Role-Playing Games and Role-Play Activities in Chemistry Education: A Systematic Review of Learning Evidence and Assessment Practices

Role-playing games (RPGs) have been used in chemistry education as an active teaching and learning strategy, with potential to contextualize content and increase student participation. This study presents a systematic review and narrative categorical synthesis, rather than a statistical meta-analysis, of studies on role-playing games in chemistry education. The review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA, 2020), aiming to map and analyze evidence of learning reported in Chemistry education interventions involving tabletop RPG and role-play activities, as well as to identify the theoretical frameworks adopted and the limitations of the assessment methodologies employed. Searches were carried out in the CAPES Journal Portal and the ERIC database and through a manual search of the journal Ludus Scientiae, resulting in 24 included studies published between 2014 and 2025. The findings reveal a diversity of RPG formats, including narrative tabletop RPG, role-play/simulated debate, and live-action role-play, as well as a variety of chemistry topics, with emphasis on organic chemistry and atomic structure, alongside conceptual and critical/socioscientific approaches. Regarding outcomes, the studies most frequently reported conceptual learning and engagement, while some also addressed socioemotional skills and teacher education. International studies were more often associated with critical, reflective, and argumentative approaches, whereas Brazilian studies emphasized playfulness and narrative dynamics. Despite the pedagogical potential of RPGs, learning assessment relied predominantly on perception-based measures and process-oriented records, while performance-based evidence and explicit validation of conceptual gains were less frequent. In addition, several studies showed limited articulation between the theoretical frameworks and assessment instruments. Overall, RPG appears to be a promising resource for chemistry education, but further progress in the field requires stronger coherence among theoretical framework, research design, and assessment tools.