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Digital game-based learning for transgender identity awareness: a qualitative study in Spanish social education degree

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Abstract

Game-based learning (GBL) has demonstrated its effectiveness in education by addressing challenges such as apathy, motivation, and active student engagement. In this article, the narrative video game “A Normal Lost Phone” has been employed to raise awareness among university students about transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals. The project involved 35 undergraduate students in Social Education from a university in Spain (29 females, 5 males, and 1 non-binary individual), with an average age of 20.52 years (SD = 1.82) during the academic year 2022/2023. The workshop’s main objective was to enhance undergraduate students’ training in social education and better prepare them for their future careers. The results highlight that video games can promote sensitivity and understanding of sexual and gender diversity among university students, which could have significant implications for professional training in this field. In conclusion, GBL presents promising opportunities for transforming educational practices. The integration of cooperative workshops into teaching methodologies can have a positive impact on student engagement, learning outcomes, and attitudes. Further research is needed to comprehend and effectively incorporate GBL into teaching practices fully. By harnessing the educational potential of games, we can create more engaging and effective learning environments that equip students with the necessary skills for their future careers in social education.

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The data supporting this study’s findings are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Psychology, University of Almería, Ctra. Sacramento s/n, La Cañada de San Urbano, Spain

    Ana Manzano-León & José M. Rodríguez-Ferrer

  2. Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Vigo, As Lagoas s/n, Ourense, Spain

    Paula Rodríguez-Rivera & Manuela Raposo-Rivas

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  1. Ana Manzano-León
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  2. Paula Rodríguez-Rivera
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  3. Manuela Raposo-Rivas
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  4. José M. Rodríguez-Ferrer
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Correspondence to Paula Rodríguez-Rivera.

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Ethics approval and consent to participate

All participants received information about the project and gave written informed consent following the Declaration of Helsinki. Before data collection, students were informed of the nature of the study and guaranteed anonymity. The Teaching Innovation Group “EDU-INNO” authorised the study, approved by the University of Vigo. The article’s authors declare that they have no conflict of interest regarding the publication and research carried out.

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Manzano-León, A., Rodríguez-Rivera, P., Raposo-Rivas, M. et al. Digital game-based learning for transgender identity awareness: a qualitative study in Spanish social education degree. Curr Psychol 43, 18065–18073 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05556-3

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