Educational games for teaching reading in basic education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69821/DISCE.v2i2.51Keywords:
Reading comprehension, educational games, basic education, student motivation, educational assessmentAbstract
This correlational study analyzed the relationship between the systematic use of educational games and reading comprehension performance among basic education students (4th to 7th grade). A total of 276 students from four urban schools participated. Two instruments were used: the Educational Games Implementation Index for Reading (IIJDL), administered to teachers (α=.91), and an objective reading comprehension test aligned with curricular standards and processing levels (literal, inferential, and critical). Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and multiple linear regression models were applied, controlling for sex, grade, and socioeconomic proxy. The results show a positive and moderate association between the intensity/quality of the games and reading comprehension (r=.42; p<.001). The adjusted model explained 29% of the variance (R²=.29), with significant effects from immediate playful feedback, cooperative dynamics, and rule scaffolding. Implications for instructional design are discussed: integrating game mechanics with explicit reading goals, tasks of increasing complexity, and formative assessment. It is concluded that educational games, designed pedagogically, constitute a viable leverage to improve reading in elementary school.
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