The Role of Gamification in Undergraduate Student Retention: A Sustainability Approach Using an Extension of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)

Student retention remains a persistent challenge in higher education. This has led institutions to explore innovative pedagogical approaches that boost student engagement and sustained academic participation. Gamification is the integration of game design elements into nongame contexts. It has emerged as a promising strategy to increase motivation and interaction in learning. This study examines the role of gamification in supporting undergraduate retention. It extends the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with constructs relevant to digital learning, including motivation, perceived enjoyment, creativity, and student engagement. A quantitative survey was conducted with 404 undergraduate students in South Korea. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS‐SEM). The proposed model examined how gamification relates to perceived usefulness, ease of use, motivation, enjoyment, creativity, engagement, attitude, behavioral intention, and student retention. The results show that gamification significantly improves perceived enjoyment ( β = 0.856), student engagement ( β = 0.841), motivation ( β = 0.813), perceived ease of use ( β = 0.799), creativity ( β = 0.784), and perceived usefulness ( β = 0.519). These factors indirectly influence students′ attitudes toward gamified learning. Attitude is a strong predictor of behavioral intention ( β = 0.880), which, in turn, affects student retention ( β = 0.809). This confirms the proposed sequential pathway in the extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The findings show that gamification is an effective pedagogical strategy for improving learning′s cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions. Student engagement, creativity, and perceived usefulness are critical for positive attitudes toward gamified learning systems. The study adds to the literature by extending TAM with creativity and engagement as key constructs and by making student retention central to technology‐enhanced learning. In practice, educators and instructional designers should use structured gamification elements, such as progress feedback, interactive challenges, and creative problem‐solving activities. These approaches help sustain engagement and increase long‐term student participation in higher education.