A Bibliometric Analysis of Gamification and Intrinsic Motivation in Learning Technologies

A Bibliometric Analysis of Gamification and Intrinsic Motivation in Learning Technologies | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Systematic Review A Bibliometric Analysis of Gamification and Intrinsic Motivation in Learning Technologies I Made Pustikayasa, Dedi Kuswandi, Ika Andrini Farida, Punaji Setyosari, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8548127/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 13 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Gamification is widely adopted in digitally mediated education to support learner motivation, yet the expanding literature on intrinsic motivation remains dispersed across venues, methods, and conceptual emphases. This study maps the intellectual structure, growth trajectory, and thematic evolution of research on gamification and intrinsic motivation. Using Scopus as the data source, records were retrieved for 2011–2025 and screened following PRISMA principles; after screening, deduplication, and metadata checks, 585 English-language documents published in 2012–2025 were retained for analysis. Bibliometric analyses were conducted in RStudio using bibliometrix to examine annual scientific production, citation patterns, co-authorship structures, and keyword-based thematic relationships. Results show strong publication growth, accelerating after 2017, while citation influence is concentrated in seminal contributions around 2015. The conceptual core is highly coherent, with Self-Determination Theory anchoring links between gamification, intrinsic motivation, and psychological needs. Trend and thematic analyses indicate a shift from early design-oriented topics (e.g., badges, mobile, game design elements) toward learner-centered outcomes and effectiveness (e.g., engagement, satisfaction, learning effectiveness). International co-authorship remains modest. The findings highlight consolidation alongside needs for longitudinal evidence, comparative pedagogy studies, and broader cross-cultural validation. gamification intrinsic motivation educational technology bibliometric analysis Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 1 Introduction Rapid technological advancement has reshaped contemporary learning and teaching, influencing educational practices across institutional contexts [ 1 ]. Educational systems therefore face sustained pressure to adopt pedagogical approaches that engage learners who routinely interact with digital technologies [ 2 ]. Traditional instruction can struggle to maintain attention and participation when learning environments do not match students’ expectations for interactivity and feedback [ 3 ]. This challenge is often attributed not only to instructional design limitations, but also to shifts in learner characteristics and expectations associated with the ubiquity of technology in everyday life [ 4 ]. These shifts are frequently discussed through the lens of “digital natives” or the “Z-generation,” referring to cohorts socialized in technology-saturated environments [ 4 – 6 ]. Digital native learners are commonly described as comfortable with interactive multimedia, drawn to collaborative networks, and inclined toward learning experiences that resemble the responsive and interactive qualities of digital media [ 7 , 8 ]. They are also characterized as preferring visual information and experiential modes of engagement that support social interaction through technological interfaces [ 8 , 9 ]. At the same time, the “digital native” thesis remains contested. Some scholars argue that differences reflect technology exposure and experience rather than stable cognitive or neurological distinctions, highlighting the need for careful interpretation when linking learner profiles to pedagogy [ 10 ]. Nevertheless, evidence continues to indicate that many learners demonstrate strong capacity for multimedia comprehension and multimodal information processing in technology-mediated environments [ 4 , 6 ]. Gaming experiences are part of this broader digital ecology and often shape learners’ preferences for interactive, feedback-rich engagement. For many learners, games and video platforms function as prominent sources of information and entertainment, and studies report strong interest in video-based learning and the perceived educational influence of video platforms [ 11 – 13 ]. Educational researchers have thus examined whether this orientation can be leveraged instructionally, not by importing entertainment wholesale into education, but by identifying design principles that support engagement and persistence [ 13 – 15 ]. This line of work has contributed to sustained attention to how game design principles can be integrated into educational contexts to support motivation, engagement, and learning outcomes. Gamification is widely defined as “the use of game design elements in non-game contexts” [ 15 , 16 ]. In education, gamification commonly involves elements such as points, badges, progress indicators, leaderboards, and challenge-based progression embedded within existing learning activities. Unlike game-based learning, which typically centers on complete games or simulations, gamification applies selected game design affordances to enhance motivation and engagement within established pedagogical structures [ 3 ]. As digital learning environments have expanded, gamification has become a prominent strategy for addressing participation challenges by providing structured feedback, goal visibility, and social comparison or collaboration opportunities [ 17 ]. Prior studies have reported improved engagement in gamified settings, and some evidence suggests gains in learning outcomes and retention relative to non-gamified conditions [ 14 , 18 ]. A key question is not whether gamification can increase activity, but whether it supports higher-quality motivation. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) provides a widely used framework for examining this issue, emphasizing that intrinsic motivation is supported when learning environments satisfy basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness [ 19 – 21 ]. Intrinsic motivation refers to engaging in an activity for inherent interest and satisfaction rather than for external rewards, and it is linked to persistence and deeper engagement [ 19 ]. Educational research often prioritizes intrinsic motivation because it is associated with stronger learning processes than purely extrinsic regulation [ 21 ]. However, gamification can either support or undermine intrinsic motivation depending on design and context. When gamification emphasizes controlling rewards or social comparison in ways that reduce autonomy or threaten competence, motivational quality may decline [ 22 ]. In contrast, need-supportive gamification that provides meaningful choice, informational feedback, and constructive social connection can enhance motivational outcomes [ 13 , 23 ]. Evidence syntheses align with this