Abstract:

Innovation in traditional teaching methods has been sought by educators as an effective approach to motivate and involve students in the teaching and learning process, and to foster the development of several key skills, including transversal skills that are acknowledged as critical for easing the transition to the labour market.

Transversal skills refer to a set of behavioural, contextual, and social skills that need to be developed in the educational field and should be integrated with technical knowledge to allow an optimal transition of students to the labour market. In this context, game-based learning (GBL) has emerged as an opportunity to transform the learning experience into an enriching and motivating process for students in various fields of knowledge. Among the various GBLs that are being developed in recent years, the use of escape games in classrooms is gaining space in education. Escape rooms seek to associate technical study skills effectively, through physical and cognitive challenges, in an innovative work environment. The type of challenges that are proposed in an escape room are reported to contribute to the development of some soft skills, namely communication skills, teamwork, time management, problem-solving, autonomy, decision making, and logical reasoning. These findings are supported across any level of education and in any scientific branch of knowledge.

This research addresses the empirical evidence on the impact of escape rooms in educational environments, namely on the development of soft skills. The aim is to present the results of a systematic literature review focusing on reported GBL experiences, with the purpose of gaining knowledge about the experience of the escape room on the development of transversal skills. Students participating in escape classes enthusiastically report their experiences and highlight the positive impacts of learning while playing. Emphasis is placed on fixing content in solving challenges and puzzles and developing transversal skills through collaboration with the team and decision making through logical and quick thinking in solving challenges.

The results indicate that gamification as a form of educational learning meets the expectations of the new generation and are one of the best methods to motivate youngster for the learning process. The X and Y generations show a greater search for cognitive challenges that foster creativity, autonomy, teamwork, critical thinking, and conflict resolution under pressure. Therefore, teaching through escape rooms may be disseminated and included in pedagogical plans in several scientific areas. This research has implications on the most appropriate strategies for implementing educational escape rooms and on the best strategies to achieve the aims of the development of soft skills, namely in the context of formal education.

Keywords:

Escape Room, Game-based Learning, Transversal Skills, Systematic Review.