Gamification and didactic suitability in the teaching of mathematics in secondary school: a systematic review

Resumo

[Objective]: The aim of this study was to analyze how gamification influences the didactic suitability of the teaching-learning process of mathematics in secondary education. [Methodology]: A systematic literature review was conducted following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines to identify the game elements used, types of gamification, the impact of gamification on didactic suitability and potential emerging categories. Studies published between 2014 and 2024 in Spanish or English, addressing gamification in secondary mathematics and reporting results linked to didactic suitability, were included. 17 studies selected from WoS, Scopus, Dialnet, and SciELO were analyzed, using Zotero, Excel, and Atlas.TI to code citations based on epistemic, cognitive, interactional, mediational, affective, and ecological criteria, as well as the type of justification (theoretical, design, or finding) and game elements (dynamics, mechanics, and components). [Results]: The results show that gamification has a positive impact on affective, cognitive, and interactional dimensions. It was identified that hybrid gamification is suitable for distance learning. Additionally, the category "game skills" emerged, relating to specific skills developed in gamified contexts. The epistemic dimension was less represented, suggesting an area for improvement. [Conclusions]: Gamification emerges as a possible strategy for improving didactic suitability in mathematics, in addition to fostering diverse skills through game elements. However, it also has been reported the necessity of more teacher training and more in-depth evaluation, especially in epistemic and ecological aspects.