Analysis of the impact of using a gamified App for spanish spelling practice in primary education

Abstract

This study evaluates the impact of GAUBI, a gamified app designed for Spanish spellingpractice in primary education, using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with 114 fourth-grade students. Participants were divided into three groups: traditional methods (control group),app use in classrooms (experimental group 1), and app use at home (experimental group 2). The appfeatured levels of arcade, research, and interactive fiction gameplay, scaling cognitive challenges toenhance learning. The intervention spanned three weeks, with participants engaging in structuredapp-based or traditional spelling exercises. Results showed that the group using the app at homeachieved significantly higher spelling accuracy than those using traditional methods or app-onlyclassroom approaches. Statistical analyses confirmed the superior effectiveness of home-based appuse. The Binomial Effect Size Display highlighted notable improvements in specific spellingcategories, such as complex letter combinations and accent rules. Discussion centered on thebenefits of integrating gamification and ubiquitous learning tools in education, emphasizing theapp’s adaptability and immediate feedback, which encouraged independent learning and sustainedmotivation. The study advocates for blending traditional and gamified approaches to fostercomprehensive spelling competence, supporting educators with analytics-driven insights. Theresearch underscores the app's potential to address broader curricular goals, including sustainabledevelopment objectives