Resumen La sociedad del conocimiento y la tecnología han traído consigo un nuevo mapa en el que los jóvenes sienten inquietudes que la educación no siempre ha sabido satisfacer. Estos nuevos escenarios hacen que los intereses de los alumnos cambien, por lo que los profesores necesitan explorar nuevas estrategias y recursos en sus clases para aumentar la motivación y el compromiso con sus alumnos. El objetivo de este trabajo es hacer una revisión teórica de los beneficios del uso de la gamificación y conocer su aplicación en el contexto educativo. Para ello, se han examinado diversas publicaciones académicas provenientes de bases de datos internacionales presentadas entre 2011 y 2016, relacionadas con la aplicación de la gamificación en educación, la motivación e inmersión, analizando en ellas los tres elementos intervinientes. La elección de este periodo de años para la realización de la revisión teórica ha sido escogida para ofrecer una panorámica y un recorrido sobre la evolución que ha ido teniendo el tema tratado a lo largo de esos cinco años. Para ello se estudian, según Werbach y Hunter (2012), las dinámicas, las mecánicas y los componentes siguiendo una metodología cualitativa basada en el análisis de contenido. Los resultados indican que los procesos de gamificación en educación generan en los alumnos importantes beneficios, no exentos de dificultades en algunos de los trabajos del estudio. Tras esta argumentación, el artículo concluye a favor de beneficios de la gamificación en educación como la motivación, la inmersión para posibilitar la anticipación y planificación de situaciones; el compromiso y la socialización a través de la interactividad y la interacción; así como de la variedad de elementos que intervienen, lo que hace la actividad educativa más motivante y estimulante para los alumnos.

The TPACK model represents a high-impact advance in teacher training regarding their technological, pedagogical and content knowledge. This research presents an analysis of several publications in international databases that address the matter of the TPACK model. Accordingly, a review of the scientific literature applying the documentation as a systematization method was performed. The present study analyses 37 contributions, published between 2014 and 2017, indexed in the Web of Science (WOS) and Scopus databases, with TPACK and TPCK as the applied descriptors. Thus, the documentary analysis was based on four different criteria: public, topic, main results, and methodological design. Results show that all the reviewed publications are mainly focused on studies of basic and higher education where case studies, quantitative empirical studies, and mixed studies are predominant. Consequently, regarding the studies analyzed, there is a lack of longitudinal studies showing the teachers’ actions when applying TPACK in their daily practice.

The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has generated a transformation in students’ competences and university education, especially in the use of digital tools. This study aims to analyze the use of digital tools and social networks of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the collection of information, a validated Likert questionnaire (10-point scale) was adopted. The instrument consisted of a total of 66 items comprising a total of seven dimensions. The sample contained 581 students pursuing degrees in Childhood Education and Primary Education. The analysis of the available information was carried out in two different stages. First, we started by performing an exploratory factorial analysis (EFA) to determine the underlying structure of the Digital Competence of Higher Education Students (DCHES) scale factor. In the second phase, we used SEM (structural equation modeling), a statistical approach to test the relationships between observed and latent variables. More specifically, we estimated a multiple indicators multiple causes (MIMIC) model. The results showed the importance of two of the considered covariates in explaining the variability of the different dimensions of the scale analyzed (DCHES) considering the use of social networks and digital tools of university students. In this sense, both the degree to which virtual tools are used to develop teamwork and the degree of use of YouTube when communicating most fully explained the level of digital skills among the university students studied.

Gamification consists of the use of ludic elements in non-ludic contexts. It is becoming an educational trend, due to its ability to work on curriculum skills in a fun and motivating way. This article exposes a program of gamified university practices, “Super-Profes”, for the subject of Developmental Disorders. To gain an understanding of student impressions about this methodology, a qualitative study was carried out, based on a survey with open questions, and, subsequently, analyzed with the Atlas.ti 8.4 program. In total, 63 s-year students taking the Early Childhood Education degree participated. Two main categories emerged from the study: gamification as a fun and motivating educational experience, and knowledge and skills acquired after studying a gamified subject. The research concluded with an assessment of educational gamification as a motivating and effective methodology for the acquisition of content and skills necessary for future teaching.

The article analyzes the impact that the use of Scratch has in a group of students of Compulsory Secondary Education in the development of the teaching unit. For this we have studied the evolution of creative thought and analyzed the considerations made by the different actors involved, students and teachers. Qualitative and quantitative data are intended to complement the type of evidence and notes in research design followed. The tools used were the interview, field notes, diary of the researcher and the rubric adapted and created by Eduteka. The research results indicate that with the use of Scratch language students get better grades and are more motivated. As a conclusion, we can say that the application of the Scratch program improves school performance and student motivation significantly.

Research has proven that TPACK model can significantly contribute to teachers’ training in their educational work, along with the training context, as well as to contribute to their initial training. The objective of this research is to analyze the level of teaching competence that teachers have according to TPACK model, as well as the variables that influence the technological implementation in the classroom. For the data analysis, we used a validated questionnaire composed by 47 items divided into the seven dimensions of TPACK model. We performed a stratified sampling by conglomerates in various stages, using public schools as a sampling unit. The sample is formed by 825 teachers. This is a descriptive and non-experimental investigation, where we performed a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) test between the dimensions of the diagnosis scale and the socio-demographic variables. The most significant results have been the differences found regarding the educational stage and the age of the participants. It should be noted that the organization of the two stages, although based in the same principles and with common elements for the transition from one to another, is different. The study presents some adapted and focused training proposals in order to alleviate the training weaknesses of in-service teachers from TPACK model.