Gamification in Elementary School Learning: Research Trends, Implementation Characteristics and Effectiveness Through Systematic Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis

Research on gamification in elementary school learning continues to grow, but syntheses integrating research trends, implementation, effectiveness, and research gaps remain limited. This study maps research trends and synthesizes the implementation, effectiveness, and research gaps of gamification in elementary school learning. The study employed a Systematic Literature Review guided by PRISMA 2020 and a bibliometric analysis of Scopus-indexed articles published from 2020 to 2026. A total of 41 included articles were analyzed through narrative synthesis and bibliometric mapping using VOSviewer. The findings indicate an increasing publication trend, while collaboration among authors, institutions, and countries remains relatively limited. Gamification implementation is primarily characterized by the use of points, rewards, and leaderboards through interactive digital platforms, supported by student-centered learning and immediate feedback. A total of 34 studies reported improvements in learning motivation and engagement, while 31 studies showed improvements in learning outcomes; effects on cognitive, social, and affective aspects were more varied. The effectiveness of gamification is influenced by pedagogical design, the appropriateness of game elements, and the implementation context. In practice, elementary school teachers need to align gamification strategies with learning objectives, student characteristics, and classroom conditions while providing timely feedback to continuously optimize motivation, engagement, and learning outcomes.