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The Role of Gamification Techniques in Promoting Student Learning: A Review and Synthesis

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  • Al Falah University

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This study reviewed previous research on the role of gamification techniques in promoting students’ learning. The role of gamification in promoting students’ learning has been investigated empirically by many scholars. To date, mixed results about the effectiveness of gamification have been reported, and researchers frequently argue that the inappropriateness of certain techniques may have contributed to these mixed findings. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol was used to assess the criteria required for this review. A total of 40 studies were identified and included in the systematic review. The selected studies were used to assess the association between certain gamification techniques and students’ learning in this study. The results showed that gamification techniques differently affect students’ learning. In addition, it is important for students to be instructed about the application of gamification approach before they engage in a gamified learning task. The key challenges relating to the use of gamification techniques were also discussed.
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Volume 18, 2019
Accepting Editor Kay Fielden │Received: March 6, 2019│ Revised: May 19, June 5, June 28, July 2, July 12,
July 22, August 2, 2019 │ Accepted: August 5, 2019.
Cite as: Alomari, I., Al-Samarraie, H., & Yousef, R. (2019). The role of gamification techniques in promoting
student learning: A review and synthesis. Journal of Information Technology Education: Research, 18, 395-417.
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THE ROLE OF GAMIFICATION TECHNIQUES IN
PROMOTING STUDENT LEARNING:
A REVIEW AND SYNTHESIS
Islam Alomari
Centre for Instructional Technology
and Multimedia, Universiti Sains
Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
eslamom85@yahoo.com
Hosam Al-Samarraie*
School of Media and Performing
Arts, Coventry University, Coventr y,
UK
h.alsamarraie@coventry.ac.uk
Reem Yousef
General Education Department, Al
Falah University, Dubai, UAE
reem.yousef@afu.ac.ae
* Corresponding author
ABSTRACT
Aim/Purpose
This study reviewed previous research on the role of gamification techniques in
promoting students’ learning.
Background
The role of gamification in promoting students’ learning has been investigated
empirically by many scholars. To date, mixed results about the effectiveness of
gamification have been reported, and researchers frequently argue that the in-
appropriateness of certain techniques may have contributed to these mixed
findings.
Methodology
The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
(PRISMA) protocol was used to assess the criteria required for this review. A
total of 40 studies were identified and included in the systematic review. The
selected studies were used to assess the association between certain gamification
techniques and students’ learning in this study.
Findings
The results showed that gamification techniques differently affect students’
learning. In addition, it is important for students to be instructed about the
application of gamification approach before they engage in a gamified learning
task. The key challenges relating to the use of gamification techniques were also
discussed.
Gamification Techniques in Higher Education
396
Recommendations
for Practitioners
This review can help educational decision makers and practitioners to stimulate
certain learning outcomes of the students with the help of specific gamification
techniques.
Keywords
gamification, gamified learning activities, higher education, lifelong learning
INTRODUCTION
Gamification, as a concept, is defined as the techniques used in non-game settings (Deterding, Dix-
on, Khaled, & Nacke, 2011). Gamification techniques are commonly used in higher education to
increase learners’ motivation and engagement in a learning task. Students’ engagement in a gamified
learning activity can result in a better learning outcome (Barata, Gama, Jorge, & Gonçalves, 2013;
Eleftheria, Charikleia, Iason, Athanasios, & Dimitrios, 2013; Kuo & Chuang, 2016). Many previous
studies on gamification have argued that by motivating students through a reward-based learning
method, their learning skills will be enhanced and eventually increase their learning outcomes (Buck-
ley & Doyle, 2016; Domínguez et al., 2013; Kim, Song, Lockee, & Burton, 2018). Despite these stud-
ies, there are some mixed findings reported in the literature about the potential of gamification in
facilitating students’ learning in different settings. For example, Landers and Armstrong (2017) re-
ported that gamification may not effect changes in instructional outcomes when learner attitudes
towards game-based learning are low. Thornton and Francia (2014), on the other hand, stated that
the application of gamification may not be applicable to all curriculum, which may result in unfavor-
able consequences.
Recently, various gamification techniques have been used to gamify learning experiences such as
points, prizes, badges, leaderboards, scoreboards, challenges, levels, and feedback (Barata et al., 2013;
Kim, Rothrock, & Freivalds, 2016; Yildirim, 2017). Applying gamification techniques in a curriculum
can help provide a more inclusive activity through its effect on students’ sense of competition, inter-
action, and motivation (Aşıksoy, 2017; Davis, Sridharan, Koepke, Singh, & Boiko, 2018). Still, many
previous studies have shown that gamification techniques may not necessarily offer the best option
and outcome of learning to the students (Ding, Er, & Orey, 2018; Van Roy & Zaman, 2018). Mekler,
Brühlmann, Tuch, and Opwis (2017) found that gamification did not significantly improve students’
grades as most of them were unfamiliar with the protocol of gamification. Students’ unfamiliarity
with the gamification approach has been reported by many previous studies as the main reason for
not completing the task (Butler & Bodnar, 2017; Kim, 2013). In addition, some students in the gami-
fied learning task were found to require more time to understand the gamification process (Ding,
Kim, & Orey, 2017). Thus, this study argues that applying certain gamification techniques may im-
pose favorable and unfavorable consequences on students’ learning. The literature also showed that
providing students with the appropriate learning activities/instructions can help facilitate communi-
cation and interaction between them in any learning setting (Lao & Gonzales, 2005; Shirrell, Hop-
kins, & Spillane, 2018). Recently, several gamification techniques have been used to stimulate stu-
dents' various learning outcomes (Butler & Bodnar, 2017; Filatro & Cavalcanti, 2016; Kim, Rothrock,
& Freivalds, 2016; Ortiz-Rojas, Chiluiza, & Valcke, 2017; Van Roy & Zaman, 2018). However, it is
still debatable how certain gamification techniques can stimulate learners’ learning. This study aims to
characterize the gamification techniques and the purpose of using them in creating a gamified learn-
ing activity. Precisely, the authors conducted a systematic review of the literature to determine the
role of gamification techniques in promoting students’ learning. Outcomes from this review can help
educational decision makers and practitioners understand how to stimulate certain learning outcomes
of the students with the help of specific gamification techniques.
