Gamified flipped classroom in higher education: a meta-analysis of (moderated) cognitive and non-cognitive effects

Purpose The main goal of this meta-analytic study was to explore the effects of the gamified flipped classroom (GFC) in higher education, considering both cognitive (i.e. academic achievement) and non-cognitive (i.e. motivation and engagement) learning outcomes. Design/methodology/approach The search in the Scopus, Web of Science and EBSCO databases yielded 26 relevant experimental and quasi-experimental studies. The meta-analysis followed the PRISMA guidelines (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses), and CMA (Comprehensive Meta-analysis version 4) was used for statistical analyses. Overrepresentation of studies reporting multiple outcomes was controlled by using one effect size per outcome category per study. Findings The overall pooled effect sizes indicate positive GFC effects on both cognitive (g = 0.921) and non-cognitive outcomes (g = 0.735). These estimates are interpreted cautiously, given the substantial heterogeneity across studies and small-study effects for cognitive outcomes. Moderator analyses for cognitive outcomes indicate that incorporating gamification in pre-class activities was associated with higher effects. Other examined moderators failed to explain the variation across studies. Tests for publication bias, such as funnel plots and Egger's regression, did not indicate substantial bias overall, although some asymmetry was observed. Originality/value The study provides additional evidence that GFC is a promising pedagogical approach in higher education, especially when gamification is employed pre-class. It uniquely investigates variations in GFC effectiveness by the type of comparison condition (traditional lecture or non-gamified flipped classroom), and contextual factors (intervention length, gender composition and geographic location), as well as gamification timing, issues that are seldomly explored in previous studies, but highly relevant for instructional design.