Gamified Learning for Sustainability: An Innovative Approach to Enhance Hydrogen Literacy and Environmental Awareness Through Simulation-Based Education

The transition to sustainable energy systems presents a critical challenge for the 21st century, necessitating both technological advancements and transformative educational strategies to foster awareness and knowledge. Hydrogen technologies are pivotal for decarbonization, yet public understanding and acceptance remain limited. This study introduces and evaluates a novel gamified educational framework, uniquely integrating simulation-based learning, collaborative problem-solving, and adaptive instructional scaffolding to enhance hydrogen literacy and sustainability awareness. Unlike traditional pedagogical approaches, this method actively engages learners in real-world decision-making scenarios, bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical applications. This study involved adolescents aged 13–15 from two distinct educational and cultural contexts, one in Europe and one in the Middle East. A pre–post study design assessed knowledge acquisition, gamification engagement, and environmental awareness shifts. Findings reveal statistically significant improvements in technical knowledge and strong positive perceptions of gamified learning as an effective sustainability education tool across both cultural groups (Europe and the Middle East). Variations in engagement across cultural contexts suggest the need for adaptive, context-sensitive educational frameworks. While the findings indicate significant short-term knowledge gains, this study does not assess long-term knowledge retention, which remains an important area for future research. This research contributes to sustainability education by demonstrating how strategically designed gamification can foster behavioral engagement, enhance environmental literacy, and support the global energy transition agenda. This study offers a pioneering perspective on integrating interactive learning methodologies to cultivate sustainability competencies among younger generations.