Alomari, Al-Samarraie, & Yousef
397
METHOD
The researchers reviewed empirical studied on the effects of gamification elements or techniques on
students’ learning in a university context. The selected articles, which have been published in peer
reviewed journals or conferences, were gathered to answer the following questions: ‘How can gamifi-
cation elements/techniques be used to promote students’ learning?’ and ‘What are the challenges in
implementing them in a university context?’
RESEARCH STRATEGY
This work included empirical studies that were published during 2016 to 2018, particularly because
most reviews about gamification were found till 2016 (Caponetto, Earp, & Ott, 2014; Dicheva,
Dichev, Agre, & Angelova, 2015; Nah, Zeng, Telaprolu, Ayyappa, & Eschenbrenner, 2014; Subhash
& Cudney, 2018; Surendeleg, Murwa, Yun, & Kim, 2014). The literature of the present review was
obtained from various databases, including Google scholar, Springer, ERIC (education resources
information system), IEEE Xplore and Science Direct. Certain keywords were used to search for the
articles (“gamification” OR “gamify” OR “gamified”) AND (“higher education” OR “undergraduate
students” OR “postgraduate students” OR “university students” OR “university level”). A total of
8468 articles were identified through database searching. 1192 out of these articles were removed due
to duplicates. A total of 7276 articles were screened for relevance. Of these, 7219 articles were re-
moved by title. Then, the full text of each remaining article (total 57 articles) was read in which 17
articles were removed as they did not present sufficient statistics. The articles were arranged using the
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol, which has
been recommended by many previous studies (Al-Samarraie & Saeed, 2018; Neeley, Ulman, Sydelko,
& Borges, 2016; O'Flaherty & Phillips, 2015; Sardi, Idri, & Fernández-Alemán, 2017) (see Figure 1).
The identified articles (n:40) were written in English, presented empirical findings within a higher
education setting, and published in peer-reviewed journals or proceedings. In addition, articles used
in this review included measures of the effects of gamification elements on students’ learning (e.g.,
performance, achievement, and motivation).
Gamification Techniques in Higher Education
398
Figure 1: The selection process of articles
QUALITY ASSESSMENT
The identified articles were evaluated by the researchers to satisfy the criteria of relevance and quality.
Evaluating the relevance and quality of the selected articles in the present review was established by
following the recommendations of Sardi et al. (2017). The following criteria were used to evaluate
the relevance and quality of the identified articles:
1. The sample size is enough to generalize the study’s findings.
2. The research procedures are discussed adequately in the text.
Alomari, Al-Samarraie, & Yousef
399
3. The statistical data provided sufficient constraints to allow the researchers to assess the ef-
fects of gamification on students’ learning.
4. The study is published in a peer-reviewed journal or in a conference proceeding.
The weight of each selected paper was assessed based on the available evidence calculated by sum-
ming scores on each of the four criteria above by the two researchers (8 scores, 2 for each criteria).
The researchers considered an article to be low quality (1) when it received 2 or less scores; medium
quality (2) when it received 3-5 scores; and high quality (3) when it received more than 5 scores. The
inter-rater reliability (r) result for all articles was .85, showing a good agreement between the re-
searchers. The quality check result resulted in 16 articles that were categorized as medium quality and
the rest (24 articles) were categorized as high quality.
RESULTS
Figure 2 shows the type of gamification techniques used in the selected articles. From the figure, it
can be said that the most commonly used techniques in the previous works were: points (75%);
badges (68 %), leaderboards (63%), levels (38%). Other gamification techniques (e.g., rewards, pro-
gress bar, challenges, feedback, and avatar) were found to be less utilized. Appendix TableA1 shows
previous studies on the utilization of gamification techniques in higher education. The following
subsections explain these techniques.
Figure 2: Gamification techniques used in previous studies
POINTS
Points are defined as numerical values that are used to evaluate individuals' performance metrics in
game and non-game contexts (Brewer et al., 2013). Many previous studies have addressed the poten-
tial of point-based system in increasing students’ motivation, particularly when performing computa-
tional tasks (Diniz, Silva, Gerosa, & Steinmacher, 2017; Wang & Lieberoth, 2016). The potential of
Gamification Techniques in Higher Education
400
using this technique in facilitating students’ learning has been addressed in the works of Aşıksoy
(2017); Kuo and Chuang (2016) who showed how the point-based system can help teachers establish
a positive competition learning-environment in order to motivate students in their learning activities.
