Cited by 994Educational Games and GamificationDigital Games and MediaOnline Learning and Analytics

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Does gamification improve student learning outcome? Evidence from a meta-analysis and synthesis of qualitative data in educational contexts

Bai, Shurui, Hew, Khe Foon, Huang, Biyun·2020·Educational Research Review

DOI 10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100322

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Abstract

Despite the buzz around gamification as an exciting new method to engage students, evidence of its ability to enhance learning is mixed. In fact, gamification has attracted considerable controversy (“gamification is bullshit”) and some derogatory labels such as “exploitationware.” Therefore, in order to make the case for or against gamification in education, it is important to examine the effects (if any) of gamification on student learning achievements. This study is a meta-analysis of 30 independent interventions (3,202 participants) drawn from 24 quantitative studies that have examined the effects of gamification on student academic performance in various educational settings. The results show an overall significant medium effect size in favor of gamification over learning without gamification (Hedges' g = 0.504, 95% CI [0.284–0.723], p

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“Consequently, those studies do not add to the understanding of whether personalization improves the state-of-the-art: well-designed, OSFA gamification (Bai et al., 2020; Huang et al., 2020; Sailer & Homner, 2020).”
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“In pursuit of active-ludic methodologies that meet current teaching demands, gamification has experienced a substantial growth in popularity over recent years (Bai et al., 2020; Murillo-Zamorano et al., 2021).”
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“In particular, the gamiﬁed elements need to align with the course content and contribute toward achieving the course learning outcomes (Bai et al., 2020).”
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“…problems of FC noted by higher-education instructors is students’ lack of motivation to complete the assigned online pre-learning tasks prior to attending the corresponding face-to-face lectures (Bai et al., 2020 ; Howitt et al., 2015 ; Huang et al., 2018 ; Lee et al., 2019 ; Jong, 2019b ).”
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“…point of the descriptive data, the decrease in the number of the learners who completed the quizzes after the third quiz in both groups could be due to the short interaction of the learners with the leaderboards as stated also in the literature (Bai et al., 2020 ; Koivisto & Hamari, 2014, 2019).”
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“The underlying idea is to develop ways of increasing the motivation and involvement of students at all stages of education, including university [16].”
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“Thankfully, such schoolyard broadsides are being elegantly, systematically, theoretically, and empirically addressed in the maturing gamification literature (i.e., Bai et al., 2020).”
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“However, our workshop participants pointed out that future research should seek to lay a stronger focus on investigating unintended negative or adverse effects of gamification (Bai et al., 2020; Behl et al., 2021), which we refer to as the “dark side” of gamification.”
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“Research has demonstrated that gami ﬁ ed education has a notable impact on students ’ academic achievement, motivation, thinking skills and understanding of concepts in comparison with non-gami ﬁ ed learning methods (Bai et al., 2020; Zhan et al., 2022).”
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“However, the significantly higher gains in the AI + Scaffolding group underscore that gamification alone may not suffice to produce sustained growth (Bai et al., 2020); instead, teachers act as catalysts who contextualize game elements to meet curricular needs.”
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“Although the meta-analytic studies suggested an overall positive effect (e.g., Bai et al., 2020), negative or null significant effects were observed in some studies (e.g., Hanus & Fox, 2015).”
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“A meta-analysis of qualitative studies of students shows that gamification can cause anxiety and jealousy among students [89].”
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López-Jiménez, J. J., Fernández‐Alemán, J. L., García‐Berná, J. A., González, L. L., Sequeros, O. G., Nicolás, J., de Gea, J. M. C., Idri, A., & Toval, A. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph182413210 · Cited by 32
“Evidence on the impact of the gamification on student academic outcomes has been reported in a meta-analysis of 24 empirical studies, involving a total of 3202 participants [75].”
Background
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“…motivating learners to perform their desired learning tasks can enhance such a tool continuance intention and increase learners ’ learning performance (Bai et al., 2020), and learners who complete course-related tasks tend to perform better than learners who postpone completing them (Bai et…”
BackgroundInfluential
Can gamification enhance online learning? Evidence from a meta-analysis
Yu, Q., Kun, Y., & Li, B. (2023) · Education and Information Technologies · doi:10.1007/s10639-023-11977-1 · Cited by 46
“The results are consistent with Bai et al. (2020).”
Influential
Enhancing satisfaction among Vietnamese students through gamification: The mediating role of engagement and learning effectiveness
Nguyen‐Viet, B., & Nguyen-Viet, B. (2023) · Cogent Education · doi:10.1080/2331186x.2023.2265276 · Cited by 39
“While many studies have evaluated learning performance and outcomes of incorporating gamification in educational settings (Bai et al., 2020; Hanus & Fox, 2015; Huang et al., 2020), several intriguing issues remain unresolved.”
Background
Gamification improves learning: Experience in a training activity of computer programming in higher education
Mellado, R., & Cubillos, C. (2024) · Journal of Computer Assisted Learning · doi:10.1111/jcal.13000 · Cited by 53

Authors: Bai, S., Hew, K. F., & Huang, B.
Affiliations: University of Hong Kong (HK)
Corresponding author: Hew, Khe Foon
ORCID: Bai, Shurui
Hew, Khe Foon
Huang, Biyun
Venue: Educational Research Review
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 2020-06
Volume: 30
Pages: 100322
ISSN: 1747-938X (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100322
OpenAlex: W3010425548
Cited by: 994
References: 190
Citations by year: 2026: 270 · 2025: 203 · 2024: 181 · 2023: 160 · 2022: 94 · 2021: 65 · 2020: 20
FWCI: 14.94
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
www.elsevier.com/legal/tdmrep-license (tdm)
Locations: Educational Research Review (publishedVersion)
Funders: National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R25GM129219)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Educational Games and Gamification
Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Games and Media
Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Science Applications › Online Learning and Analytics
Keywords: gamification, learning outcomes, academic performance, student engagement, joyful learning, performance feedback, recognition, goal setting, student anxiety, jealousy, educational technology

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Does gamification improve student learning outcome? Evidence from a meta-analysis and synthesis of qualitative data in educational contexts

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