Purpose: This review explored trends in studies on learning outcomes in nursing education using gamification, to provide directions for future research.Methods: This scoping review was conducted according to the Joanna Briggs Institute's guidelines. The literature search date was February 1, 2021.Results: Thirty-two studies were included. The largest proportion of studies were quantitative descriptive studies, including qualitative mixed methods (34.4%). More studies applied gamification in practical classes (53.1%) than in theoretical classes. Virtual simulation games (37.9%) and simple quiz games (34.4%) were most often used. Commonly used gamification elements included scores/points, feedback, badges, countdowns, challenges, competitions, and levels. Two themes emerged regarding the impact of gamification on learning: learners’ experiences and achievement outcomes with cognitive, affective, and psychomotor subthemes. Nursing education using gamification improved engagement, motivation, and learning achievement. However, there was less evidence for affective and psychomotor outcomes than for cognitive outcomes.Conclusion: Gamification can be an effective educational strategy if educator's have sufficient understanding and readiness and appropriate gamification elements are applied to nursing education. Further research should investigate knowledge retention in the cognitive domain, collaboration and empathy in the affective domain, and the improvement of nursing skills using new technologies in the psychomotor domain.
Blended learning via distance in pre-registration nursing education: A scoping review