This includes stimulating individual’s desire for reward which serve as credits in an academic envi-
ronment. In addition, point-based system can stimulate learners’ engagement due to its role in creat-
ing a fun and enjoyable experience, which encourage the students to interact more with the learning
environment in various domains (Davis et al., 2018). Hew, Huang, Chu, and Chiu (2016) stated that
the point-based system can be a useful game technique to make individuals feel challenged, as well as
offering students feedback on their progress and rank users based on their level of participation
(Huang & Ho, 2018). Based on these observations, this study anticipates that the use of points to
gamify the learning activity can help in creating a competition-fun environment in which a group of
students try to think about views/ideas to argue with others. This process is believed to motivate
students to participate frequently for the sake of receiving more points. Outcomes from such prac-
tices can help in reducing the instructor’s role, which is very important for promoting student-
centered learning. This further suggests that utilizing the point-based system can motivate students to
engage in a sharing network that is more likely to be accepted by the other group members. Other
previous studies have reported a notable effect of using points in improving the performance of
students (De-Marcos, Garcia-Lopez, & Garcia-Cabot, 2016; Mekler et al., 2017) due to its role in
increasing the number of answered questions by the individual students (Denny, McDonald, Emp-
son, Kelly, & Petersen, 2018).
BADGES
Badges are defined as a visual representation of achievements that can be earned and collected in the
gamified activity (Seaborn & Fels, 2015). Many studies used badges as a gamification technique to
reinforce learners’ motivation, mainly by increasing the individual’s sense of competence and self-
determination (Suh, Wagn er, & Liu, 2018; Van Roy & Zaman, 2018). The application of badges in
online learning tasks has been reported to help maintain students’ engagement in their learning (Fila-
tro & Cavalcanti, 2016). According to Huang, Hew, and Lo (2018), badges can enable students to
become active learners by giving them confidence to take part in the class discussion and promote
them to produce higher quality results. Enabling students to earn badges through badge-based learn-
ing pathways will increase the social interaction among them (Ding et al., 2018). In addition, students’
motivation in the learning task can be stimulated with badges (Balci, Secaur, & Morris, 2018; Butler &
Bodnar, 2017) by encouraging them to spend more time and devote more effort to earn more recog-
nition (Ding et al., 2018). Previous studies (Denny et al., 2018; Rincon-Flores, Gallardo, & de la
Fuente, 2018) have also emphasized the role of badges in improving the performance of learners.
For example, when students are encouraged to discuss cases and exchange ideas with others, they are
likely to establish positive attitudes toward the task, thus enhancing their performance (Balci et al.,
2018). Meanwhile, when a learner makes an achievement, he/ she will gain a badge that could stimu-
late other learners to devote more effort to the task, resulting in enhancing the overall learning out-
comes.
LEADERBOARDS
Leaderboards refers to the use of an electronic board to display the ranking of leaders (users) in a
competitive learning situation (Seaborn & Fels, 2015). The use of leaderboards in online learning
tasks have been found to promote students’ learning behaviors by creating a sense of competition
between learners. This is believed to help sustain students’ motivation in the learning activity
(Schreuders & Butterfield, 2016). In addition, leaderboards have played an important role in increas-
ing students’ performance by allowing them to see the performance of their classmates and which, as
a result, stimulate individuals to become more involved in the learning process (Suh et al., 2018).
Many previous studies have also reported that using leaderboard as a gamification technique in the
learning process would increase students’ motivation (Kuo & Chuang, 2016; Roosta, Taghiyareh, &
Alomari, Al-Samarraie, & Yousef
401
Mosharraf, 2016) by creating a social comparison among the learners which motivate them to in-
crease their contribution rate (Hew et al., 2016). Students’ engagement in the learning task can be
also increased with leaderboards (Ding et al., 2018; Kim et al., 2016) based on the sense of reputation
a learner may attain when he/ she get a higher rank as compared with others (Aldemir, Celik, &
Kaplan, 2018). This can enhance students’ interactions with the subject under discussion and, even-
tually, increase their scores.
LEVELS
The levels-based system is used commonly to rank individual’s progress in stages based on the diffi-
culties, challenges, or questions he/she need to complete in order to get to the next stage. The lower
the level an individual needs to achieve, the less difficult the task will be. However, the higher the
level a student needs to complete, the more effort and time he/she needs to spend (Nah et al., 2014).
Several studies have reported that the levels-based system can improve students’ motivation while
learning complex topics (Butler & Bodnar, 2017; Diniz et al., 2017; Kim et al., 2016; Mekler et al.,
2017). This can be due to the potential of this technique in creating a sense of flow when the student
loses track of time pursuing an activity that is both fun and challenging. The consequence of such
experience is believed to stimulate individual students’ motivation to complete the next level. Some
researchers (e.g., Filatro & Cavalcanti, 2016; Khalil, Ebner, & Admiraal, 2017; Schreuders & Butter-
field, 2016) have reported the influential role of levels-based system in promoting students’ engage-
ment, mainly through students’ reports and interactions with the gamified platform. The researchers
in this study believe that using this technique in a university context would help in creating a social
pressure on learners to have the will to perform well on the task at hand. This includes increasing
their efforts to achieve interpersonal and small-group skills. This method has also been used to facili-
tate students’ performance (Kim et al., 2016; Mekler et al., 2017; Rincon-Flores et al., 2018) through
the process of goal setting. For example, when students are engaged in the gamified learning activity,
they are likely to undergo motivational and behavioral changes subject to the limits of constraints
such as one’s ability. This may increase students’ potential to get higher levels of confidence by criti-
cally analyzing tasks and actively integrating knowledge with incoming information. These experienc-
es can affect students’ performance, thus enhancing the overall learning process.
