Underground nursing students’ experiences in a face-to-face, hybrid, and online escape room model: a comparative analysis in Serbian context
Educational escape rooms (EERs) are gamified teaching and learning tools increasingly used in nursing education. This study aims to compare undergraduate nursing students’ gameful experiences (GEs) across three EER models: face-to-face, hybrid, and online. A cross-sectional study was conducted with...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Medical Education Online |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/10872981.2025.2464204 |
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| author | Dragana Simin Vladimir Dolinaj Nina Brkić-Jovanović Branislava Brestovački-Svitlica Dragana Milutinović |
| author_facet | Dragana Simin Vladimir Dolinaj Nina Brkić-Jovanović Branislava Brestovački-Svitlica Dragana Milutinović |
| author_sort | Dragana Simin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Educational escape rooms (EERs) are gamified teaching and learning tools increasingly used in nursing education. This study aims to compare undergraduate nursing students’ gameful experiences (GEs) across three EER models: face-to-face, hybrid, and online. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 136 first-year students in a Serbian undergraduate nursing programme. All models EERs had the same narrative, which included several topics from the Fundamentals of Nursing course. Face-to-face and hybrid EERs were implemented in faculty skills laboratories, while the online model used the Zoom® platform. Face-to-face EERs were conducted in 2021/2022. and hybrid and online in the 2022/2023 school year. Immediately after the EER activity, the Gameful Experience Scale (GAMEX) assessed students’ GE across six dimensions (Enjoyment, Absorption, Creative Thinking, Activation, Absence of Negative Effects and Dominance). All students solved the puzzles in the allotted time and ‘escaped from the room.’ Median escape time from face-to-face EER was 39.2 (IQR = 2.1), from online 37.4 (IQR = 4.1), and hybrid 37.2 (IQR = 3.5) minutes. By comparing GE students in three EER models, significant differences were found in five dimensions of the GAMEX scale. Students in face-to-face EER enjoyed significantly more (p < 0.001) and thought more creatively (p < 0.001), while the GE of online model students indicated significantly higher levels of activation (p < 0.001), dominance (p < 0.001), and negative effect (p < 0.001). In the face-to-face and hybrid models, students’ GE were more moderate in these dimensions. All EER models can generate positive emotions with moderate negative effects, aligning with the goals of EERs as educational games. Further research is needed to identify the most effective EER model for different areas of nursing education. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6a260f6fe0754a3c9fc6bb0ac08e52bb |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1087-2981 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Medical Education Online |
| spelling | doaj-art-6a260f6fe0754a3c9fc6bb0ac08e52bb2025-08-20T03:47:58ZengTaylor & Francis GroupMedical Education Online1087-29812025-12-0130110.1080/10872981.2025.2464204Underground nursing students’ experiences in a face-to-face, hybrid, and online escape room model: a comparative analysis in Serbian contextDragana Simin0Vladimir Dolinaj1Nina Brkić-Jovanović2Branislava Brestovački-Svitlica3Dragana Milutinović4Faculty of Medicine, Department of Nursing, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, SerbiaFaculty of Medicine, Department of Nursing, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, SerbiaFaculty of Medicine, Department of Psychology, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, SerbiaFaculty of Medicine, Department of Nursing, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, SerbiaFaculty of Medicine, Department of Nursing, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, SerbiaEducational escape rooms (EERs) are gamified teaching and learning tools increasingly used in nursing education. This study aims to compare undergraduate nursing students’ gameful experiences (GEs) across three EER models: face-to-face, hybrid, and online. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 136 first-year students in a Serbian undergraduate nursing programme. All models EERs had the same narrative, which included several topics from the Fundamentals of Nursing course. Face-to-face and hybrid EERs were implemented in faculty skills laboratories, while the online model used the Zoom® platform. Face-to-face EERs were conducted in 2021/2022. and hybrid and online in the 2022/2023 school year. Immediately after the EER activity, the Gameful Experience Scale (GAMEX) assessed students’ GE across six dimensions (Enjoyment, Absorption, Creative Thinking, Activation, Absence of Negative Effects and Dominance). All students solved the puzzles in the allotted time and ‘escaped from the room.’ Median escape time from face-to-face EER was 39.2 (IQR = 2.1), from online 37.4 (IQR = 4.1), and hybrid 37.2 (IQR = 3.5) minutes. By comparing GE students in three EER models, significant differences were found in five dimensions of the GAMEX scale. Students in face-to-face EER enjoyed significantly more (p < 0.001) and thought more creatively (p < 0.001), while the GE of online model students indicated significantly higher levels of activation (p < 0.001), dominance (p < 0.001), and negative effect (p < 0.001). In the face-to-face and hybrid models, students’ GE were more moderate in these dimensions. All EER models can generate positive emotions with moderate negative effects, aligning with the goals of EERs as educational games. Further research is needed to identify the most effective EER model for different areas of nursing education.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/10872981.2025.2464204Gamificationexperienceescape roomeducationnursing students |
| spellingShingle | Dragana Simin Vladimir Dolinaj Nina Brkić-Jovanović Branislava Brestovački-Svitlica Dragana Milutinović Underground nursing students’ experiences in a face-to-face, hybrid, and online escape room model: a comparative analysis in Serbian context Medical Education Online Gamification experience escape room education nursing students |
| title | Underground nursing students’ experiences in a face-to-face, hybrid, and online escape room model: a comparative analysis in Serbian context |
| title_full | Underground nursing students’ experiences in a face-to-face, hybrid, and online escape room model: a comparative analysis in Serbian context |
| title_fullStr | Underground nursing students’ experiences in a face-to-face, hybrid, and online escape room model: a comparative analysis in Serbian context |
| title_full_unstemmed | Underground nursing students’ experiences in a face-to-face, hybrid, and online escape room model: a comparative analysis in Serbian context |
| title_short | Underground nursing students’ experiences in a face-to-face, hybrid, and online escape room model: a comparative analysis in Serbian context |
| title_sort | underground nursing students experiences in a face to face hybrid and online escape room model a comparative analysis in serbian context |
| topic | Gamification experience escape room education nursing students |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/10872981.2025.2464204 |
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