need-supportive interpretation while also indicating that effects are typically modest and variable. A meta-analytical synthesis of 35 gamification interventions involving 2,500 participants reported a modest overall effect on intrinsic motivation (Hedges’ g = 0.257), with larger effects for autonomy (g = 0.638) and relatedness (g = 1.776) and comparatively smaller effects for competence (g = 0.277) [ 24 ]. Such patterns indicate that the motivational pathways emphasized in SDT are central to understanding when gamification supports intrinsic motivation, and they also highlight the importance of examining implementation quality, learner characteristics, and learning context. Given growing interest and heterogeneous findings, there is a need to map how the field has evolved, which contributions have structured subsequent work, and how themes have consolidated over time. Bibliometric analysis offers a systematic approach to examining publication growth, citation networks, sources, authorship patterns, and thematic development at scale [ 25 ]. Prior bibliometric research in related areas indicates that gamification scholarship often exhibits rapid growth, interdisciplinary dispersion across venues, and a concentration of citation impact in earlier foundational works [ 26 ]. However, while bibliometric analyses of gamification have increased, most have either examined gamification broadly across domains or emphasized behavioral engagement and performance outcomes without isolating intrinsic motivation as a theoretically mediated construct. As a result, it remains unclear how research on gamification and intrinsic motivation has evolved conceptually, which theoretical anchors have structured the field, and how thematic emphases have shifted from design-oriented mechanisms to learner-centered motivational outcomes over time. This study addresses that gap by providing a bibliometric analysis of research on gamification and intrinsic motivation across 2011 to 2025. Consistent with patterns reported in the Results and Discussion, the field shows strong growth in annual scientific production, while citation influence is concentrated in seminal contributions that shaped how gamification is theorized and evaluated in relation to motivation. The analysis also reflects thematic convergence around core constructs such as gamification, intrinsic motivation, and SDT, alongside shifts from early design-oriented emphases toward learner-centered outcomes and effectiveness-oriented research agendas. Structurally, the corpus comprises 585 documents published across 250 sources and authored by 1,703 scholars, indicating both breadth and collaborative knowledge production, with international co-authorship remaining relatively modest. By synthesizing publication trends, citation structures, and thematic evolution, this study aims to clarify the field’s consolidation, identify influential intellectual anchors, and surface directions for future research that strengthen explanatory precision, longitudinal evidence, and cross-context applicability. Despite the rapid growth of bibliometric studies on gamification in education, existing mappings tend to treat motivation as a broad or undifferentiated construct, often conflating intrinsic and extrinsic motivational processes or focusing primarily on application domains such as health or professional training. To date, there has been limited bibliometric work that explicitly centers intrinsic motivation as a theoretically grounded outcome and systematically interprets thematic development through the lens of Self-Determination Theory (SDT). Moreover, prior bibliometric analyses rarely distinguish between journal-based and proceedings-based knowledge production, potentially obscuring differences between publication volume and enduring scholarly influence. Addressing these gaps, the present study offers a focused bibliometric synthesis of gamification and intrinsic motivation research, explicitly anchored in SDT, integrating thematic evolution analysis over a long time span (2012–2025), and analytically separating journal and conference dissemination patterns to provide a clearer picture of conceptual consolidation, influence structures, and future research directions This bibliometric study maps the intellectual structure and thematic development of research on gamification and intrinsic motivation in education. Specifically, it addresses the following research questions: (RQ1) How has annual scientific production evolved over the analyzed period (2012–2025), and what growth patterns characterize the field? (RQ2) Which publications, authors, sources, and countries have exerted the greatest influence, as reflected in citation indicators and productivity measures? (RQ3) What collaboration patterns are evident in co-authorship structures, including the extent of international collaboration? (RQ4) What are the dominant and emerging conceptual themes in this literature, based on keyword co-occurrence, thematic mapping, and trend-topic analysis? 2 Methods This study employed a bibliometric research design with systematic, transparent searching and screening to map the intellectual structure of research on gamification and intrinsic motivation [ 25 ]. Bibliometric mapping was used to visualize relationships among publications and to identify clusters representing distinct research strands. The analysis focused on publication and citation patterns, co-authorship networks, source and country contributions, and conceptual structures reflected in keyword usage. 2.1 Data collection Scopus was selected as the sole data source due to its extensive coverage of education, psychology, and computing-related journals, as well as the consistency and completeness of its bibliographic metadata, which are critical for large-scale bibliometric analysis. Restricting the analysis to a single comprehensive database also minimized inconsistencies in citation structures and metadata fields that can arise when merging records across multiple indexing platforms. The search targeted title, abstract, and keyword fields using the following query: TITLE-ABS-KEY ( Gamif* AND ( “Intrinsic Motivation” OR “autonomous motivation” ) ) AND PUBYEAR > 2010 AND PUBYEAR < 2026. Accordingly, the search range covered 2011–2025. Records were exported from Scopus in CSV format. 678 records were identified; 18 non-English records were removed during screening. Although the query range included 2011, records from 2011 were excluded after screening because they did not meet the eligibility criteria. After deduplication (n = 3) and removal of records with incomplete metadata (missing authors, title, abstract, keywords, or affiliation; n = 72), 585 studies were retained for bibliometric analysis. Eligible records included Scopus-indexed journal articles and conference papers published in English. Because Scopus indexing for gamification research spans both education journals and computing-oriented conference venues, eligible records in this study included English-language journal articles and conference papers. To avoid conflating dissemination channels with different publication and citation practices, the analysis treated journal outlets as the primary evidence base for interpreting educational research influence, while conference/proceedings outlets were reported as contextual or supplementary evidence describing the broader dissemination ecosystem. Accordingly, source-level results were presented separately for journals and proceedings (e.g., “most relevant journals” versus “most relevant conferences/proceedings”), while core descriptive indicators and thematic analyses were derived from the full screened corpus (2012–2025; n = 585) to reflect the overall structure of the field. 