OTHER TECHNIQUES
Other gamification techniques, such as rewards, progress bar, challenges, feedback, and avatar, have
been used either alone or along with other gamification techniques mentioned above. Ding et al.
(2018) reported that using rewards-based system can result in a positive effect on learners’ motiva-
tion and engagement. In addition, other previous studies (e.g., Ding et al., 2018; Roosta et al., 2016)
have indicated that using progress bar for gamifying a learning activity can improve the motivation
and engagement of learners by allowing students to track their progress and identify the contribution
of each member throughout the learning session. Feedback, as a gamification technique, has also
been used by few scholars as an attempt to improve students’ motivation, engagement, and perfor-
mance in different leaning settings (Kim et al., 2016; Roosta et al., 2016). This includes reminding
students to contribute to the development of their own learning, as well as communicating the pro-
gress of their learning with other members. In addition, other scholars (e.g., Rincon-Flores et al.,
2018; Van Roy & Zaman, 2018) have reported that gamifying the learning activity by increasing the
level of challenge can stimulate students’ motivation and performance in a learning task. Avatar-
based system has been used rarely in previous studies (Rincon-Flores et al., 2018) in which its use was
limited to the development of students’ learning performance. Thus, the utilization of certain gami-
fication techniques can help promote different learning behaviors and outcomes. Appendix Table B1:
shows how certain gamification techniques can promote students’ learning.
Gamification Techniques in Higher Education
402
CHALLENGES
Despite the positive effects demonstrated by the use of gamification techniques in higher education
on students’ behavioral and learning outcomes (e.g., motivation, engagement, and performance)
(Bovermann & Bastiaens, 2018; Huang et al., 2018; Ortiz-Rojas et al., 2017), there are a number of
challenges that need to be addressed. For examples, previous studies on gamification in a university
context (Ding et al., 2018; Van Roy & Zaman, 2018) have reported that some students may not inter-
act with the gamified learning task due to their unfamiliarity with gamification and its strategies.
Some students may not be able to engage in the learning activity due to the fears of failure, which, as
a result, influences their interest in taking part in the learning activity. In addition, the competence of
a person may change when the context changes (Fischer, Bullock, Rotenberg, & Raya, 1993). The
changes in competency levels of students may lead to some undesirable consequences, including
students’ frustration and loss of self-confidence (Butler & Bodnar, 2017). According to Ding et al.
(2017), some students in the gamified learning activity may require more time to acquire the neces-
sary understanding for them to progress effectively through the learning process. As such, instructors
still need provide the support and encouragement for students to have a better understanding of
what will be expected of them (Sailer, Hense, Mayr, & Mandl, 2017). Özdener (2018) reported an-
other challenge of using gamification in a Wiki environment. She found that teachers of the course
did not possess an adequate level of consciousness of the fact that student capabilities are an im-
portant factor in learning the task. Students in the gamified activity must be able to cooperate effec-
tively with other students. In addition, helping the instructors to improve their technological skills is a
vital aspect that can be crucial to the overall success of integrating gamification into learning activi-
ties. Aldemir et al. (2018) stated that it is difficult to use single gamification element to evaluate its
effectiveness in promoting students’ perceptions. Çakıroğlu, Başıbüyük, Güler, Atabay, and Memiş
(2017) reported that students who did not achieve a desirable performance showed negative views
about the effectiveness of the gamification process. This concern has been also supported by Piteira,
Costa, and Aparicio (2017) who reported that students felt uncomfortable when their names did not
appear on the leaderboards. Furthermore, gamification may not motivate all students the same way
(Hew et al., 2016), which can be due to individual differences between students within one class-
room. Finally, the use of gamification in a large assessment program may not results in a set of even-
ly distributed feedback. This is because students in the gamified task needs more time to manage
their thoughts and ideas (Schreuders & Butterfield, 2016). Therefore, a successful gamified learning
task should be designed in a way that ensure students acquire the experiences and practice they need
to successfully share and progress in the learning task.
CONCLUSION
Improving the motivation and engagement of learners in learning activities is important for the de-
velopment of skills and competences. The review of the literature revealed that several gamification
techniques, such as points, badges, leaderboards, levels, rewards, progress bar, challenges, feedback,
and avatar, can be used to gamify learning experiences in different university courses. The results
showed the potential of using gamification techniques in promoting learners’ motivation, engage-
ment, and performance, mainly by establishing a comparative learning-environment that influence
how a student learn, not necessarily the context in itself. This includes creating a fun statement
among students that encourage them to be more engaged with the learning task, thus increasing their
interest and motivation. Understanding how gamification techniques affect the behavior of learners
can help researchers and instructors to select the suitable techniques for their students. This under-
standing is vital for context’s designers where they need to choose the suitable gamification interven-
tions that can stimulate students during the discussion session. In addition, it is important for stu-
dents to be instructed about the application of gamification approach before they engage in the dis-
cussion. Previous studies seem to provide poor guidance to future researchers about the suitability of
Alomari, Al-Samarraie, & Yousef
403
gamification techniques for achieving a certain learning objective. Providing enough knowledge
about these issues is vital to understand the role of gamification in education.
COMPLIANCE WITH ETHICAL STANDA RDS
1. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest: The authors declares that they have no relevant
or material financial interests that relate to the research described in this paper
2. Research involving human participants: This research involves no human subjects.
3. Informed consent: This research is a review study in which informed consent is not neces-
sary.
