Literary gamification: using digital game mechanics to encourage the analysis and interpretation of narrative texts Socio-Effective Skills
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70577/ASCE/503.527/2025Keywords:
literary gamification, narrative text analysis, literary interpretation, digital game mechanics, literature teaching, reading comprehension, educational motivation, interactive narrative.Abstract
The goal of this study is to find out through real-world testing what effect digital gamification tactics have on how secondary school students analyze and critically evaluate narrative texts. Using the ideas of playful pedagogy and meaningful learning, the study creates activities that include rewards, levels, missions, interactive stories, and quick feedback. The idea is that these mechanics might make reading more interesting and difficult. To test this idea, a mixed-method quasi-experimental design was used with seventy-eight teens over the course of a semester. A prototype digital platform with narrative challenges, collaborative analysis, and gamified rubrics led the sessions. The systematic usage of this platform was contrasted to traditional education given to a control group.After the intervention, the data showed that the gamified students' interpretive skills and intrinsic motivation had grown significantly. These students were better able to identify complex narrative structures, give symbolic meanings, and make intertextual connections that had been hard for them before. Also, there were higher levels of active involvement, better reading self-efficacy, and a new interest in reading literature. This suggests that well-designed gamification can be a useful tool for teaching literature. Qualitative investigation showed that people liked the gamified approach since it made reading more immersive and turned it into a group activity. The study's conclusion is that adding this strategy to literature lessons can make the classroom more exciting by connecting students' digital interests with challenging academic goals. So, it is suggested that educational programs that want to bring literature back to life use this method to make classrooms more participatory, thoughtful, and focused on the students. This way of doing things also offers up new ways to look into how digital reading experiences are designed and how they relate to the development of important skills in modern education.
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Copyright (c) 2025 María Gabriela Naranjo Herrera, Erik Esteban Abad Ordóñez, Mirian Janet Chacha Benavides, Flor María García Espinoza, Nilda del Carmen Zambrano Vera
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