Enhancing Media Literacy in Higher Education: An Experimental Study on Misinformation Through a Gamified Intervention in Peru

Abstract

This experimental study assesses the effectiveness of a technology-based educational intervention aimed at countering misinformation among young Peruvian university students (aged 18–22), applying inoculation theory through the gamified intervention Bad News, adapted specifically for Latin America. As a conceptual replication of Basol et al., the study preserves the original experimental design while extending it to a Latin American, Spanish-speaking context. A total of 301 first- and second-year students from two private universities in Lima were randomly assigned to either a treatment or control group. Through pretest and posttest measurements and statistical analyses (Student’s t-test, two-way ANOVA), findings demonstrate that playing Bad News significantly reduces the perceived reliability of misinformation content on social media. A significant interaction was found between the intervention and maternal education level. Although no statistically significant interaction effects were found for self-perceived media literacy or trust in traditional and social media, both variables independently predicted more critical evaluations of misinformation. This research represents a pioneering effort in Latin America, a region lacking experimental studies that validate gamified interventions for critical thinking against misinformation.