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APPENDICES
APPENDIX A
Table A1: Previous Studies on Gamification in Higher Education
Study
Purpose
Sample /
Domain
Elements/
Techniques
Method
Varia b les
Outcomes
man (2018)
of gamification on
students’ motivation.
English
es, and group
competition
on students’ motivation.
Suh, Wagner, and
Liu (2018)
Investigated the role of
gamification in promot-
ing students’ engage-
ment in a learning task.
164 students/
Multi-discipline
Points, levels,
badges, and lead-
erboards
Survey
Engagement
Gamification enhanced user en-
gagement through the mediation
of psychological needs satisfaction
between game dynamics and en-
joyment.
Thongmak (2018)
Studied how gamifica-
tion can enhance stu-
dents’ problem-solving
skills, engagement,
attention, enjoyment,
understanding, and
creativity.
13 students /
Business
Cards, points,
comparisons,
feedback, and
social engagement
Interview
Problem solving,
engagement, atten-
tion, enjoyment,
understanding, and
creativity
Gamification provided students
with more time to solve problems,
understand learning problems,
increased their confidence, de-
creased recitation, and reduced
their stress.
Delello, Hawley,
McWhorter, Gip-
son, and Deal
(2018)
Explored the effects of
gamification on stu-
dents’ motivations and
perceptions.
90 students /
Multi-discipline
Badges
Survey
Motivations and
perceptions
Using badges motivated students
in their learning of the course
content.
Balci, Secaur, and
Morris (2018)
Investigated the impact
of gamification on
students’ motivation
and academic perfor-
mance.
102 students /
Physics
Badges and
leaderboards
Survey
Motivation and
performance
A positive influence of gamifica-
tion on students’ motivation was
found, but not on their academic
performance.
El Tantawi, Sadaf,
and AlHumaid
(2018)
Examined how gamifi-
cation can support
students’ academic
writing.
92 students /
Dental
Storyline, points,
badges, and lead-
erboards
Survey
Academic writing
Gamification improved students’
academic writing skills.
Study
Purpose
Sample /
Domain
Elements/
Techniques
Method
Varia b les
Outcomes
Davis, Sridharan,
Koepke, Singh, and
Boiko (2018)
Studied students' expe-
riences when learning
in a gamified course.
139 students/
Informatics
Points, leader-
boards, levels, and
badges
Survey
Learning, achieve-
ment, and engage-
ment
Gamification positively influenced
students' learning, achievement,
and engagement with the course
materials.
Özdener (2018)
Explored the effects of
gamification elements
on students’ participa-
tion rates and academic
success.
63 students /
Multi- discipline
Badges, leader-
boards, rewards,
and points
Mixed
Participation and
academic success
The gamification strategy has a
positive impact on students’ partic-
ipation and academic success in
Wiki activities.
Aldemir, Celik, and
Kaplan (2018)
Explored students’
perceptions of a series
of game elements in a
gamified course.
118 students /
Multi-discipline
Challenge, narra-
tive, leaderboards,
rewards, badges,
win-state, points,
and constraints
Interview
Perceptions
The gamified learning experience
offered a dynamic nature with the
interplays among different psycho-
logical, social, pedagogical, and
game elements.
Bovermann and
Bastiaens (2018)
Studied how gamifica-
tion can enhance stu-
dents’ motivation.
97 students /
Multi- discipline
Points and leader-
boards
Survey
Intrinsic motivation
Gamification enhanced students’
intrinsic motivation.
Huang, Hew, and
Lo (2018)
Examined how gamifi-
cation can be used to
enhance student en-
gagement in a learning
task.
96 students /
Management
Badges
Survey
Engagement
Gamification enhanced students’
engagement during class activities.
Rincon-Flores,
Gallardo, and de la
Fuente (2018)
Investigated the poten-
tial of gamification as a
technique to develop
mathematical modelling
competencies among
students.
50 students /
Calculus
Challenges, pro-
gressive levels,
avatar, and badges
Mixed
Performance and
meta-evaluative
processes
Gamification introduced a high
level of innovation and supplied
the type of motivation and emo-
tion essential for encouraging
students’ active participation in a
learning task.
Ding, Er, and Orey
(2018)
Examined the influence
of the gamification
approach on students’
engagement.
14 students /
Multi-discipline
Points, leader-
boards, badges,
progress bar,
reactions, and
awards
Mixed
Emotional engage-
ment, cognitive
engagement, moti-
vation, and self-
regulation
Increased students’ engagement in
online discussion.
Study
Purpose
Sample /
Domain
Elements/
Techniques
Method
Varia b les
Outcomes
Denny, McDonald,
Empson, Kelly, and
Petersen (2018)
Studied the role of
gamification in facilitat-
ing students’ engage-
ment and exam per-
formance.
701 students /
Physiology
Points and badges
Survey
Engagement and
performance
Gamification increased the learn-
ing outcomes of students.
Çakıroğlu,
Başıbüyük, Güler,
Atabay, and Memiş
(2017)
Studied the effects of
gamification on stu-
dents’ engagement and
academic performance.
37 students /
ICT
Leaderboards,
reputation, real
gifts, points and
quests
Survey
Engagement and
performance
Gamification had positive effects
on students’ engagement and aca-
demic performance.
Barna and Fodor
(2017)
Evaluated the effec-
tiveness of gamification
in an IT course.
2500 students /
Education
Points, badges,
and levels
Survey
Participation and
satisfaction
Gamification improved the course
quality.
Sailer, Hense, Mayr,
and Mandl (2017)
Investigated the effects
of gamification on
students’ competence,
autonomy (freedom to
make decisions), and
social relatedness.
