Using gamification to enhance the learning experiences of teacher education students in co-taught classrooms

The purpose of the article is to explore whether gamification can enhance the learning experiences of first-year teacher education students in co-taught classrooms. Gamification is a pedagogical strategy that uses digital games in educational settings to improve students’ skills, class engagement, and motivation, and to optimise their learning experiences. Gamification is well-suited for university-level subjects, because student-centred strategies address a more culturally varied and technologically advanced learning environment. Although gamification is becoming more popular, little research has been done on how it affects first-year student teachers in co-teaching environments with more complicated instructional dynamics. To achieve the study objective, the researchers employed an interpretivist paradigm with a qualitative exploratory design to capture rich experiences and perceptions of student teachers and lecturers on gamification in learning at a university of technology in South Africa. Five first-year student teachers were purposefully chosen to participate in the study. The data that were gathered from semi-structured interviews were analysed thematically. The findings show that gamification in co-teaching may enhance learning experiences by fostering critical thinking and subject content mastery, and improving engagement and motivation. The effectiveness of gamification in co-teaching relies on several critical factors, including collaboratively designed games that are engaging, clear integration with the curriculum, alignment of instructional styles, coordinated teaching efforts, and the coherent alignment of gamification strategies with the specific objectives of a subject or module. The study proposes that lecturers receive training in gamified teaching methods, particularly regarding co-teaching. Additionally, gamification strategies and outcomes must be disseminated in departments to encourage interdisciplinary cooperation.