On the pre-perception of gamification and games-based learning in higher education students: a systematic mapping study

Henry, John ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3674-8208, Li, Cliff and Arnab, Sylvester (2024) On the pre-perception of gamification and games-based learning in higher education students: a systematic mapping study. Simulation and Gaming, 55 (6). pp. 985-1010. ISSN 1046-8781

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Abstract

Background The fields of gamification and game-based learning are growing and changing quickly, with researchers investigating the use of gamification in education using various methods and in numerous case studies, however, no research investigates the significance pre-perception of higher education students has in gamification, games-based learning, and serious games studies. Objective We perform a systematic mapping to identify the gaps in our understanding on the effects of pre-perception in gamification, focusing on the under-researched area of gamification and games-based learning applications for higher education. Results We present three main findings: (1) Current research on the effects of higher education’s students' pre-perception of gamification and games-based learning are limited. (2) The limited available research indicates perception towards gamification and games-based learning in participants may impact on the effectiveness of games-based solutions, but more research is required to better understand the relationship. (3) A significant body of new research work is required to examine how student perception can affect the effectiveness of gamification and games-based learning solutions in higher education. Conclusion Our understanding of the effect pre-perception may have on the results reported by research on gamification applications for higher education is limited. We encourage more, nonempirical research, to be conducted around pre-perception, and more research that considers gamification and games-based learning applications for higher education.