Gamification and information literacy

gamification design model and activity proposals for school libraries

Abstract

Information literacy constitutes a transversal competence for identifying informational needs, searching, analyzing, synthesizing, critically evaluating, and ethically using information across academic, social, and digital contexts. Its development in school environments requires methodologies that consider the diversity of student profiles, including different age levels, interests, and repertoires, as well as resource constraints and the complexity of the contents involved; in this scenario, active learning approaches such as gamification stand out. Despite the existence of gamification models, the Brazilian literature still lacks proposals specifically oriented toward school libraries, which hinders the development of pedagogical practices capable of structurally articulating game elements, library mediation, and educational objectives related to Information Literacy. This study aims to present the “Gamification Design Model for the Development of Information Literacy,” constructed through exploratory and applied research involving a literature review, comparative analysis of game/gamification design frameworks and models, and the development of gamified activities. The model organizes mechanics, dynamics, aesthetics, narrative, and pedagogical elements into a modular structure adapted to the informational and curricular demands of school libraries. To illustrate its application, two gamified activities deriving from the model are presented: Find the Lost Books and Seven Wonders of the Modern World Cards. The results indicate that the model constitutes a clear, flexible, and replicable methodological tool that helps address a theoretical-methodological gap and expands the repertoire of possible pedagogical approaches in school libraries.