Document Type : Original Research Paper-English Issue
Authors
Department of Educational Studies and Curriculum Planning, Ur.C., Islamic Azad University, Urmia, Iran
Abstract
Background and Objectives: In recent years, gamification has emerged as a prominent strategy for redesigning learning experiences and enhancing students’ motivation and engagement, gaining a significant position in the literature on school-based education. Despite the growth of empirical studies, a considerable portion of the existing evidence has focused on short-term outcomes, and a conclusive synthesis of the long-term effects of gamification on academic performance, particularly in elementary education, is still lacking. Given that the early school years are critical for the development of learning habits and stable motivational patterns, evaluating the long-term impacts of gamification from the perspective of curriculum planning and educational policy is of particular importance. Accordingly, the present study aimed to conduct a meta-analysis of quantitative studies on gamification, with an emphasis on its long-term effects on the academic performance of elementary school students, to determine the combined effect size and the consistency of longitudinal study results in this domain.
Materials and Methods: This study was conducted using a meta-analytic approach. The research population included all published domestic and international quantitative studies over the past 24 years that reported the long-term effects of gamification on the academic performance of elementary school students. Literature search and retrieval were conducted using keywords related to gamification, academic performance, longitudinal studies, and elementary education, and the retrieved studies were screened based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Key inclusion criteria comprised a focus on elementary school students, use of quasi-experimental longitudinal designs, provision of quantitative data convertible to effect sizes, and reporting of outcomes over a long-term period. Following evaluation and coding of data using the data extraction forms, a total of 21 quasi-experimental and longitudinal studies were included in the analysis. Data analyses were performed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) software, focusing on effect sizes and heterogeneity indices across studies.
Findings: The fixed-effect model indicated that gamification exerts a positive and statistically significant long-term impact on students’ academic performance, yielding a pooled effect size of 0.472, which falls within the moderate range. The heterogeneity indices suggested no statistically meaningful between-study variability (Q = 19.14, χ² = 36.415, I² = 0%), indicating overall consistency across the included studies. Nevertheless, interpretation of the long-term effect should remain sensitive to contextual conditions and implementation quality, as substantive variations in real-world impact may not be fully captured by heterogeneity statistics. Within this framework, students’ developmental and individual characteristics, classroom and school contexts, and the intensity and quality of gamified technology design and use may moderate the magnitude and durability of academic outcomes. Moreover, intervention duration and the timing of follow-up assessments are key factors that likely shape whether gamification effects are sustained or attenuate over time in longitudinal research.
Conclusions: Based on the synthesized evidence, gamification can positively and significantly improve the long-term academic performance of elementary school students. This finding extends gamification beyond a short-term motivational intervention, positioning it as a reliable strategy for designing sustainable learning experiences, provided that game elements align with educational objectives and curriculum logic. Practically, it is recommended that the development and implementation of gamified approaches in elementary schools be supported, with emphasis on design quality, developmental appropriateness, and continuity of implementation. Furthermore, future research that reports detailed intervention components, follow-up duration, and implementation quality can enable more nuanced analyses and clarify the mechanisms underlying the long-term effectiveness of gamification.
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© 2026 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)
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