The Impact of Gamified Instruction on Students’ Learning Outcomes: Systematic Review of Experimental Studies

Abstract

This systematic review critically explores the intervention design and findings of the experimental studies that were published between January 2012-December 2020 in a number of digital libraries and databases and had the effect of a gamified instruction on students’ learning outcomes in their focus, with the aim of identifying what constitutes success or the lack thereof in the given context. The found effect(s) of gamified instruction on students’ learning engagement and achievement are discussed in relation to the a) intervention design, its flaws and their potential impact on reported outcomes and b) prevalent practice in gamification research. The discussion is structured around data collection sources, sample size, and intervention duration, but also the characteristics of learning technology, learning approach, course content, type of games and game elements. This study proposes a list of categories to be included in the description of a study context so that it is possible to a) systematically organise research findings, b) filter the variety of findings via means of replication studies. c) recognise the variant effect on different sub-populations, and d) suggest the way forward when designing and implementing gamified instruction within specific conditions. Furthermore, the study highlights the necessity of approaching the topic through a mixed-method approach involving a more intensive tracking schedule with new assessment instruments and a larger number of participants that are longitudinal or at least of a longer duration in order to obtain more comprehensive findings.

Bibliometric Analysis of Gamification-Based Learning Media

“…It is described as the application of components of game design to nongaming contexts, when features more frequently seen in games are incorporated into the redesign of a specific procedure. The pyramid structure that most modern game design aspects have is made up of three layers: components, mechanics, and dynamics (Jaftha, 2020). Gamification is the process of "engaging people, motivating action, encouraging learning, and solving problems through the mechanics, aesthetics, and thinking of game-based games."…”