2.2 Data analysis Analyses were conducted in RStudio using the bibliometrix package to support reproducibility. Bibliographic metadata were used to compute descriptive indicators of scientific production and impact, including annual publication counts, total citations, citations per year, and source-level metrics. Author productivity and influence were examined using citation-based indices (e.g., h-index and g-index) and publication counts. Country contributions were analyzed by distinguishing single-country publications (SCP) and multiple-country publications (MCP), alongside total citations and average article citations. To characterize dissemination channels, sources were reported separately as journals and proceedings series. Intellectual structure was examined through bibliographic coupling at the source level, based on shared references. Conceptual structure was analyzed using keyword co-occurrence networks and thematic mapping to identify dominant, motor, niche, and emerging or declining themes. A three-field plot was used to relate terms from titles, abstracts, and author keywords to assess cross-field thematic consistency. Trend-topic analysis was applied to describe how frequently used keywords shifted over time. For network visualizations, minimum occurrence and linkage thresholds were applied to improve interpretability, specific thresholds were reported in the corresponding figure captions. In line with PRISMA 2020 principles, records underwent structured screening, deduplication, and metadata completeness checks, duplicates were identified using Rayyan.ai and verified through manual inspection of the exported CSV file. 3 Results Table 1 summarizes the bibliometric scope of the dataset on gamification and intrinsic motivation from 2012–2025. The corpus comprises 585 documents drawn from 250 sources, produced by 1,703 authors, indicating a broad and multi-source research community. Single-authored contributions are limited (45 authors), which indicates that collaboration predominates. The annual growth rate of 43.25% reflects rapid expansion of the field over the study period. Impact appears substantial, with an average of 29.31 citations per document. However, international co-authorship is relatively modest (18.80%), implying that collaboration occurs largely within national or regional networks. Table 1 Descriptive data of obtained studies Description Results Timespan 2012–2025 Sources (Journals, Books, etc.) 250 Documents 585 Annual Growth Rate 43.25% Average citations per document 29.31 Authors 1703 Authors of single-authored documents 45 International Co-Authorship 18.80% 3.1 Annual scientific production Figure 1 indicates a clear upward trajectory in annual scientific production, rising from very low output in the early 2010s to sustained growth after 2017, with a temporary dip around 2021 and a sharp surge in the most recent years, reaching the highest level at the end of the period. Table 2 shows that citation impact is led by seminal works published around 2015, especially Dicheva (TC = 1,401; TCpY = 127.36) and Hanus (TC = 1,357; TCpY = 123.36). Overall, recent publication growth coexists with a citation structure dominated by earlier foundational studies. Table 2 Most cited articles publishing on gamification and intrinsic motivation Paper DOI TC *TCpY DICHEVA D, 2015, EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY - 1401 127.36 HANUS MD, 2015, COMPUT EDUC 10.1016/j.compedu.2014.08.019 1357 123.36 MEKLER ED, 2017, COMPUT HUM BEHAV 10.1016/j.chb.2015.08.048 736 81.78 BUCKLEY P, 2016, INTERACT LEARN ENVIRON 10.1080/10494820.2014.964263 587 58.70 NICHOLSON S, 2015, GAMIFICATION IN EDUCATION AND BUS 10.1007/978-3-319-10208-5_1 549 49.91 HAMARI J, 2015, INT J INF MANAGE 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2015.04.006 540 49.09 XI N, 2019, INT J INF MANAGE 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2018.12.002 523 74.71 MEKLER ED, 2013, ACM INT CONF PROC SER 10.1145/2583008.2583017 277 21.31 KYEWSKI E, 2018, COMPUT EDUC 10.1016/j.compedu.2017.11.006 258 32.25 MITCHELL R, 2020, J BUS RES 10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.11.022 216 36.00 *TC = Total Citations, TCpY = Total Citations per Year 3.2 Citations per year Figure 2 shows that average citations per year were moderate in 2012–2014 (approximately 3.68–6.98), followed by a pronounced peak in 2015 (16.75), indicating an exceptional surge in citation attention. After 2015, the average declined sharply to 6.41 in 2016 and then stabilized around 4.27–5.81 during 2017–2021, suggesting steady but lower visibility. From 2022 onward, the trend decreases consistently (4.05 in 2022 to 1.60 in 2025). Overall, the pattern reflects strong early consolidation around mid-decade contributions and a recent downturn likely influenced by citation time-lag for newer publications. 3.3 Three-field plot of frequent terms in titles, abstracts, and keywords Figure 3 maps frequent terms across abstracts (AB_TM), titles (TI_TM), and author keywords/descriptors (DE). “Gamification” and “motivation” dominate all three fields, indicating strong thematic consistency from narrative content to indexing. Prominent linkages connect “learning,” “students,” and “intrinsic” in abstracts and titles to descriptors such as “intrinsic motivation” and “self-determination theory,” suggesting a common theoretical framing of gamification research. Additional flows to “engagement,” “education,” and “effects” imply that studies emphasize educational contexts and outcomes. Overall, the plot highlights a tightly coupled discourse centered on gamification-driven motivational mechanisms. 