419 students /
Multi-discipline
Points, badges,
leaderboards, and
avatars
Survey
Competence, au-
tonomy, and relat-
edness
Badges, leader boards, and per-
formance graphs positively affect-
ed competence and satisfaction, as
well as perceived task meaningful-
ness. Avatars, meaningful stories,
and teammates affected experienc-
es of social relatedness.
Butler and Bodnar
(2017)
Determined the impact
of a gamified home-
work on students’ mo-
tivation.
41 students /
Engineering
Points, badges,
and levels
Survey
Motivation
Gamification had neutral impact
on students’ academic motivation.
Khalil, Ebner, and
Admiraal (2017)
Studied how gamifica-
tion elements in Mas-
sive Open Online
Courses (MOOCs) can
increase student en-
gagement.
1763 students/
Multi-discipline
Levels
Survey
Engagement
Gamification enhanced students’
outcome by promoting students’
participation in learning activity,
quiz trials, and engagement in
discussion forums.
Study
Purpose
Sample /
Domain
Elements/
Techniques
Method
Varia b les
Outcomes
Yildirim (2017)
Investigated the effects
of gamification on
students’ achievement
and attitudes toward
the gamified lesson.
97 students /
Education
Points, badges,
levels, and leader-
boards
Survey
Achievement and
attitudes
Gamification had a positive impact
on students’ achievement and
attitudes.
Elabnody, Fouad,
Maghraby, and
Hegazy (2017)
Examined the potential
of certain elements of
gamification in stimu-
lating students’ experi-
ence and engagement.
115 students /
Multi-discipline
Points, badges,
and leaderboards
Survey
User experience
and engagement
The gamified group had per-
formed more activities than the
non-gamified group. Gamification
increased student engagement.
Ding, Kim, and
Orey (2017)
Used gamification as an
approach in online
discussions to increase
student engagement.
22 students /
Multi-discipline
Points, levels,
badges, progress
bar, leaderboards,
and thumbs ups
Mixed
Engagement
Gamification increased students’
engagement and motivation in the
online discussion.
Aşıksoy (2017)
Studied the potential of
using gamification to
enhance students’ mo-
tivations and learning
achievement.
61 students /
Physics
Points, leader-
boards, and badg-
es
Mixed
Motivations, learn-
ing achievements,
and perceptions
Gamification increased students’
motivation and learning achieve-
ment.
Diniz, Silva, Gero-
sa, and Steinmacher
(2017)
Analyzed the use of
gamification to orient,
motivate, and engage
undergraduate students.
17 students / CS
Points, levels,
ranking, and
quests
Survey
Motivation, en-
gagement, and
contribution
Gamification increased students’
motivation, engagement, and con-
tribution.
Tan and Saucerman
(2017)
Assessed the impact of
gamification in the
context of in-class
problem sessions.
104 students /
Biomedical
Points and leader-
boards
Survey
Motivation, enjoy-
ment, and encour-
agement
Gamification promoted students’
motivation, enjoyment, and collab-
oration.
Ortiz-Rojas, Chilui-
za, and Valcke
(2017)
Analyzed the impact of
gamification on stu-
dents’ learning perfor-
mance, intrinsic motiva-
tion, self-efficacy and
engagement.
100 students /
Engineering
Badges
Survey
Performance, in-
trinsic motivation,
self-efficacy, and
engagement
Gamification enhanced students’
engagement. However, no signifi-
cant impact on learning perfor-
mance, intrinsic motivation, self-
efficacy was found.
Study
Purpose
Sample /
Domain
Elements/
Techniques
Method
Varia b les
Outcomes
Mekler, Brühlmann,
Tuch, and Opwis
(2017)
Investigated the effects
of gamification on
intrinsic motivation,
competence and per-
formance of students.
273 students /
Multi-discipline
Points, levels, and
leaderboards
Survey
Intrinsic motiva-
tion, competence,
and performance
The gamification elements pro-
moted performance quantity, but
not intrinsic motivation and com-
petence.
Piteira, Costa, and
Aparicio (2017)
Studied how the im-
plementation of a
gamified lesson can
contribute to students’
perception and attitude.
108 students /
CS
Points, leader-
boards, badges,
levels and progress
bar
Survey
Perception and
attitude
The gamification elements posi-
tively influenced students’ percep-
tion and attitude.
Roosta, Taghiyareh,
and Mosharraf
(2016)
Characterized the ef-
fects of gamification
elements on learners’
motivation.
273 students /
Engineering
Badges, feedback,
leaderboards,
points, and pro-
gress bar
Survey
Motivation
The gamified session improved
learners’ participation.
Hew, Huang, Chu,
and Chiu (2016)
Investigated the effects
of gamification on
student cognitive and
behavioral engage-
ments.
43 students /
Educational
studies
Points, badges,
and leaderboards
Survey
Engagement
Gamification motivated students
to engage in more difficult tasks.
Wang and Lieberoth
(2016)
Explored how gamifi-
cation can develop the
general knowledge of
learners in a non-
formal education plat-
form.
593 students/
Multi-discipline
Points and leader-
boards
Survey
Concentration
engagement, en-
joyment, learning,
and motivation
Incorporate gamification elements
into a web application enhanced
the general knowledge of users in
a non-formal education platform.
De-Marcos, Garcia-
Lopez and Garcia-
Cabot (2016)
Studied the role of
gamification elements
in enhancing the learn-
ing performance of
undergraduate students.
