A Systematic Review of Gamification and Its Assessment in EFL Teaching

The aim of this study is to examine the satisfaction of EFL teachers with gamification platforms as well as to investigate how EFL teachers perceive gamification and its effects on pupils' motivation and learning outcomes. Five major databases (ERIC, Scopus, WoS, EBSCO, ProQuest) and Google Scholar were used to search for relevant studies. The study followed the PRISMA guidelines and the PICO framework. Inter-rater reliability analyses were performed for both study selection and study quality assessment. Eleven relevant quantitative or mixed studies were identified. The findings indicate that EFL teachers perceived a positive effect of gamification on pupils' motivation and are satisfied with the applicability of gamification platforms. The findings revealed that internet and technology issues and a lack of teachers' skills are the most prominent negative factors when implementing gamification. Further experimental research is needed to provide evidence of the EFL teacher-perceived effectiveness of gamification on learning outcomes.