On the Pre-Perception of Gamification and Game-Based Learning in Higher Education Students: A Systematic Mapping Study

Background The fields of gamification and game-based learning are growing and changing quickly, with researchers investigating the use of gamification in education using various methods and in numerous case studies, however, no research investigates the significance pre-perception of higher education students has in gamification, game-based learning, and serious games studies. Objective We perform a systematic mapping to identify the gaps in our understanding on the effects of pre-perception in gamification, focusing on the under-researched area of gamification and game-based learning applications for higher education. Results We present three main findings: (1) Current research on the effects of higher education’s students' pre-perception of gamification and game-based learning are limited. (2) The limited available research indicates perception towards gamification and game-based learning in participants may impact on the effectiveness of game-based solutions, but more research is required to better understand the relationship. (3) A significant body of new research work is required to examine how student perception can affect the effectiveness of gamification and game-based learning solutions in higher education. Conclusion Our understanding of the effect pre-perception may have on the results reported by research on gamification applications for higher education is limited. We encourage more, non-empirical research, to be conducted around pre-perception, and more research that considers gamification and game-based learning applications for higher education.