Game, place and diversity: how students’ profiles influence geographical learning through playful methodologies

Abstract

This article examines how the sociocultural and demographic profile of 6th-grade students influences their appropriation of the concept of place in a didactic intervention that employs playful, game-based methodologies through the board game ―Encano e Encantos: movimentar para entender o lugar‖.The qualitative, case-study research was conducted in a public school located in the Encano neighborhood, in Indaial, southern Brazil, within the scope of the Professional Master’s Program in Geography Education (PROFGEO). Two questionnaires (pre- and post-game) were administered and participant observation was carried out during gameplay. Open-ended responses were analyzed using content analysis supported by a learning-level matrix for the concept of place, while closed-ended data were treated through descriptive statistics. Findings show that the class is highly heterogeneous in terms of age, origin, length of residence, and familiarity with games, which shapes different forms of engagement with the proposal. A shift was observed from less elaborated definitions toward more meaningful understandings of place, as well as changes in how students perceive their neighborhood and school. Question cards emerge as the core element of didactic mediation. The study concludes that the game can broaden and reframe students’ spatial experiences when articulated with intentional teacher mediation.