Most of the 45 reviewed studies report positive gamification effects on motivation and engagement in mathematics; only four report negative effects¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Across the 45 studies in the qualitative synthesis, the majority reported positive effects, with only four studies reporting negative effects relating to intrinsic/extrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, or engagement. → Ratinho 2026

Evidence¶

Ratinho 2026¶

Ratinho, E., Figueiredo, M., Estêvão, D., Faísca, L., & Martins, C. (2026). Gamification on Mathematics Engagement and Motivation in Secondary School and Higher Education: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-10108-1

q2 · i? · quant-synthesis · r2

Narrative synthesis of 45 quantitative studies (4,345 students, ages 13–38, 23 countries) comparing gamified and traditional mathematics instruction. The review reports "Only four studies reported negative effects", two in secondary and two in higher education, across general mathematics, calculus, and algebra.

"Overall, the majority of the 45 studies included in this review reported positive effects of gamification on motivation and engagement in mathematics. Only four studies reported negative effects, relating to intrinsic/extrinsic motivation (Reyssier et al., 2022; Vandercruysse et al., 2015), self-efficacy (García-López et al., 2023),"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Engagement in gamified mathematics is rarely measured with validated instruments, preventing its meta-analytic synthesis — related
• Effects of gamification on mathematics motivation show substantial heterogeneity (I² = 80.74%), mostly within-study — related
• Expected tangible rewards reduce later free-choice engagement with a rewarded task, while verbal praise does not — related
• Extrinsic rewards deplete intrinsic motivation for already-motivated activities once the rewards are removed — related
• The article argues extrinsic rewards such as grades can reduce intrinsic motivation and should be phased out — related
• Self-determination theory holds that autonomy support raises intrinsic motivation, and a meta-analysis finds expected tangible rewards undermine it — related
• Gamification produces a statistically significant small-to-moderate positive effect on motivation in secondary and higher education mathematics (g = .383) — related