Effects of exergames on student physical education learning in the context of the artificial intelligence era: a meta-analysis

Abstract Whether the application of exergames in physical education (PE) courses can significantly improve student performance in PE learning is still controversial. This review explores the promoting effect of exergames on student PE learning and the conditions in which the effect of exergames can be maximized. Based on the PICOS method, two researchers independently searched the ProQuest database, EBSCO database, Web of Science (WoS) database, PubMed database, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database, Wanfang database, and VIP database, evaluated the literature quality using the Cochrane system evaluation manual, and performed a meta-analysis of the included literature. A total of 16 randomized controlled trials involving 2962 subjects were included in this study. The meta-analysis showed that exergames effectively improved student performance in PE learning (SMD = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.27–0.63, P < 0.00001). Subgroup analysis indicated that better results could be achieved when exergames were introduced in small kindergarten classes and continued for 1–2 months.