Gamification Strategies and their Effect on Motivation and Academic Performance in Higher Education: A Literature Review

Abstract

In higher education, gamification has drawn more attention as a cutting-edge tactic to improve academic achievement and student motivation. The scholarly literature on gamification tactics and their effects on learning outcomes is examined using information gathered from the Scopus database between 2013 and 2023. The increasing interest in this topic is demonstrated by the publications' 30.99% annual growth rate. With contributions from 1,931 writers and 452 papers from 302 sources, research reflects the global scholarly interest in gamification research. The results show that the United States (319 articles), China (309), and Japan (98) are the top three countries in terms of scientific contributions. Important research institutes including the University of Pennsylvania (20), Stanford University (21), and New York University Abu Dhabi (39 contributions) are driving advancements. According to Bradford's Law, the most influential journals are PERSPEKTIVY NAUKI I OBRAZOVANIA, ADVANCES IN INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS AND COMPUTING, and LECTURE NOTES IN COMPUTER SCIENCE. Despite the increase in research, there are still issues, such as inconsistent authorship patterns, regional differences, and a dearth of long-term studies evaluating the efficacy of gamification. To improve engagement, learning results, and educational inclusion, future research should concentrate on interdisciplinary collaboration, empirical validation, and adaptive AI-driven gamification models.