Gamification to Improve University Students’ Communication Skills

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to determine the effect of gamification on university students’ communication skills. To this end, the methodology was applied quantitative quasi-experimental design. Observation was the technique used, and the instrument used was a rubric. The study involved 160 university students from a population of 9,600, divided into 80 in a control group and 80 in an experimental group. Reported results indicated that the experimental group achieved 91% of the pretest scores at an average level, and after the program, 56% achieved a good level and 44% an excellent level. In inferential results, using the Mann-Whitney U test, speaking, listening, writing, and reading skills were influenced by gamification, obtaining 0.000 asymptotic significance levels, which allowed the acceptance of all the specific hypotheses. The study concluded that gamification is an important strategy to improve university students’ communication skills, demonstrating the effectiveness of the program implemented in the experimental group of students.