Transmedia Content and Gamification in Educational Programmes for University Students with Disabilities: Digital Competences for Labour Market Integration as a Driver of Sustainable Development

Antonio Pérez-Manzano, Javier Almela-Baeza () and Adrián Bonache-Ibáñez
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Antonio Pérez-Manzano: Department of Evolutionary Psychology and Education, Faculty of Education, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Javier Almela-Baeza: Department of Communication, Faculty of Communication and Documentation, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Adrián Bonache-Ibáñez: Department of Evolutionary Psychology and Education, Faculty of Education, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 17, 1-21

Abstract: Soft skills play a fundamental role in transversal competences in the field of training and employment, especially in university collectives with disabilities. Traditional methodologies are giving way to gamified and transmedia environments, which are more efficient in the educational process and more sustainable for institutions. This study compares two educational programmes, one based on MOOCs and the other in a gamified environment (Transwork), with the participation of 181 university graduates with some degree of disability and unemployed for more than five years. The gamified educational programme shows a significantly lower dropout rate and a higher employability rate (χ 2 , p < 0.001), as well as an improvement in interpersonal skills such as teamwork and conflict management. This demonstrates that methodologies in gamified and transmedia environments promote social sustainability by enhancing autonomy and inclusion in vulnerable groups, as well as contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially those related to quality education, reducing inequality, and decent work. This improvement in the labour market integration of people with disabilities represents not only an advance in equity, but also a long-term saving in care costs, by promoting their autonomy and active participation in the labour market. Thus, the sustainability of the social system is reinforced through inclusive educational policies based on gamified environments.

Keywords: transmedia; gamification; digital technology; e-learning; education; serious game; global citizenship (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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