3.4 Most productive authors in gamification and intrinsic motivation research Table 3 indicates that productivity and impact are concentrated among a small set of scholars. HEW KF publishes the most articles (8) but has moderate influence (210 total citations; 18.7 citations/year). In contrast, several authors with slightly fewer papers (7) exhibit substantially higher impact, notably DICHEVA D (1,427 citations), HAMARI J (1,098), and MEKLER ED (1,313), supported by stronger h- and g-indices. Among authors with six papers, DICHEV C shows the highest citation intensity (1,415 total; 24 citations/year). Other contributors display comparatively low citation traction. Table 3 Most active authors publishing articles on gamification and intrinsic motivation research Most Productive Authors Article Number h_index g_index Total Citations *CPY HEW KF 8 5 8 210 18.7 DICHEVA D 7 4 7 1,427 20.9 HAMARI J 7 5 7 1,098 23.7 MEKLER ED 7 7 7 1,313 22.8 DICHEV C 6 3 6 1,415 24 FERRIZ-VALERO A 6 4 6 202 14.8 GUY B 6 3 5 26 1.1 ISOTANI S 6 5 6 122 4.8 ZHANG Y 6 3 6 88 2.8 BAI S 5 2 5 81 4.1 *CPY = Citations per year 3.5 Most productive countries publishing on gamification and intrinsic motivation Table 4 shows that publication output is led by China (47), Spain (41), and the USA (39), with most papers produced as single-country publications (SCP) rather than international collaborations (MCP). Impact, however, differs from volume: the USA records the highest total citations (2,807) and a high average article citation (AAC = 72.0). Hong Kong also demonstrates strong per-article influence (AAC = 40.2) despite fewer papers (14). Spain and Germany have relatively high AAC values (31.4 and 30.2), suggesting efficient citation performance. Overall, productivity and citation impact are not perfectly aligned across countries. Table 4 Most active countries publish articles on gamification and intrinsic motivation Most Productive Countries Articles SCP * MCP * TCN * AAC * CHINA 47 38 9 815 17.30 SPAIN 41 37 4 1286 31.40 USA 39 34 5 2807 72.00 GERMANY 24 22 2 725 30.20 MALAYSIA 24 18 6 434 18.10 INDIA 16 15 1 158 9.90 UNITED KINGDOM 16 9 7 397 24.80 HONG KONG 14 13 1 563 40.20 JAPAN 12 10 2 73 6.10 CANADA 11 6 5 262 23.80 * SCP = Single Country Publication, MCP = Multiple Country Publication, TCN = Total Citations Number, AAC = Average Article Citation 3.6 Most relevant sources on gamification and intrinsic motivation To avoid conflating dissemination channels with fundamentally different publication and citation dynamics, sources were analyzed separately as journals (Table 5 ) and conferences/proceedings (Table 6 ). This separation enables a clearer distinction between high-volume reporting venues and archival outlets where citation-based influence typically consolidates over time. Table 5 Most relevant journals publishing articles Sources AN h-index g-index TC PYS EDUCATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES 9 5 9 99 2018 JMIR SERIOUS GAMES 9 6 9 292 2016 IEEE ACCESS 7 4 7 114 2020 COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR 6 6 6 1109 2017 EDUCATION SCIENCES 6 3 6 100 2022 FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY 6 5 6 164 2019 BEHAVIOUR AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 5 4 5 85 2021 COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION 5 5 5 1777 2015 INTERACTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS 5 3 5 798 2016 SUSTAINABILITY (SWITZERLAND) 5 5 5 94 2021 AN = Article Number, TC = Total Citations, PYS = Publication Year Start Table 6 Most relevant conferences publishing articles Sources AN h-index g-index TC PYS LECTURE NOTES IN COMPUTER SCIENCE 32 7 13 203 2014 ACM INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE PROCEEDING SERIES 18 7 18 505 2013 CEUR WORKSHOP PROCEEDINGS 13 3 6 43 2017 PROCEEDINGS OF THE EUROPEAN CONFERENCE ON GAMES-BASED LEARNING 12 3 4 25 2016 COMMUNICATIONS IN COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCE 11 4 10 103 2012 LECTURE NOTES IN NETWORKS AND SYSTEMS 7 1 3 15 2022 IEEE GLOBAL ENGINEERING EDUCATION CONFERENCE, EDUCON 6 3 6 41 2019 CONFERENCE ON HUMAN FACTORS IN COMPUTING SYSTEMS - PROCEEDINGS 5 5 5 476 2013 PROCEEDINGS - FRONTIERS IN EDUCATION CONFERENCE, FIE 5 2 3 9 2018 ADVANCES IN INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS AND COMPUTING 5 3 5 50 2016 AN = Article Number, TC = Total Citations, PYS = Publication Year Start Table 5 shows that journal dissemination is led by Education and Information Technologies and JMIR Serious Games (AN = 9 each), indicating strong uptake in mainstream educational technology and applied serious-games outlets. However, influence is concentrated in archival, high-impact journals: Computers & Education (TC = 1,777; AN = 5) and Computers in Human Behavior (TC = 1,109; AN = 6) attract far higher citations despite fewer papers, reflecting the “volume versus impact” distinction. Source-level h- and g-indices mirror this pattern, suggesting more consistent citation performance in these flagship journals. Table 6 indicates that proceedings are a major high-volume channel, led by LNCS (AN = 32), consistent with rapid dissemination norms in computing and learning-technology design communities. Citation impact, however, is uneven: ACM International Conference Proceeding Series (AN = 18; TC = 505) and CHI Proceedings (AN = 5; TC = 476) show disproportionate influence, implying that select HCI venues generate seminal contributions on gamification elements and motivation mechanisms. This supports the study’s methodological choice to report journals and proceedings separately, avoiding conflation of publication volume with enduring scholarly impact. 3.7 Most used keywords and trending topics in gamification and intrinsic motivation research Figures 4 and 5 show that the literature is strongly anchored in gamification (422; 33%), with intrinsic motivation (147; 12%) and motivation (136; 11%) as core constructs and self-determination theory as a key framework. Smaller but persistent themes include engagement, education/learning, rewards, and game elements. Figure 5 indicates temporal shifts: earlier work emphasizes design-oriented terms (e.g., badges, game design elements, mobile), whereas more recent trends (≈ 2021–2024) foreground educational effectiveness and learner-centered outcomes (e.g., student engagement, satisfaction, psychological needs, learning effectiveness), reflecting a move from mechanisms to measurable impacts. 3.8 Keyword co-occurrence patterns in gamification and intrinsic motivation research Figure 6 reveals a highly centralized co-occurrence structure dominated by “gamification”, which functions as the main hub connecting multiple thematic clusters. “Intrinsic motivation” forms a second core node, strongly linked to theory-driven terms such as self-determination theory, autonomy, competence, and psychological needs, indicating a frequent motivational framing. A large education-oriented cluster (e.g., learning, students, higher education, e-learning) suggests that research is primarily situated in instructional contexts. Design-mechanism terms (e.g., badges, leaderboards, rewards, game elements/mechanics) connect to outcome concepts such as engagement and behavior change, implying emphasis on how specific mechanics translate into motivational and behavioral effects. 