Effect of a gamification strategy on glycolysis learning in medical students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56200/mentor.v5i2.12353Keywords:
Gamification, Medical education, Biochemistry, Glycolysis, Educational interventionAbstract
Topics such as glycolysis represent a considerable challenge in medical education due to their high conceptual complexity. Gamification has been proposed as a strategy to promote active learning in the teaching of basic sciences. Under this premise, this study analyzed the impact of a gamified intervention on the academic performance of 170 medical students from the Universidad de la Salud del Estado de Puebla. Using a quasi-experimental design, a control group (n=82) was compared with an experimental group (n=88) that participated in a face-to-face activity involving the resolution of clinical challenges within a “metabolic city”. Following the intervention, the experimental group achieved a significant increase in their average score (from 6.44 to 8.05), whereas the control group showed no relevant changes. The analysis revealed a significant interaction between time and condition (p < 0.001), with a difference-in-differences of 1.78 points. These findings indicate that the integration of game elements is associated with significant improvement in academic performance in learning glycolysis among medical students.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Denisse Cruz Trejo, Joselyn Ramiro Zamitiz, Victor Iván Viruega Góngora, Katia Guadalupe Mariscal Flores, Salma Quiroz De Alba

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