Gamification and meaningful learning of mathematics in primary education

Abstract

The persistent difficulties in learning mathematics in primary education, along with the limited transfer of knowledge to new situations, motivated the analysis of gamified strategies applied in Ecuador and other Latin American contexts. The objective was to analyze the relationship between gamification and meaningful learning of mathematics in primary education students. A qualitative, documentary, non-experimental, cross-sectional, and exploratory research was conducted thru the review of academic and institutional publications disseminated between 2021 and 2025. The results showed that 80.0% of the studies employed superficial gamification and only 19.0% significantly transformed traditional mathematical activities. Likewise, 64.71% of the favorable findings focused on motivation, engagement, participation, and self-regulation, while the results on comprehension, retention, and transfer were less consistent. The discussion revealed that the effectiveness depended more on the pedagogical quality of the design than on the number of points, levels, or rewards incorporated. It was concluded that gamification constituted a promising alternative when it articulated curricular objectives, feedback, progressive challenges, cooperation, and problem-solving, although the findings should be interpreted within the documentary and exploratory scope of the study (Romero-Rodríguez et al., 2024).