GAMIFICATION IN EDUCATION: STRATEGIES TO ENGAGE AND MOTIVATE STUDENTS

Abstract

Current educational discussions highlight the need for pedagogical practices capable of making teaching and learning processes more meaningful, enhancing student participation and classroom interaction. In this context, gamification is understood as a pedagogical practice aimed at student engagement and motivation, as it promotes active learning and collaborative participation. Therefore, this article aimed to analyze the contribution of gamification, articulated with pedagogical practices, to student engagement and motivation. The methodology adopted was bibliographic research, understood as a procedure of collecting, selecting, reading, analyzing, and organizing previously published scientific works, as defined by Santana and Narciso (2025), with the analysis technique based on the interpretation of data extracted from the consulted materials. The development of the study addressed pedagogical practices and their relationship with engagement and motivation, gamification as an educational strategy, its forms of application in the classroom, the presentation of institutional examples, and the analysis of results and discussions. The results showed that gamification, when integrated into teaching practices in a planned manner, promotes active student participation, strengthens social interaction, and contributes to students’ permanence in school activities. Finally, it was concluded that the articulation between pedagogical practices and gamification constitutes a consistent strategy for improving teaching and learning processes in the contemporary educational context.