This study examines the design and implementation of educational breakouts as a gamification-based learning strategy in higher education. The research was conducted with 106 preservice teachers enrolled in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) course at a Spanish public university. The main objective was to explore students’ perceptions of designing a digital breakout and to identify its perceived strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges within a teacher training context. A qualitative research design was adopted, using a validated open-ended survey as the main data collection instrument. Responses were systematically analyzed through qualitative coding procedures. Findings reveal that although most participants had little prior experience with educational breakouts, they perceived the design process as highly motivating, creative, and pedagogically valuable. Key strengths included enhanced student engagement, promotion of digital literacy, collaborative work, problem-solving skills, and active learning. However, several challenges were also identified, such as technical constraints, time investment, uneven group participation, and difficulties in balancing content complexity with accessibility. The results suggest that educational breakouts can serve as an innovative and effective instructional strategy in higher education, particularly in teacher education programs, provided that adequate training, technological support, and careful instructional design are ensured. The study highlights the transformative potential of gamified methodologies in fostering meaningful, student-centered learning experiences in contemporary university settings.
Cristina Navas Romero (Tue,) studied this question.