Bridging the Gap: Overcoming Teachers’ Hurdles in Implementing Gamification for Society 5.0 Education

The rapid development of information and communications technology (ICT) has transformed education and society. Applying gamification in education can enhance students’ motivation, interest, and performance to meet the demands of the 21st century. The present study used the hermeneutic research design to explore teachers’ challenges and concerns for integrating gamification at the elementary level in Pakistan. A purposive sampling technique was used to select the sample of seven elementary teachers working in the school education department. We developed a semi-structured interview protocol guide to collect data through face-to-face interviews. After transcribing data, it was analyzed with the help of NVivo 12 Pro software. The authors explored teachers’ challenges and concerns related to their training and the ability to integrate gamification in a non-gamified context. Participants show they do not have the knowledge and training to incorporate gamification into education. They also revealed concerns about a lack of funds, curriculum alignment, time management, technological access, and assessment of students’ performance. Based on the findings, the researchers suggested that teachers should be trained and provided the resources to meet the requirements of Society 5.0 and contribute to a human-centered society. The present study had a few limitations, but it had significant social, practical policy, and research implications.