379 students /
Multi-discipline
Trophies, badges,
and leaderboards
Survey
Performance
Gamification increased the learn-
ers’ performance.
Kuo and Chuang
(2016)
Applied gamification to
an online context for
academic promotion
and dissemination.
73 students /
Multi-discipline
Points, leader-
boards, and badg-
es
Mixed
Engagement and
motivation
Gamification elements had a posi-
tive impact on students’ motivation
and engagement.
Study
Purpose
Sample /
Domain
Elements/
Techniques
Method
Varia b les
Outcomes
Kim, Rothrock, and
Freivalds (2016)
Explored the effects of
gamification on stu-
dents’ engagement in
lab-based activities.
100 students /
Engineering
Points, levels,
badges leader-
boards, and feed-
back.
Survey
Motivation, en-
gagement, and
performance
Gamification increase learners’
motivation, engagement, and per-
formance.
Yaya and Kelvin
(2016)
Examined the effects
of gamification on
students’ learning of
Mandarin language.
20 students /
Language
Achievements and
leaderboards
Survey
Concentration,
skills, feedback, and
immersion
Gamification had a positive impact
on learners’ concentration, skills,
feedback, and immersion.
De-Marcos, Garcia-
Lopez, Garcia-
Cabot, et al. (2016)
Examined how gamifi-
cation and social gami-
fication can influence
students’ learning per-
formance.
167 students /
Multi-discipline
Points, achieve-
ments, and leader-
boards
Survey
Performance
Students’ performance was pro-
moted with the use of gamifica-
tion.
Poondej and Lerd-
pornkulrat (2016)
Explored the effects of
gamification on stu-
dents’ engagement in a
learning process.
577 students/
Multi-discipline
Points, levels, and
achievement re-
wards
Survey
Engagement
Gamification significantly in-
creased students’ engagement in
learning.
Schreuders and
Butterfield (2016)
Studied the effects of
gamification on stu-
dents’ engagement,
experience, and content
coverage.
32 students /
Multi-discipline
Points, levels, and
progress bar
Mixed
Engagement, expe-
rience, and content
coverage
Gamification had positive impact
on students’ engagement, experi-
ence, and content coverage.
Fleischmann and
Ariel (2016)
Explored the effects of
gamification on stu-
dents’ satisfaction and
understanding of a
course.
30 students /
Medical
Challenges and
feedback
Survey
Satisfaction and
understanding
Gamification led the large majority
of students to enjoy the learning
process.
canti (2016)
gamification on stu-
dents’ engagement.
Multi-discipline
and levels
engagement in online learning
courses.
APPENDIX B
Tab l e B1: The Relationship between Certain Gamification Techniques and Students’ Learning
niques/
Variables
mance
tions
tion
ment
tence
standing
Points
(Butler &
Bodnar, 2017;
Diniz et al.,
2017; Kuo &
Chuang,
2016; Roosta
et al., 2016;
Tan & Sau-
cerman,
2017)
(Çakıroğlu et
al., 2017; De-
Marcos, Gar-
cia-Lopez,
Garcia-Cabot.,
et al. 2016;
Denny et al.,
2018; Poondej
& Lerdporn-
kulrat, 2016)
(Çakıroğlu
et al., 2017;
Denny et
al., 2018;
Kim et al.,
2016;
Mekler et
al., 2017)
(Aldemir et
al., 2018;
Aşıksoy,
2017; Piteira
et al., 2017)
(Barna &
Fodor,
2017;
Özdener,
2018)
(Barna &
Fodor, 2017;
Fleischmann
& Ariel,
2016)
(Piteira et
al., 2017;
Yildirim,
2017)
(Tan &
Saucer-
man, 2017;
Wang &
Lieberoth,
2016)
(Mekler et
al., 2017;
Sailer et al.,
2017)
(Fleisch
mann &
Ariel,
2016)
Badges
(Delello et al.,
2018; Kuo &
Chuang,
2016; Ortiz-
Rojas et al.,
2017; Roosta
et al., 2016;
Van Roy &
Zaman, 2018)
(Filatro &
Cavalcanti,
2016; Hegazy
et al., 2017;
Hew et al.,
2016; Huang
et al., 2018;
Ortiz-Rojas et
al., 2017)
(Balci et al.,
2018; De-
Marcos,
Garcia-
Lopez, &
Garcia-
Cabot 2016;
Denny et
al., 2018;
Ortiz-Rojas
et al., 2017;
Rincon-
Flores et al.,
2018)
(Aldemir et
al., 2018;
Aşıksoy,
2017; De-
lello et al.,
2018; Piteira
et al., 2017)
(Barna &
Fodor,
2017;
Özdener,
2018)
(Barna &
Fodor, 2017)
(Piteira et
al., 2017;
Yildirim,
2017)
N/A
N/A
N/A
Tech-
niques/
Variables
Motivation
Engagement
Perfor-
mance
Percep-
tions
Participa-
tion
Satisfaction
Attitude
Enjoy-
ment
Compe-
tence
Under-
standing
Leaderboards
(Balci et al.,
2018; Bover-
mann &
Bastiaens,
2018; Kuo &
Chuang,
2016; Roosta
et al., 2016;
Tan & Sau-
cerman,
2017)
(Ding et al.,
2018; Ding et
al., 2017; He-
gazy et al.,
2017; Hew et
al., 2016; Suh
et al., 2018)
(Balci et al.,
2018;
Çakıroğlu et
al., 2017;
De-Marcos,
Garcia-
Lopez, &
Garcia-
Cabot, et al.,
2016; Kim
et al., 2016)
(Aldemir et
al., 2018;
Aşıksoy,
2017; Piteira
et al., 2017)
(Özdener,
2018)
N/A
(Piteira et
al., 2017;
Yildirim,
2017)
(Tan &
Saucer-
man, 2017;
Wang &
Lieberoth,
2016)
(Mekler et
al., 2017;
Sailer et al.,
2017)
N/A
Levels
(Butler &
Bodnar, 2017;
Diniz et al.,
2017; Kim et
al., 2016;
Mekler et al.,
2017)
(Filatro &
Cavalcanti,
2016; Khalil et
al., 2017;
Poondej &
Lerdporn-
kulrat, 2016;