3.9 Thematic map and thematic evolution of keywords in gamification and intrinsic motivation research Figures 7 and 8 summarize both the structural importance and the temporal evolution of keywords. In Fig. 7 , gamification–intrinsic motivation–self-determination theory appear as basic themes (high centrality, lower density), indicating foundational but still-developing conceptual cores. Physical activity/health/behavior change emerge as motor themes (high centrality and density), reflecting well-developed, influential application areas. Niche themes (e.g., serious games, flow, game design) are specialized, while competition/rewards/social comparison trend toward emerging or declining topics. Figure 8 shows a shift from early emphases (virtual reality, engagement, game design elements) toward later consolidation around gamification, motivation, and education-focused contexts (e.g., student engagement, secondary education, blended learning). 4 Discussion Building on the bibliometric patterns identified in the results, this discussion interprets publication dynamics, citation structures, collaboration patterns, and thematic convergences in research on gamification and intrinsic motivation. In this study, intrinsic motivation is treated as a need-mediated outcome, consistent with Self-Determination Theory (SDT), in which autonomy, competence, and relatedness function as central explanatory mechanisms [ 19 , 20 ]. The results demonstrate sustained growth in annual scientific production from 2012 to 2025, with acceleration after 2017 and a sharp increase in the most recent years. This trajectory, together with the high annual growth rate, indicates that research on gamification and intrinsic motivation has progressed beyond exploratory novelty into a more consolidated research stream within educational technology. Similar growth patterns have been interpreted as indicators of disciplinary legitimization rather than short-term enthusiasm in related application areas [ 26 ]. The temporary dip around 2021 likely reflects broader disruptions affecting research production cycles rather than a substantive decline in scholarly interest. Citation evidence reveals that scholarly influence is strongly concentrated in seminal contributions published around the mid-2010s. The pronounced peak in citations per year around 2015 and the dominance of highly cited studies from this period suggest that early work established the conceptual vocabulary and evaluative standards that continue to structure the field. Influential studies by [NO_PRINTED_FORM] [ 3 ], [NO_PRINTED_FORM] [ 22 ], and[NO_PRINTED_FORM] [ 27 ] framed both the potential benefits and limitations of gamification, emphasizing the importance of motivational quality rather than mere increases in activity or participation. The continued prominence of these works supports the interpretation that SDT provides the primary theoretical anchor through which gamification effects on intrinsic motivation are conceptualized [ 19 , 23 ]. A key contribution of this study is the explicit analytical separation of journal and conference/proceedings outlets, which clarifies the distinction between publication volume and enduring scholarly influence. Journal-based results (Table 5 ) show that outlets such as Education and Information Technologies and JMIR Serious Games are leading venues in terms of productivity, indicating strong uptake of gamification and intrinsic motivation research within mainstream educational technology and applied serious-games scholarship. However, citation impact is disproportionately concentrated in established archival journals, particularly Computers & Education and Computers in Human Behavior, which attract substantially higher total citations despite publishing fewer articles. This pattern suggests that highly influential theoretical and empirical contributions tend to consolidate in journals that serve as the primary long-term record for educational research [ 25 ]. Proceedings-based results (Table 6 ) reflect a complementary dissemination ecology. High-volume series such as Lecture Notes in Computer Science indicate frequent conference-based reporting, consistent with rapid dissemination norms in computing-oriented learning technology and human–computer interaction communities. Citation influence across proceedings, however, is uneven. Selected venues, such as the ACM International Conference Proceeding Series and the Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI) Proceedings, exhibit disproportionately high citation impact relative to their output, indicating that certain conference papers function as conceptual or methodological anchors in the development of gamification and motivation research [ 14 , 28 ]. These findings justify the methodological decision to report journals and proceedings separately, as combining them risks conflating high-volume dissemination with long-term scholarly influence Across titles, abstracts, and keywords, the conceptual structure of the literature is highly coherent. Gamification and intrinsic motivation form the central hubs of the keyword co-occurrence network, with strong linkages to SDT-related constructs such as autonomy, competence, and psychological needs. Thematic mapping and trend-topic analyses indicate a temporal shift in emphasis: earlier studies focused primarily on design elements and platforms (e.g., badges, leaderboards, mobile learning), whereas more recent research increasingly foregrounds learner-centered outcomes and effectiveness indicators, including engagement, satisfaction, and learning effectiveness. This evolution is consistent with a maturing field that is moving from cataloguing design mechanisms toward testing explanatory pathways, mediators, and boundary conditions [ 14 , 18 ]. Although collaborative authorship dominates the corpus, international co-authorship remains relatively modest. Country-level analyses further indicate a misalignment between publication volume and citation impact, suggesting that highly influential contributions are concentrated within specific research ecosystems. This pattern underscores the importance of expanding cross-national collaboration to strengthen external validity, particularly given evidence that motivational processes and the interpretation of gamification elements may vary across cultural and educational contexts [ 29 , 30 ]. Taken together, the findings reinforce that the relationship between gamification and intrinsic motivation is best understood through the lens of SDT and the quality of need support provided by instructional design, rather than through the mere presence of game elements. For future research, three priorities emerge. First, longitudinal studies are needed to assess the sustainability of motivational effects and to distinguish novelty effects from durable changes in self-regulation [ 22 ]. Second, comparative studies that benchmark gamification against alternative pedagogical approaches would strengthen causal interpretation and inform instructional decision-making. Third, broader cross-cultural and cross-context investigations, supported by stronger international collaboration, are essential to clarify boundary conditions and improve the generalizability of findings across educational systems. 