Gamification in E-Learning and Sustainability: A Theoretical Framework

Progress in communication technologies and social isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have supported the acceptance of e-learning. In the e-learning context, gamification has been identified as one of the most promising trends. Many researchers believe in the game elements’ capacity to drive learning, skills acquisition, and changes for more sustainable behavior. However, the literature on the subject is dispersed, addressing behavioral attitudes and elements in an isolated and fragmented way. This study aims to present a framework relating game elements to behavioral attitudes to promote sustainability and ensure quality of learning. The methodology is based on a systematic literature review using the PRISMA protocol, covering the content analysis of 130 articles indexed in the Web of Science database. For the framework construction, the following were identified: behavioral attitudes stimulated by gamification; main game elements and how they relate to each other. Based on this, a framework called 7GOALS (Gamification-Oriented Active Learning Steps) associated with the PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) was established. The proposed structure is multidisciplinary and can be used in any knowledge field that uses gamification. With this, themes such as sustainability can be widely disseminated and leverage changes towards more sustainable behaviors that adhere to the real world.