Resumen

MAZIRIRI, Eugine Tafadzwa; CHUCHU, Tinashe  y  MAPURANGA, Miston. Parental Perspectives on Gamified Experiences and Entrepreneurial Skill Development in Children: A Qualitative Study from South Africa's Eastern Cape. JCSA [online]. 2025, vol.44, n.2, pp.88-106. ISSN 2957-7950.  https://doi.org/10.36615/gksqpd78.

Gamified communication is increasingly recognised as a powerful modality in education, fostering interactive learning and behavioural transformation. This study explored how game-based communication strategies contribute to entrepreneurial skill development in childhood, with a focus on South Africa's Eastern Cape. While gamification is well researched in Global North contexts, little is known about how it functions in early entrepreneurial development within African childhood settings. Drawing on an interpretivist paradigm, the study investigated how parents experience and make sense of gamified tools that promote entrepreneurial mindsets in their children. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 parents, and data were analysed using the Gioia methodology and narrative analysis. The findings revealed that gamified platforms act as dynamic communication environments through which children engage in simulated entrepreneurial scenarios. Themes such as strategic risk taking, creative problem solving and financial decision making emerged as communicative competencies fostered through these interactions. Through foregrounding gamification as both a pedagogical and communicative practice, this study contributes to African-centred communication scholarship. It highlights the potential of gamified media in localised development contexts, particularly in addressing youth unemployment and social inequality. The research underscores the importance of adapting global digital communication frameworks to African childhood learning environments, opening up new avenues for policy, pedagogy and participatory communication.

Palabras clave : Development communication; digital media; entrepreneurial skills; gamified communication; South Africa; youth development.

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