Advancing digitally informed teacher education: exploring the role of Serious Games in lifelong learning and digital well-being

This paper explores the role of Serious Games in pre-service teacher education within the broader perspective of lifelong learning and digital well-being. Building on recent European frameworks such as DigCompEdu and OECD (2025) indicators, it argues that developing teachers’ digital awareness and professional resilience requires integrating play-based and reflective methodologies. The study presents the results of an experimental training with 133 pre-service special education teachers at the University of Palermo. Using the Serious Games Evaluation Scale (SGES), the research examines perceived educational effectiveness and usability. Findings show high levels of perceived learning effectiveness and clarity of goals, alongside lower scores in motivation and perceived adequacy of learning materials. These results provide indirect evidence of how structured, reflective game-based environments may support dimensions related to digital well-being, particularly in terms of cognitive engagement, self-regulation, and awareness in the use of digital tools.