Gamification in Programming-Based STEM Learning: Trends, Challenges, and Future Directions

Abstract

Gamification has gained increasing attention as an approach to improving engagement and learning in programming and STEM education. This narrative review examines research trends, gamification elements, implementation challenges, and future directions in programming-based STEM learning. The review draws on 16 selected literatures published between 2014 and 2026, covering programming education, computational thinking, STEM learning, educational robotics, Arduino, and micro:bit. The literature shows a clear shift from the use of basic game elements, such as points, badges, and leaderboards, towards more interactive and hands-on approaches involving challenges, project-based activities, collaboration, robotics, and physical-computing platforms. Key challenges include overreliance on rewards and competition, learner differences and personalisation, teacher and instructional design issues, and technological constraints. Future research would benefit from longitudinal studies, more adaptive and personalized approaches to gamification, a broader range of STEM contexts, and integrating emerging technologies. Overall, gamification shows promise for creating more engaging and meaningful programming-based STEM learning experiences when it is appropriately integrated with programming tasks and hands-on technologies.