers. Eduweb, 20(3), 171–187. https://doi.org/10.46502/issn.1856-7576/2026.20.03.10

Issue

Vol. 20 No. 3 (2026)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Nataliia Lystopad, Halyna Kit, Ruslana Danyliak, Nataliia Mordovtseva, Oksana Tsalapova

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.