Underpinning Learning Theories of Medical Educational Games: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Background: Gamification is the process of game thinking and game mechanics to attract learners and solve problems. It is a unique growing phenomenon in education and training programs. Educational games, by application of game design and game elements in learning environments, motivate students to learn and improve the teaching and learning process. Herein, this scoping review presents an overview of the theoretical underpinnings of gamification that is crucial in understanding the theoretical pillar of successful educational games.Methods: This scoping review follows Arksey and O'Malley's stages of scoping review. In this review, the gamification in medical education articles that implicitly or explicitly presented underpinning learning theories of gamification in medical education was retrieved. So, keywords such as gamification, learning theories, higher education, and medical education were searched in Scopus, PubMed, WEB OF SCIENCE, EMBASE, ERIC, and Cochrane Library from 1998 to March 2019.Results: The search indicated 5416 articles which were narrowed down by title and abstract relatedness. 464 articles entered the second phase of the study and after reviewing their full text, finally, 10 articles which were explicitly and implicitly reported the underpinning learning theories remained.Conclusion: Gamification is a strategy using game design techniques for non-game experiences for more effective learning and provides a more attractive environment for teaching and learning. Designing gamification based on learning theories (behavioral, cognitive, and constructivist), makes them more efficient, and the application of learning theories in designing gamification is recommended.

A review on modern teaching and learning techniques in medical education

“…Limited physical space and time constraints in academic schedules can impede the implementation of simulation-based learning. Finding dedicated time for simulation activities and securing adequate space for simulation labs can be logistical challenges (Bigdeli, 2023).…”

“…Gamification is an approach of new type of learning using game design techniques for nongame experiences for more effective learning and provides a more attractive environment for teaching and learning. Designing gamification based on learning theories (behavioral, cognitive, and constructivist), makes them more effective, and the application of learning theories in designing gamification is recommended (Bigdeli et al, 2023).…”

Elevating Student Motivation: Constructing a Gamified Massive Open Online Courses using the MARC Framework

“…Additionally, the lack of a systematic approach to the introduction of gamification and the ignorance of the characteristics of the team and players can contribute to the failure of gamification designs (Lester et al, 2023;Popova et al, 2023). Another factor that can lead to the inability of gamification in education is the poor design of gamified learning experiences Bigdeli et al, 2023). Unclear objectives and a lack of understanding of the context of educational institutions or user backgrounds can hinder the effectiveness of gamification (Bigdeli et al, 2023;López et al, 2021;Ofosu-Ampong, 2020).…”

“…Another factor that can lead to the inability of gamification in education is the poor design of gamified learning experiences Bigdeli et al, 2023). Unclear objectives and a lack of understanding of the context of educational institutions or user backgrounds can hinder the effectiveness of gamification (Bigdeli et al, 2023;López et al, 2021;Ofosu-Ampong, 2020). It is essential to design gamification experiences that are personalized and tailored to the learners' needs, preferences, and characteristics (Imran, 2023;Nasni Naseri et al, 2023).…”