Game-Based Learning Outcomes Among Physiotherapy Students: Comparative Study

BACKGROUND: University teaching methods are changing, and in response to a classical teacher-centered approach, new methods continue to strengthen knowledge acquisition by involving students more actively in their learning, thus achieving greater motivation and commitment. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the degree of satisfaction of physiotherapy students who used a board game–based approach, as well as to compare the difference between traditional and gamification teaching methods and their influence on the final evaluation of these students. METHODS: A comparative study was conducted. Participants were physiotherapy students who were enrolled in the subject of “physiotherapy in geriatric and adult psychomotricity” (n=59). They were divided into two groups (experimental [n=29] and control [n=30] groups) through convenience sampling. The experimental group received gamification lessons, where the students performed different tests adapted from Party&Co, and the control group received traditional lessons. A total of 16 theoretical lessons were received in both groups. RESULTS: The scores in the final examination of the subject were higher in the experimental group (mean 7.53, SD 0.95) than in the control group (mean 6.24, SD 1.34), showing a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P=.001). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the “Physiotherapy Party” game not only stimulated learning and motivated students, but also improved learning outcomes among participants, and the improvements were greater than those among students who received traditional teaching.