Abstract
Over the past decade, numerous studies have examined the impact of gamification on various aspects of student experiences. However, a significant portion of these studies has focused on understanding the effects of gamification on students’ subjective experiences, often overlooking its impact on their actual performance while using a gamified educatisonal system, which remains unclear. To address this gap, we conducted a between-subjects controlled experiment (N = 71) to examine the impact of gamification on students’ academic performance. We assessed students’ academic performance in a learning management system using descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The experimental group used a gamified version featuring key gamification elements (e.g., acknowledgment, chance, and progression), creating a meta-game interaction. In contrast, the control group completed identical tasks without the use of gamification.Our findings reveal a significant improvement in the academic performance of the experimental group with a very large effect size. Based on our results, we provide a series of recommendations for future studies in the fields of educational technology and gamification, offering insights to advance the literature.