Social networks and gamification in physical education: a case study

Abstract

Recent research and studies on training plans in physical education agree on the need to incorporate digital technologies in teaching contexts. At the same time, the introduction of active methodologies, such as gamification, has become one of the major trends of recent years. In this paper we present the perception of teachers and students about a gamified proposal for physical education in secondary education that uses social networks as a way for communication, collaboration, and promotion of physical activity among students. Edmodo has been used to carry out this experience because, as a vertical social network, it has an attractive interface for students and protects their privacy by not requiring any personal data. This is a qualitative research, with a case study methodological design, which has used the focus group and group interview as data collection techniques. The sample consisted of 10 teachers, which represents all the teachers participating in the experience, and 56 students. The results show the positive assessment, both by teachers and students, of the Edmodo social network as a virtual teaching-learning environment for physical education in secondary education, and gamification as an active methodology. Likewise, the influence that the proposal, based on the use of digital technologies and gamification, has had on the promotion of physical activity among pupils has been high.