La gamificación como estrategia pedagógica para promover el pensamiento crítico en estudiantes de primaria: Revisión sistemática
Gamification as a pedagogical strategy to promote critical thinking in primary school students: Systematic reviewContenido principal del artículo
Introducción: El pensamiento crítico es una competencia fundamental en la educación contemporánea; sin embargo, persiste una tendencia en los estudiantes a la memorización mecánica sin procesos de análisis, argumentación ni reflexión profunda. Objetivo: Analizar la influencia de la gamificación en el desarrollo del pensamiento crítico en estudiantes de educación primaria mediante una revisión sistemática de la literatura científica. Metodología: Se empleó el método de revisión sistemática bajo el protocolo PRISMA. La búsqueda se realizó en las bases de datos Scopus, SciELO, Redalyc y Google Académico, considerando estudios publicados entre 2019 y 2025. Inicialmente se identificaron 487 artículos, de los cuales 20 cumplieron los criterios de inclusión, incluyendo disponibilidad de DOI o URL verificable, pertinencia temática y rigor metodológico. Resultados: La evidencia revisada indica que la gamificación tiene efectos positivos en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje, especialmente en el incremento de la motivación, la participación activa y el desarrollo de habilidades asociadas al pensamiento crítico, tales como la interpretación, el análisis y la inferencia. Conclusiones: Se concluye que la gamificación constituye una estrategia pedagógica innovadora y efectiva para fomentar el pensamiento crítico en estudiantes de educación primaria, contribuyendo además al cumplimiento del Objetivo de Desarrollo Sostenible 4: Educación de calidad.
Introduction: Critical thinking is a fundamental competency in contemporary education; however, a trend toward rote memorization persists among students, lacking processes of analysis, argumentation, or deep reflection. Objective: To analyze the influence of gamification on the development of critical thinking in primary education students through a systematic review of the scientific literature. Methodology: A systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA protocol. The search was performed across the Scopus, SciELO, Redalyc, and Google Scholar databases, considering studies published between 2019 and 2025. Initially, 487 articles were identified, of which 20 met the inclusion criteria, including DOI availability or verifiable URL, thematic relevance, and methodological rigor. Results: The reviewed evidence indicates that gamification has positive effects on the teaching-learning process, particularly in increasing motivation, active participation, and the development of skills associated with critical thinking, such as interpretation, analysis, and inference. Conclusions: Gamification constitutes an innovative and effective pedagogical strategy for fostering critical thinking in primary education students, further contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education.
Detalles del artículo
Esta obra está bajo una licencia internacional Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 4.0.
Cómo citar
Referencias
Achilie-Valencia, N. N., Quiñónez-Tamayo, C. C., Quiñónez-Perlaza, M. I., & Meza-Ganchozo, M. N. (2024). La gamificación en el aula: Efectos en la motivación estudiantil. Polo del Conocimiento, 9(9), 1-18. https://polodelconocimiento.com/ojs/index.php/es/article/view/8091
Bunchball, I. (2010). Gamification 101: An introduction to the use of game dynamics to influence behavior. White paper, 9, 1-18. https://jndglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/gamification1011.pdf
Chavarría, F., y Avalos, K. (2023). Gamification in education for the formative assessment process. Ciencia Latina Revista Científica Multidisciplinar, 7(1), 5044-5062. https://doi.org/10.37811/cl_rcm.v7i1.5044
Chávez, J. M., Reyes, V. M., Sequera, A. G., De la Casana, P. F., y Ramones, W. O. (2024). Effects of gamification on critical thinking in elementary school students. Prohominum. Revista de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas, 6(4), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.47606/acven/ph0289
Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R., & Nacke, L. (2011). From game design elements to gamefulness: Defining "gamification". En Proceedings of the 15th International Academic MindTrek Conference: Envisioning Future Media Environments (pp. 9-15). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/2181037.2181040
Dichev, C., Dicheva, D., & Irwin, K. (2020). Gamifying learning for learners. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 17(1), 54. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-020-00231-0
Ennis, R. H. (2018). Critical thinking across the curriculum: A vision. Topoi, 39, 293-303. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11245-018-9570-4
Facione, P. A. (2013). Critical thinking: What it is and why it counts. Insight Assessment. https://www.law.uh.edu/blakely/advocacy-survey/Critical%20Thinking%20Skills.pdf
