Gamification in Biology Teacher Education: Bibliometric Analysis and Student Perceptions

Abstract

Gamification, defined as the integration of game design elements into educational contexts, has gained increasing attention for its potential to enhance student motivation, engagement, and learning outcomes. Despite growing research interest, limited evidence exists regarding the implementation of gamification in biology teacher education, particularly studies that integrate bibliometric analysis with empirical investigation. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this study examined global research trends in gamification and explored the awareness, experiences, and perceptions of future biology teachers regarding gamified learning. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining a bibliometric analysis of 144 peer-reviewed publications indexed in Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed between 2017 and 2024, following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, with a questionnaire survey of 104 undergraduate students enrolled in the Biology Teacher Education program at Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University during the 2025–2026 academic year. VOS viewer software was used to analyses keyword co-occurrence networks. The bibliometric analysis revealed a steady increase in publications and identified four major research themes: biology and computational applications, decision-making and socialization, game theory and learning processes, and curriculum-related gamification. The survey results indicated that 80.6% of students were familiar with gamification, while 67.0% reported internet-based games as the most commonly used instructional approach in biology education. Chi-square analysis revealed significant differences in gamification awareness across academic years (p < 0.001). However, students demonstrated limited practical experience in designing and implementing gamified learning activities independently. The alignment between bibliometric trends and student perceptions highlights the growing importance of gamification in biology teacher education while revealing a gap between theoretical knowledge and practical competence. These findings underscore the need for the systematic integration of gamification competencies into biology teacher education curricula and provide valuable evidence to support future curriculum development and educational practice.