Gamifying Primary Education in the 21st Century: A Scopus-Based Bibliometric Review (2017–2025)

Abstract

Gamification has emerged as a significant pedagogical approach in 21st-century education, offering innovative strategies to enhance motivation, engagement, and learning outcomes in primary schools. Despite its growing application, research on gamification in primary education remains fragmented, requiring systematic synthesis to identify prevailing trends and gaps. This paper presents a bibliometric review of studies on gamification in primary education published between 2017 and the present, using the Scopus database as the primary source. Bibliographic records were retrieved, screened, and analyzed using the Scopus Analyzer to examine publication trends, document types, source outlets, author contributions, institutional affiliations, and country-level distributions. The findings reveal a steady increase in publications, with peaks corresponding to the rise of digital and remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results also indicate that most research emphasizes gamification as a tool for improving motivation and engagement, particularly in STEM and literacy education. However, the literatures highlights challenges such as teacher readiness, equity issues, and the risk of over-reliance on extrinsic rewards. This review concludes that while gamification shows strong potential in primary education, further research is needed to explore long-term impacts, inclusive practices, and integration with emerging technologies.