Adaptation of digital gamification in professional education amid martial law challenges

Introduction: The growing interest within the scientific community in the potential of gamification in professional education during wartime drives the relevance of this research. Objective: The main aim of this article is to identify the significance of positive and negative factors in gamification in professional education and analyse their impact on the educational environment. Methods: The research used scientific literature analysis, statistical data analysis, and generalisation and systematisation to substantiate the main features and positive and negative aspects of gamification in professional education. To justify the feasibility of applying gamification elements in the Ukrainian context, an expert survey of lecturers was conducted, which allowed for the formation of weighted average indicators by criteria using Excel tools and the performance of a correlation SWOT analysis in the JASP program (Classical Correlation tool). Results: The analysis revealed that lecturers rate the advantages and opportunities of gamification higher than the challenges and threats. Positive effect include of gamification on the development of students' collaborative skills, engagement, and motivation, however, negative consequences the creation of unhealthy competition, reduced learning effectiveness, and the need for enhanced control over game elements. Conclusions: The research identified that the main aspects that will contribute to the effective integration of game elements into the learning process are an integrated approach, infrastructure reliability, flexibility, and adaptability of educational programmes, which will ensure the further development of approaches to student engagement and the enhancement of their motivation in the process of acquiring professional skills.