A Gamification approach for education on values: results from a pilot study

The inclusion of video games with training purposes in physical and sport education has not had a big impact so far. However, as traditional methodologies to promote values can bore young people, the interest generated by video games can be a good tool to attract them. On an affective and emotional level, knowledge acquired through practice with games, or video games, is more meaningful for children. With these reasons in mind, along with the interest of overcoming negative values typically related with sports, a group of researchers started a project to join video games and education on values called SAVEit. The goal of this project is to use new technologies for promoting values on sports for children. More specifically, a learning methodology was designed focusing in the use of football video games, on which each children’s virtual team performance depends on the children attitudes and behaviour in real life. This paper presents the preliminary outcomes of the pilot study carried out in a Spanish sport club, paying attention to the Respect value, and how students from 8 to 13 years old acquired it using the system.