Journal of Education, Society and Behavioural Science

This study investigated the effect of gamification on student engagement and achievement in mathematics education. It was guided by two research questions: what is the overall effect of gamification on students’ engagement and academic achievement in mathematics, and do study characteristics such as educational level moderate the effect of gamification? The following hypotheses were tested:  : gamification has no significant effect on students’ achievement in mathematics education, and  : gamification has a significant effect on students’ achievement in mathematics education. A quantitative meta-analytic research design was employed using the PRISMA 2020 framework to ensure systematic study identification and selection. The population of the study consisted of published and unpublished empirical studies on gamification in mathematics education between 2010 and 2025. A purposive sampling technique was applied to identify eligible studies, resulting in a final sample of 41 studies comprising 54 independent effect sizes, representing a total of 6,087 learners from primary, secondary and higher education settings. A structured coding sheet was used for data extraction, and intercoder reliability was confirmed using Cohen’s Kappa ( ), indicating a high concurrence. Effect sizes were calculated using Hedges’   and both fixed-effect and random-effects models were applied. Heterogeneity was assessed using Cochran’s   and   statistics, while potential publication bias was examined using funnel plot analysis and Egger’s regression test. The random-effects model produced a significant overall effect size of   (95% CI [0.46, 0.85],  ), indicating that gamification has a moderate positive effect on mathematics learning outcomes. The study concludes that gamification is an effective strategy for enhancing student engagement and achievement in mathematics. However, its impact varies depending on the quality of implementation and other factors. It is therefore recommended that mathematics educators adopt gamification approaches that promote intrinsic motivation and that teacher training programmes incorporate guidance on the effective integration of gamified learning. Future research should explore long-term effects influencing the success of gamification in mathematics education.