Digital gamified solutions can transform learning into a more effective and enjoyable experience. However, more research is needed on how teachers use technology-enhanced learning tools and incorporate successful gamification strategies in their practice. Simultaneously, the use of digital platforms in formal education contexts has become highly hierarchical, giving teachers no room for creativity. Within the scope of design-based research, this study focuses on assessing the relevance of developing a gamified digital platform model aimed at assisting K-12 schools with the implementation of extracurricular projects, specifically regarding the promotion of participation, the recognition of skills and its users' sense of belonging to the corresponding educational community. A survey by questionnaire was publicly shared in June 2022 with the support of different Teachers' Associations to evaluate Portuguese K-12 schoolteachers' receptiveness to integrating such a digital platform model in their practice. A voluntary response sample including 215 valid responses was obtained, and data were analyzed through descriptive statistics and content analysis. According to the study findings, the relevance of developing such platform model was confirmed due to the innovativeness of its features and the lack of similar tools combining gamification strategies with the formal recognition of learners' attitudes and skills in K-12 education.

English as a foreign language (EFL) instruction strongly benefits from the authenticity, immediacy, and innovativeness brought by technology-enhanced learning (TELL) to more traditional educational settings. TELL promotion of peer interaction, collaboration and relationship building also facilitates the incorporation of innovative instructional methods within the scope of peer learning, with potential to foster learners' language and soft skills. However, excessive use of TELL from a teacher-centred perspective is still an issue, demanding reflection on the pedagogical potential and purpose of technology-assisted language learning. Within the framework of Educational Design Research, this study reports findings from the implementation of a technology-enhanced peer learning program involving EFL upper and lower secondary students from three Portuguese basic and secondary schools. It aims at finding evidence of ICT tools' contributions for the promotion of criteria "practicality" and "effectiveness" of the developed educational solution through teachers, peer teacher students, and peer learners' perceptions. Data were collected by means of surveys and analysed with the support of descriptive statistics and content analysis. Findings suggest ICT tools' effective role in promoting the criteria under analysis, despite the technical and logistical problems identified.