Gamification and the development of metacognitive processes: a systematic literature review

Background Gamification has encouraged growing interest in educational research because of its potential to improve motivation, participation, and self-regulated learning. However, its contribution to the development of metacognitive processes has not been studied thoroughly. This systematic literature review examines how gamification-based strategies support metacognitive processes, such as planning, monitoring, and evaluation, in educational contexts (García-López et al., 2023; Gkintoni et al., 2024). Methods This review was conducted using the PRISMA 2020 methodology. Searches were conducted in Scopus and the Web of Science using the terms gamification, education, and metacognition. Only peer-reviewed, open-access articles published between 2019 and 2024 were included. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied during the selection of titles and abstracts and during the full-text review. After removing duplicates (n = 115), 253 records were examined; 181 were excluded because of irrelevance and 71 were included in the final analysis. Thematic analysis was used to extract information on theoretical frameworks, methodologies, metacognitive components, and higher-order cognitive processes. Results The findings revealed that gamification positively contributes to metacognition by activating processes, such as self-regulation, monitoring, and decision-making. The central elements of gamification, such as immediate feedback, progressive challenges, autonomy, and reward systems, support metacognitive awareness, and encourage active participation. Frequently cited theoretical frameworks, including studies, show that gamification promotes higher-order thinking skills such as problem-solving and critical thinking. Conclusions Gamification strengthens metacognitive processes when instructional design integrates meaningful goals, feedback mechanisms, cognitive challenges, and reflection opportunities. Evidence suggests that educational environments based on gamification are effective in promoting the planning, monitoring, and evaluation skills essential for autonomous learning and metacognitive development (Ask et al., 2023). Future research should expand the scope of these databases and include non-open-access studies to reduce potential biases.