LA GAMIFICACIÓN COMO ESTRATEGIA DIDÁCTICA EN EDUCACIÓN SECUNDARIA: REVISIÓN SISTEMÁTICA DE ESTUDIOS SOBRE MOTIVACIÓN Y RENDIMIENTO ACADÉMICO
Keywords:
Gamificación; Motivación; Rendimiento académico; Desarrollo cognitivo.Abstract
Gamification has established itself as an innovative teaching strategy that integrates elements of game design into formal learning environments. Despite its popularity, there remains a fragmentation in the scientific evidence regarding its real impact in secondary education, where student disengagement is critical. This systematic review analyses the state of the art regarding the influence of gamification on motivation and academic performance in secondary school students over the last five years. An exhaustive search was conducted in databases such as Google Scholar, Scopus, and WoS, following the PRISMA protocol. Empirical studies that applied game mechanics (points, badges, leaderboards) in various curricular areas were selected. The findings indicate that gamification significantly increases intrinsic motivation and active participation. However, the impact on academic performance is heterogeneous: while it improves the retention of concepts in science and languages, its effectiveness depends strictly on the pedagogical design and not only on the technological tool. It is concluded that gamification is an effective strategy for energising the secondary school classroom, although it requires balanced implementation to avoid excessive competitiveness. It is imperative that future research delve deeper into the long-term effects on deep learning.
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