Gamification for Wildfire Education and Safety Training: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis

IF 4.6 2区教育学 Q1 EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH

Journal of Computer Assisted Learning Pub Date : 2025-09-03 DOI:10.1111/jcal.70108

Tianqi Huang, Zhenan Feng, Daniel Paes, Fei Ying, Xilei Zhao, Max Kinateder, E. R. (Lisa) Langer, Ruggiero Lovreglio

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Wildfires have become increasingly frequent and destructive, highlighting the need for more effective public education on safety and preparedness. Gamification, the use of game design elements in non-game contexts, offers a promising strategy to enhance learner engagement and educational effectiveness compared to traditional methods.

Objective

This study aims to investigate the application of gamification in wildfire education and training, evaluating its effectiveness and highlighting key benefits and challenges.

Methods

A systematic literature review was conducted using the PRISMA 2020 framework. The review includes 38 articles selected from the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases, which were published from 2007 to 2025, pertinent to the integration of gamification in wildfire simulation or education applications. This review examined gamification in wildfire education through planning, conducting and reporting stages, and included a meta-analysis to assess the effect size of immersive versus non-immersive applications. Eligible studies were quality assessed using predefined criteria and analysed to extract key characteristics. VOSviewer was used to conduct a keyword co-occurrence analysis, identifying major research themes. SPSS was used to calculate the effect size for the meta-analysis.

Results and Conclusions

The findings reveal that different gamification strategies distinctly influence user engagement, motivation, learning effectiveness and overall user experience within wildfire education contexts. Through keyword co-occurrence analysis, the study maps the intellectual landscape of the field, identifying key thematic clusters and emerging trends. Moreover, the meta-analysis provides empirical evidence of the impact of immersive gamification, showing a small but statistically significant effect in learning outcomes (Hedges' g = 0.18, p = 0.04). This review identifies five critical research gaps: the underrepresentation of safety behaviour outcomes, limited theoretical integration, lack of community-level and prevention-oriented educational interventions and insufficient attention to implementation barriers. These insights offer a targeted research agenda and practical guidance for advancing the design and deployment of gamified wildfire education initiatives. The novelty and contribution of this study lie in the comprehensive synthesis on the functional roles of gamification in shaping learning outcomes in the wildfire education context.

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游戏化野火教育与安全训练：系统文献回顾与元分析

野火变得越来越频繁和具有破坏性，突出表明需要更有效地对公众进行安全和备灾教育。与传统方法相比，游戏化，即在非游戏环境中使用游戏设计元素，提供了一种很有前途的策略，可以提高学习者的参与度和教育效果。本研究旨在探讨游戏化在野火教育和培训中的应用，评估其有效性，并突出其主要优势和挑战。方法采用PRISMA 2020框架进行系统文献综述。该综述包括从Web of Science （WoS）和Scopus数据库中选择的38篇文章，这些文章发表于2007年至2025年，与野火模拟或教育应用中的游戏化集成有关。本综述通过规划、实施和报告阶段考察了野火教育中的游戏化，并包括一项荟萃分析，以评估沉浸式与非沉浸式应用的效应大小。使用预定义的标准对符合条件的研究进行质量评估，并分析提取关键特征。使用VOSviewer进行关键词共现分析，确定主要研究主题。采用SPSS软件计算meta分析的效应量。结果与结论研究结果表明，不同的游戏化策略对野火教育情境下的用户参与度、学习动机、学习效果和整体用户体验有显著影响。通过关键词共现分析，该研究绘制了该领域的知识格局，确定了关键的专题集群和新兴趋势。此外，荟萃分析提供了沉浸式游戏化影响的经验证据，显示了对学习结果的小但统计上显著的影响（赫奇斯的g = 0.18, p = 0.04）。这篇综述确定了五个关键的研究缺口：安全行为结果的代表性不足，理论整合有限，缺乏社区层面和以预防为导向的教育干预措施，以及对实施障碍的关注不足。这些见解为推进游戏化野火教育计划的设计和部署提供了有针对性的研究议程和实践指导。本研究的新颖性和贡献在于全面综合了游戏化在野火教育背景下塑造学习成果的功能作用。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Computer Assisted Learning EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH-

CiteScore

9.70

自引率

6.00%

发文量

116

期刊介绍： The Journal of Computer Assisted Learning is an international peer-reviewed journal which covers the whole range of uses of information and communication technology to support learning and knowledge exchange. It aims to provide a medium for communication among researchers as well as a channel linking researchers, practitioners, and policy makers. JCAL is also a rich source of material for master and PhD students in areas such as educational psychology, the learning sciences, instructional technology, instructional design, collaborative learning, intelligent learning systems, learning analytics, open, distance and networked learning, and educational evaluation and assessment. This is the case for formal (e.g., schools), non-formal (e.g., workplace learning) and informal learning (e.g., museums and libraries) situations and environments. Volumes often include one Special Issue which these provides readers with a broad and in-depth perspective on a specific topic. First published in 1985, JCAL continues to have the aim of making the outcomes of contemporary research and experience accessible. During this period there have been major technological advances offering new opportunities and approaches in the use of a wide range of technologies to support learning and knowledge transfer more generally. There is currently much emphasis on the use of network functionality and the challenges its appropriate uses pose to teachers/tutors working with students locally and at a distance. JCAL welcomes: -Empirical reports, single studies or programmatic series of studies on the use of computers and information technologies in learning and assessment -Critical and original meta-reviews of literature on the use of computers for learning -Empirical studies on the design and development of innovative technology-based systems for learning -Conceptual articles on issues relating to the Aims and Scope