Technological advancements and their rapid development always create new and exciting ways to engage students learning and meet the growing needs of education. At the same time, traditional teaching methods or even applications that are still used today always prove to be, at least, insufficient. In the past few years, one technological trend that has been heavily focused on by researchers in many fields, including education, is gamification. The use of gamification in education utilizes gaming elements and aesthetics to enhance students’ motivation and promote learning. The core idea in gamification lies behind the logic that the game elements’ motivational strength can be transferred in an educational context. The implementation of gamification in education has been an intriguing area for many researchers as it is something familiar to students, and at the same time, it draws their interest. Moreover, it can facilitate scientific thinking compatible with scientific theories, methodologies, and learning strategies related to education and gamification. However, while the implementation of gamification has been generally considered successful around user engagement, its impact on learning outcomes has often been questioned, with research results varying among individuals, creating a divide between researchers, and questioning its benefits. Thus, the growing popularity combined with mixed results has further increased the need to explore the specific processes relating to education to figure out their impact. Many literature reviews regarding gamification in education have been conducted to understand its impact on students’ learning. However, contradicting results, implementation in different educational levels, the lack of specific assessment tools, the ad hoc use of gaming elements, and the general reports from scholars that more studies are required in this field reveal a gap in the literature.
This Research Topic aims to better understand how gamification combined with smart, interactive technologies and their accompanying apps, STEM approaches, etc. impact cognitive development in students of all ages. In particular, we are interested in understanding the role that gamification plays on students’ learning and development in both formal and informal settings.
We welcome contributions from researchers in psychology, education, and related fields, whose work examines closely the impact of gamification combined with the use of smart devices, apps, and robotic toys on students’ cognitive development.
Areas that might be addressed include:
1) How gamification in formal and informal settings influence learning and impact developmental outcomes
2) What are students’ perceptions on the use of gamification on their learning and development
3) How parents anticipate gamification for children development in both home and school settings
4) How educators integrate gamification in school settings
5) The real value of gamification apps on students’ learning
6) Design and evaluation of gamified apps that promote students learning and development
7) The integration of gamification in STEM and/or STEAM approaches
To address this topic, we welcome an array of article types:
? Hypothesis and Theory, Methods, Original Research, Review, Systematic Review, Technology and Code, Registered Report
? Brief Research Report, Case Report, Conceptual Analysis, Curriculum Instruction and Pedagogy, Mini Review, and Data Report
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserve the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
Technological advancements and their rapid development always create new and exciting ways to engage students learning and meet the growing needs of education. At the same time, traditional teaching methods or even applications that are still used today always prove to be, at least, insufficient. In the past few years, one technological trend that has been heavily focused on by researchers in many fields, including education, is gamification. The use of gamification in education utilizes gaming elements and aesthetics to enhance students’ motivation and promote learning. The core idea in gamification lies behind the logic that the game elements’ motivational strength can be transferred in an educational context. The implementation of gamification in education has been an intriguing area for many researchers as it is something familiar to students, and at the same time, it draws their interest. Moreover, it can facilitate scientific thinking compatible with scientific theories, methodologies, and learning strategies related to education and gamification. However, while the implementation of gamification has been generally considered successful around user engagement, its impact on learning outcomes has often been questioned, with research results varying among individuals, creating a divide between researchers, and questioning its benefits. Thus, the growing popularity combined with mixed results has further increased the need to explore the specific processes relating to education to figure out their impact. Many literature reviews regarding gamification in education have been conducted to understand its impact on students’ learning. However, contradicting results, implementation in different educational levels, the lack of specific assessment tools, the ad hoc use of gaming elements, and the general reports from scholars that more studies are required in this field reveal a gap in the literature.
This Research Topic aims to better understand how gamification combined with smart, interactive technologies and their accompanying apps, STEM approaches, etc. impact cognitive development in students of all ages. In particular, we are interested in understanding the role that gamification plays on students’ learning and development in both formal and informal settings.
We welcome contributions from researchers in psychology, education, and related fields, whose work examines closely the impact of gamification combined with the use of smart devices, apps, and robotic toys on students’ cognitive development.
Areas that might be addressed include:
1) How gamification in formal and informal settings influence learning and impact developmental outcomes
2) What are students’ perceptions on the use of gamification on their learning and development
3) How parents anticipate gamification for children development in both home and school settings
4) How educators integrate gamification in school settings
5) The real value of gamification apps on students’ learning
6) Design and evaluation of gamified apps that promote students learning and development
7) The integration of gamification in STEM and/or STEAM approaches
To address this topic, we welcome an array of article types:
? Hypothesis and Theory, Methods, Original Research, Review, Systematic Review, Technology and Code, Registered Report
? Brief Research Report, Case Report, Conceptual Analysis, Curriculum Instruction and Pedagogy, Mini Review, and Data Report
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserve the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.