Effects of Gamification on Students’ Learning: A Systematic Mapping Study
1Nasiru Ibrahim Tambuwal, 2Abdullahi Yusuf, and 3Hassan Aliyu
1,2,3Department of Science Education, Faculty of Education, Sokoto State University, Sokoto Correspondence e-mail: natambuwal68@gmail.com
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to review the directions and tendencies of the conducted research on the application of gamification in education, and more specifically, to provide insight and understanding on which game elements are mostly used, results generated, predominance context, region, and research approach. A total of 43 articles were filtered from three databases: Scopus, Science Direct, and Jstor. Mapped results show that badges, points, levels, and leaderboards are the predominant game mechanics employed by researchers. In addition, the most used game dynamics in educational context are visual status, social engagement, rapid feedback, freedom to choose, and freedom to fail. Further result shows that Information Technology (IT), Engineering and Education were the predominant context in which gamification research is applied. South-East Asia was found to have received many gamification studies. The most used research approach is quantitative study, involving experiments and surveys. Results were generally mixed, but most results were positive, suggesting that gamification improves learning. From these reviews, a number of gaps were found. It is still not clear which game elements are responsible for the positive impact of gamification. Thus, research is needed to compare the impact of various game elements. The review recommends among other things, that game elements should be integrated into the school curriculum as an alternative to learning different topics, there is also the need to conduct more studies on gamification in different settings to come up with more findings.
Keywords
Gamification, Learning, Systematic Mapping
Keywords
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