Abstract:

The lack of interest and motivation in university classrooms remains a contemporary challenge, exacerbated in specific knowledge areas, especially in subjects such as accounting and finance, resulting in high dropout rates and low academic performance.

In response, this study presents a gamified activity aimed at enhancing intrinsic motivation and active participation among first and third-year students in a Business Administration Degree. Through gamification, students collaboratively interact with their peers and professors, fostering a more engaging teaching-learning process.

Our objective is to propose a gamification activity that takes the form of a virtual escape room, a cooperative game where participants or students aim to solve a series of puzzles, quizzes, and educational tasks to unlock codes that allow access to locked containers. The results show a significant improvement in students' motivation and willingness to engage in the target subjects. Additionally, a positive attitude towards gamified activities was observed, highlighting the healthy competitive spirit among students, leading to improved social interactions within the classroom, notably benefiting first-year students and repeaters by facilitating group cohesion.

Student testimonials reveal high motivation to stay up-to-date with their studies, driven by the desire to excel in the challenges posed in the escape room. Furthermore, students report feeling better prepared to face assessment tests, indicating that gamification not only improves the classroom atmosphere but also positively impacts academic performance.

Keywords:

Gamification, motivation, escape room, accounting, finance.