5 Conclusion The bibliometric evidence indicates that scholarship on gamification and intrinsic motivation has moved from an emerging topic toward an established line of inquiry in learning technology. Sustained growth in publications from 2012 to 2025, coupled with a high annual growth rate (43.25%), signals consolidation, while citation patterns show that influence remains concentrated in foundational studies published around 2015. The field is thematically coherent, with strong convergence on gamification, intrinsic motivation, and Self-Determination Theory, and with well-developed application strands in health and behavior change. Authorship patterns suggest collaborative knowledge production, although international co-authorship is still modest. Future work should prioritize longitudinal evidence on motivational sustainability, comparative evaluations against alternative pedagogies, and more cross-cultural, context-sensitive research to strengthen external validity and practical guidance. For educational technology researchers and practitioners, these findings underscore the importance of designing gamification strategies that explicitly support autonomy, competence, and relatedness rather than relying on surface-level game elements. Declarations Funding The authors received no specific funding for this work. Data availability Not applicable. Clinical trial number Not applicable. Ethics, Consent to Participate, and Consent to Publish declarations Not applicable. Author Contribution IMP: conceptualization, methodology, data curation, formal analysis, investigation, writing original draft, review & editing.DK: data curation, investigation, writing, review & editing.PS: methodology, validation, writing, review & editing.IAF & MDD: visualization, writing, review & editing.HP: validation, writing, review & editing.All authors read and approved the final manuscript References Mese C, Dursun OO. Effectiveness of gamification elements in blended learning environments. Turkish Online J Distance Educ. 2019;20:119–42. https://doi.org/10.17718/tojde.601914 . Garzón-Artacho E, Sola-Martínez T, Romero-Rodríguez J-M, Gómez-García G. Teachers’ perceptions of digital competence at the lifelong learning stage. Heliyon. 2021;7:e07513. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07513 . Dicheva D, Dichev C, Agre G, Angelova G. Gamification in education: A systematic mapping study. 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Assessing the effects of gamification in the classroom: A longitudinal study on intrinsic motivation, social comparison, satisfaction, effort, and academic performance. Comput Educ. 2015;80:152–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2014.08.019 . Sailer M, Hense JU, Mayr SK, Mandl H. How gamification motivates: An experimental study of the effects of specific game design elements on psychological need satisfaction. Comput Hum Behav. 2017;69:371–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.12.033 . Li M, Ma S, Shi Y. Examining the effectiveness of gamification as a tool promoting teaching and learning in educational settings: a meta-analysis. Front Psychol. 2023;14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1253549 . Ellegaard O, Wallin JA. The bibliometric analysis of scholarly production: How great is the impact? Scientometrics. 2015;105:1809–31. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-015-1645-z . Yıldız M, YILDIZ M, Kayacık AD. Rising gamification in health education: A bibliometric study. Nurse Educ Pract. 2024;78:103993. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2024.103993 . Mekler ED, Brühlmann F, Tuch AN, Opwis K. Towards understanding the effects of individual gamification elements on intrinsic motivation and performance. Comput Hum Behav. 2017;71:525–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.08.048 . Mekler ED, Brühlmann F, Opwis K, Tuch AN. (2013) Do points, levels and leaderboards harm intrinsic motivation? An empirical analysis of common gamification elements. In: ACM International Conference Proceeding Series. pp 66–73. Li L, Hew KF, Du J. Gamification enhances student intrinsic motivation, perceptions of autonomy and relatedness, but minimal impact on competency: a meta-analysis and systematic review. Education Tech Research Dev. 2024;72:765–96. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-023-10337-7 . Liu R, Zhang L, Cao Z, Mi J. Influence of gamification affordance on young citizens’ motivation and learning performance toward digital civic education. J Chin Gov. 2024;9:244–78. https://doi.org/10.1080/23812346.2024.2327735 . Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 12 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 09 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 03 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 02 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 02 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 24 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 15 Feb, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 20 Jan, 2026 Editor invited by journal 19 Jan, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 15 Jan, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 14 Jan, 2026 First submitted to journal 14 Jan, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":53212,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eNumber of average citations per year\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8548127/v1/116a37c8de82a3ff19ef268b.png"},{"id":100858213,"identity":"4785e30d-f9ec-437b-ac49-07100b1aa680","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-22 07:24:03","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":583237,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eFrequently used Words Three-Field Plot of Title-Abstract-Keywords\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"image1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8548127/v1/3319f348f66d64c47cc2741b.png"},{"id":100857996,"identity":"e18eda11-3e1f-47f1-9034-89195a45acca","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-22 07:23:38","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":172465,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eFrequently used Words in Keywords Tree map\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"image2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8548127/v1/ab211715d96ec3e29dcd3241.png"},{"id":100820902,"identity":"6ea5b994-38b3-4405-9982-9d1489f7c1cb","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-21 17:50:45","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":67601,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eTrending Topic Words\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"image3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8548127/v1/0d7215dc50c2834ef7ecd8f1.png"},{"id":100858825,"identity":"9c7c1fee-898c-476d-814c-97fc9940f005","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-22 07:24:49","extension":"png","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":222277,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eKeyword Co-Occurrence Network\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"image4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8548127/v1/7002cd9b283f69c071d844f5.png"},{"id":100858549,"identity":"900e36af-c92b-4eb4-85dc-df8869ac7c92","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-22 07:24:25","extension":"png","order_by":7,"title":"Figure 7","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":112761,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eThematic map\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"image5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8548127/v1/09789d70724f64973078e0ff.png"},{"id":100858327,"identity":"cdd19b29-b1d3-44a5-8b6e-d459f3d31789","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-22 07:24:12","extension":"png","order_by":8,"title":"Figure 8","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":607607,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eThematic evolution\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"image6.