Schreuders &
Butterfield,
2016; Suh et
al., 2018)
(Kim et al.,
2016;
Mekler et
al., 2017;
Rincon-
Flores et al.,
2018)
(Piteira et
al., 2017)
(Barna &
Fodor,
2017)
(Barna &
Fodor, 2017)
(Piteira et
al., 2017;
Yildirim,
2017)
N/A
(Mekler et
al., 2017)
N/A
Rewards
(Ding et al.,
2018)
(Ding et al.,
2018)
N/A
(Aldemir et
al., 2018)
(Özdener,
2018)
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Progress bar
(Ding et al.,
2018; Roosta
et al., 2016)
(Ding et al.,
2018; Ding et
al., 2017;
Piteira et al.,
2017)
N/A
(Piteira et
al., 2017)
N/A
N/A
(Piteira et
al., 2017)
N/A
N/A
N/A
Challenges
(Van Roy &
Zaman, 2018)
N/A
(Rincon-
Flores et al.,
2018)
(Aldemir et
al., 2018)
N/A
(Fleisch-
mann &
Ariel, 2016)
N/A
N/A
N/A
(Fleisch
mann &
Ariel,
2016)
Tech-
niques/
Variables
Motivation
Engagement
Perfor-
mance
Percep-
tions
Participa-
tion
Satisfaction
Attitude
Enjoy-
ment
Compe-
tence
Under-
standing
Feedback
(Kim et al.,
2016; Roosta
et al., 2016)
(Kim et al.,
2016;
Thongmak,
2018)
(Kim et al.,
2016;
Thongmak,
2018)
N/A
N/A
(Fleisch-
mann &
Ariel, 2016)
N/A
(Thongma
k, 2018)
N/A
(Fleisch
mann &
Ariel,
2016;
Thongm
ak, 2018)
Avatar
N/A
N/A
(Rincon-
Flores et al.,
2018)
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
(Sailer et
al., 2017)
N/A
Alomari, Al-Samarraie, & Yousef
417
BIOGRAPHIES
Islam Alomari is a Ph.D. candidate at the Centre for Instructional Tech-
nology and Multimedia, Universiti Sains Malaysia. Her research interests
are educational technology and development, lifelong learning, and higher
education.
Hosam Al-Samarraie is an academic member of staff in the School of
Media and Performing Arts, Coventry University, UK. His background in
Information Technology has influenced his work within digital technolo-
gy, behavioral modeling, and design studies in a number of ways. His
research areas are in Human-Computer Interaction, Digital Media, and
Higher Education with emphasis on visualization, managing, clustering,
and prediction of various interaction patterns. He is also interested in
developing design guidelines for different user groups. His recent projects
have focused primarily on the use of machine learning and multi-criteria
decision-making methods to analyze, model, and predict aspects related
to users’ design preferences, user experience with technology, visual inter-
action, and usability testing.
Dr. Reem Yousef is an academic member of General Education De-
partment, Al Falah University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. She finished
her Bachelor of Science in English Language & Translation from Ajman
University of Science and Technology. Her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees were
in English Language Education (TESOL) from University Science Malay-
sia where she received a Graduate Assistant Schema award from 2011
2014. Her research interests include TESOL curriculum theory, effective
learning and teaching strategies in different learning contexts.
... Many studies focus on short-term outcomes and lack longitudinal data assessing the ongoing effects of gamification on reading skills (Sailer & Homner, 2020). In addition, few studies have explored the differential impact of various gamification elements (e.g., points, badges, leaderboards) on different student populations and learning contexts (Alomari et al., 2019;Huang et al., 2020). Furthermore, most of the existing studies are limited to small samples and specific educational settings, reducing the generalizability of the findings (Luo et al., 2023;Sanabria Huertas, 2021;Waluyo et al., 2023). ...
... This diversity suggests that while gamification is a versatile tool, its effectiveness depends on careful adaptation to specific educational settings and learner needs (Dicheva et al., 2015). This study offers a comprehensive analysis of the most efficient gamification components for enhancing reading learning in various educational settings, surpassing other studies that merely mention the commonly employed gamification elements such as points, badges, feedback, grades, and leaderboards (Alomari et al., 2019;Bai et al., 2020;Majid et al., 2024;Subhash & Cudney, 2018). ...
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... This suggests that student collaboration can be effectively developed with technological assistance (Yurtseven Avci et al., 2020). However, it is noted that incorporating gamification does not alter students' attitudes (Alomari et al., 2019;Shavab et al., 2021). The effectiveness of the 5E learning cycle model enhanced by Classcraft gamification in improving students' problem-solving skills in science was assessed using a valid pretest and posttest consisting of five essay questions. ...
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