Effect of a multimodal playful-educational intervention on academic performance in human anatomy content among General Unified Baccalaureate students in Imbabura, Ecuador, 2026
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70577/yghkv767Keywords:
Human anatomy; game-based learning; upper-secondary education; gamification; quasi-experimental study.Abstract
The objective was to evaluate changes in academic performance following a multimodal game-based educational intervention for teaching human anatomy to upper-secondary students. A quantitative, quasi-experimental, one-group pretest-posttest study was conducted with 706 students from an educational institution in Imbabura, Ecuador. The intervention addressed body cavities and regions, the cardiovascular system, and the respiratory system through educational challenges, interactive games, model construction, and anatomical practice. Pretest-posttest differences were examined using the exact sign test, 95% confidence intervals, directional effect sizes, and Holm adjustment. All nine comparisons by grade and content were statistically significant (adjusted p < 0.001), with δ values ranging from 0.982 to 1.000. The proportion of scores equal to or above seven increased from 10.25% to 93.67%. The intervention was associated with systematic improvement and high student satisfaction. Satisfaction response rates varied across grades and required further cautious interpretation; however, the lack of a control group limited causal inference.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Yadira Marcela Pantoja Rivas, Ruth Erminia Cifuentes Muriel, Patricia Gabriela Benitez, Luis Martín Arias Pardo (Autor/a)
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