Gil-Quintana, J., & Prieto Jurado, E. (2020). La realidad de la gamificación en educación primaria. Estudio multicaso de centros educativos españoles. Perfiles Educativos, 42(168), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.22201/iisue.24486167e.2020.168.59173
Gómez-Carrasco, C. J., Monteagudo-Fernández, J., Moreno-Vera, J. R., & Sainz-Gómez, M. (2020). Evaluation of a gamification and flipped-classroom program used in teacher training: Perception of learning and outcome. PLoS ONE, 15(7), e0236083. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236083
Hamari, J., Koivisto, J., & Sarsa, H. (2014). Does gamification work? A literature review of empirical studies on gamification. En 2014 47th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (pp. 3025–3034). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/HICSS.2014.377
Hong, Y., Saab, N., & Admiraal, W. (2024). Approaches and game elements used to tailor digital gamification for learning: A systematic literature review. Computers & Education, 212, 105000. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2024.105000
Kapp, K. M. (2012). The gamification of learning and instruction: Game-based methods and strategies for training and education. Pfeiffer. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273947281_The_gamification_of_learning_and_instruction_Game-based_methods_and_strategies_for_training_and_education_San_Francisco_CA_Pfeiffer
Kapp, K. M., & Defelice, R. A. (2019). Microlearning: Short and sweet. Association for Talent Development. https://n9.cl/u61w3l
Koivisto, J., & Hamari, J. (2019). The rise of motivational information systems: A review of gamification research. International Journal of Information Management, 45, 191–210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2018.10.013
Landers, R. N., Armstrong, M. B., Collmus, A. B., Mujcic, S., & Blaik, J. (2022). Theory-driven game-based assessment of general cognitive ability: Design theory, measurement, prediction of performance, and test fairness. Journal of Applied Psychology, 107(10), 1655–1677. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000954
Lara, N., García-Sinausía, S., & Pérez Nieto, M. A. (2021). Relaciones de la motivación con la metacognición y el desempeño en el rendimiento cognitivo en estudiantes de educación primaria. Anales de Psicología, 37(2), 383-941. https://doi.org/10.6018/analesps.383941
Lipman, M. (2003). Thinking in education (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://assets.cambridge.org/97805218/12825/sample/9780521812825ws.pdf
Marczewski, A. (2023). The Gamification Design Handbook: Even Ninja Monkeys Like to Play. Independently published.
Martínez-Del Rio, I. P., Lamas-Lara, C. A., & Otros. (2025). Aprendizaje basado en problemas: Desarrollo del pensamiento crítico en educación primaria. Revista Tecnológica-Educativa Docentes 2.0, 18(1), 561-580. https://doi.org/10.37843/rted.v18i1.561
McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is broken: Why games make us better and how they can change the world. Penguin Press. https://hci.stanford.edu/courses/cs047n/readings/Reality_is_Broken.pdf
Palma, M., & Otros. (2021). Validación de instrumento para medir pensamiento crítico. Revista Iberoamericana de Evaluación Educativa, 14(1), 9012-9034. https://doi.org/10.6018/riee.v14i1.9012
Ruíz-Chávez, M. N., & Terrones-Marreros, M. A. (2023). Gamificación en el desarrollo del pensamiento crítico de niños de educación primaria. Revista Arbitrada Interdisciplinaria Koinonía, 8(2), 51-66. https://doi.org/10.35381/r.k.v8i2.2861
Sailer, M., & Homner, L. (2020). The gamification of learning: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 32(1), 77-112. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-019-09498-w
Seaborn, K., Pennefather, P., & Fels, D. I. (2020). Eudaimonia and hedonia in the design and evaluation of a cooperative game for psychosocial well-being. Human–Computer Interaction, 35(4), 289-337. https://doi.org/10.1080/07370024.2018.1555481
Toda, A. M., Klock, A. C. T., Oliveira, W., Palomino, P. T., Rodrigues, L., Shi, L., ... & Cristea, A. I. (2019). How to gamify learning systems? An experience report using the design sprint method and a taxonomy for gamification elements in education. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 22(3), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.04.014
Werbach, K., & Hunter, D. (2012). For the win: How game thinking can revolutionize your business. Wharton Digital Press.
Wiggins B. E. (2016). An overview and study on the use of games, simulations, and gamification in higher education. International Journal of Game-Based Learning (IJGBL), 6(1), 18–29. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijgbl.2016010102
Willingham, D. T. (2021). Why don’t students like school? A cognitive scientist answers questions about how the mind works and what it means for the classroom (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass. https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Why+Don%27t+Students+Like+School%3F%2C+2nd+Edition-p-9781119715665
Zichermann, G., & Cunningham, C. (2011). Gamification by design: Implementing game mechanics in web and mobile apps. O'Reilly Media. https://www.scirp.org/reference/referencespapers?referenceid=1808930