Impact of educational games on academic outcomes of students in the Degree in Nursing

by María-José Castro, María López, María-José Cao, Mercedes Fernández-Castro, Sara García, Manuel Frutos, José-María Jiménez

Objective

The aim of using the game-based tool Kahoot! was to evaluate and reinforce the contents taught in the subject of Management and Administration of Nursing, Ethics and Health Legislation Services included in the Degree in Nursing, during the 2016–2017 academic year.

Methods

A prospective quasi-experimental study was carried out on a sample of 116 students. 10 multiple-choice questions were designed, with only one possible correct answer and a 20-second-limited response time for each of the questions. Four of these questions previously answered in the classroom using this game were chosen (20% of the exam). Each one of them corresponded to one unit of the topics taught in the subject.In order to participate in the educational game, students needed their smartphones or electronic devices. After completing the game, the students’ satisfaction level derived from its use was assessed.

Results

The correct answer rate in the educational game was greater than 50% for all questions except for one, in which the rate was 28.8% (P<0.05). Response time as related to score presented statistically significant differences, and higher scores for those questions with lower response time (P<0.001).The questions included in the final test which had been previously answered using Kahoot! showed a significantly higher difficulty index than the rest of the final exam questions (P<0.05). Question 3 was the easiest, while being the one in which the highest-scoring students obtained more wrong answers.For the students this tool was easy to use (89.6%) and they positively valued the content acquisition and comprehension, as well as the teacher-student interaction (P<0.05).

Conclusion

The implementation of educational games which consider response time and correct answers favors competitiveness and motivates students to actively participate in their learning process.