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8548127/v1/5ea63d722aa75b4c105bf8ab.png"},{"id":101202420,"identity":"0f7f7675-104f-4a23-aea2-28ab58ab8ee2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-27 09:32:37","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2775893,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8548127/v1/430f5bb3-096a-4275-b814-6f5d994a3a0d.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"A Bibliometric Analysis of Gamification and Intrinsic Motivation in Learning Technologies","fulltext":[{"header":"1 Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eRapid technological advancement has reshaped contemporary learning and teaching, influencing educational practices across institutional contexts [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e]. Educational systems therefore face sustained pressure to adopt pedagogical approaches that engage learners who routinely interact with digital technologies [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e]. Traditional instruction can struggle to maintain attention and participation when learning environments do not match students\u0026rsquo; expectations for interactivity and feedback [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e]. This challenge is often attributed not only to instructional design limitations, but also to shifts in learner characteristics and expectations associated with the ubiquity of technology in everyday life [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThese shifts are frequently discussed through the lens of \u0026ldquo;digital natives\u0026rdquo; or the \u0026ldquo;Z-generation,\u0026rdquo; referring to cohorts socialized in technology-saturated environments [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR5\" citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e]. Digital native learners are commonly described as comfortable with interactive multimedia, drawn to collaborative networks, and inclined toward learning experiences that resemble the responsive and interactive qualities of digital media [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e]. They are also characterized as preferring visual information and experiential modes of engagement that support social interaction through technological interfaces [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. At the same time, the \u0026ldquo;digital native\u0026rdquo; thesis remains contested. Some scholars argue that differences reflect technology exposure and experience rather than stable cognitive or neurological distinctions, highlighting the need for careful interpretation when linking learner profiles to pedagogy [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]. Nevertheless, evidence continues to indicate that many learners demonstrate strong capacity for multimedia comprehension and multimodal information processing in technology-mediated environments [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGaming experiences are part of this broader digital ecology and often shape learners\u0026rsquo; preferences for interactive, feedback-rich engagement. For many learners, games and video platforms function as prominent sources of information and entertainment, and studies report strong interest in video-based learning and the perceived educational influence of video platforms [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR12\" citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e]. Educational researchers have thus examined whether this orientation can be leveraged instructionally, not by importing entertainment wholesale into education, but by identifying design principles that support engagement and persistence [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR14\" citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e]. This line of work has contributed to sustained attention to how game design principles can be integrated into educational contexts to support motivation, engagement, and learning outcomes.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGamification is widely defined as \u0026ldquo;the use of game design elements in non-game contexts\u0026rdquo; [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e]. In education, gamification commonly involves elements such as points, badges, progress indicators, leaderboards, and challenge-based progression embedded within existing learning activities. Unlike game-based learning, which typically centers on complete games or simulations, gamification applies selected game design affordances to enhance motivation and engagement within established pedagogical structures [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e]. As digital learning environments have expanded, gamification has become a prominent strategy for addressing participation challenges by providing structured feedback, goal visibility, and social comparison or collaboration opportunities [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e]. Prior studies have reported improved engagement in gamified settings, and some evidence suggests gains in learning outcomes and retention relative to non-gamified conditions [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA key question is not whether gamification can increase activity, but whether it supports higher-quality motivation. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) provides a widely used framework for examining this issue, emphasizing that intrinsic motivation is supported when learning environments satisfy basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR20\" citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e]. Intrinsic motivation refers to engaging in an activity for inherent interest and satisfaction rather than for external rewards, and it is linked to persistence and deeper engagement [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e]. Educational research often prioritizes intrinsic motivation because it is associated with stronger learning processes than purely extrinsic regulation [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e]. However, gamification can either support or undermine intrinsic motivation depending on design and context. When gamification emphasizes controlling rewards or social comparison in ways that reduce autonomy or threaten competence, motivational quality may decline [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e]. In contrast, need-supportive gamification that provides meaningful choice, informational feedback, and constructive social connection can enhance motivational outcomes [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEvidence syntheses align with this need-supportive interpretation while also indicating that effects are typically modest and variable. A meta-analytical synthesis of 35 gamification interventions involving 2,500 participants reported a modest overall effect on intrinsic motivation (Hedges\u0026rsquo; g\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.257), with larger effects for autonomy (g\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.638) and relatedness (g\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1.776) and comparatively smaller effects for competence (g\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.277) [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e]. Such patterns indicate that the motivational pathways emphasized in SDT are central to understanding when gamification supports intrinsic motivation, and they also highlight the importance of examining implementation quality, learner characteristics, and learning context.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGiven growing interest and heterogeneous findings, there is a need to map how the field has evolved, which contributions have structured subsequent work, and how themes have consolidated over time. Bibliometric analysis offers a systematic approach to examining publication growth, citation networks, sources, authorship patterns, and thematic development at scale [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e]. Prior bibliometric research in related areas indicates that gamification scholarship often exhibits rapid growth, interdisciplinary dispersion across venues, and a concentration of citation impact in earlier foundational works [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e]. However, while bibliometric analyses of gamification have increased, most have either examined gamification broadly across domains or emphasized behavioral engagement and performance outcomes without isolating intrinsic motivation as a theoretically mediated construct. As a result, it remains unclear how research on gamification and intrinsic motivation has evolved conceptually, which theoretical anchors have structured the field, and how thematic emphases have shifted from design-oriented mechanisms to learner-centered motivational outcomes over time.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study addresses that gap by providing a bibliometric analysis of research on gamification and intrinsic motivation across 2011 to 2025. Consistent with patterns reported in the Results and Discussion, the field shows strong growth in annual scientific production, while citation influence is concentrated in seminal contributions that shaped how gamification is theorized and evaluated in relation to motivation. The analysis also reflects thematic convergence around core constructs such as gamification, intrinsic motivation, and SDT, alongside shifts from early design-oriented emphases toward learner-centered outcomes and effectiveness-oriented research agendas. Structurally, the corpus comprises 585 documents published across 250 sources and authored by 1,703 scholars, indicating both breadth and collaborative knowledge production, with international co-authorship remaining relatively modest. By synthesizing publication trends, citation structures, and thematic evolution, this study aims to clarify the field\u0026rsquo;s consolidation, identify influential intellectual anchors, and surface directions for future research that strengthen explanatory precision, longitudinal evidence, and cross-context applicability.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDespite the rapid growth of bibliometric studies on gamification in education, existing mappings tend to treat motivation as a broad or undifferentiated construct, often conflating intrinsic and extrinsic motivational processes or focusing primarily on application domains such as health or professional training. To date, there has been limited bibliometric work that explicitly centers intrinsic motivation as a theoretically grounded outcome and systematically interprets thematic development through the lens of Self-Determination Theory (SDT). Moreover, prior bibliometric analyses rarely distinguish between journal-based and proceedings-based knowledge production, potentially obscuring differences between publication volume and enduring scholarly influence. Addressing these gaps, the present study offers a focused bibliometric synthesis of gamification and intrinsic motivation research, explicitly anchored in SDT, integrating thematic evolution analysis over a long time span (2012\u0026ndash;2025), and analytically separating journal and conference dissemination patterns to provide a clearer picture of conceptual consolidation, influence structures, and future research directions\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis bibliometric study maps the intellectual structure and thematic development of research on gamification and intrinsic motivation in education. Specifically, it addresses the following research questions: (RQ1) How has annual scientific production evolved over the analyzed period (2012\u0026ndash;2025), and what growth patterns characterize the field? (RQ2) Which publications, authors, sources, and countries have exerted the greatest influence, as reflected in citation indicators and productivity measures? (RQ3) What collaboration patterns are evident in co-authorship structures, including the extent of international collaboration? (RQ4) What are the dominant and emerging conceptual themes in this literature, based on keyword co-occurrence, thematic mapping, and trend-topic analysis?\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2 Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study employed a bibliometric research design with systematic, transparent searching and screening to map the intellectual structure of research on gamification and intrinsic motivation [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e]. Bibliometric mapping was used to visualize relationships among publications and to identify clusters representing distinct research strands. The analysis focused on publication and citation patterns, co-authorship networks, source and country contributions, and conceptual structures reflected in keyword usage.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.1 Data collection\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eScopus was selected as the sole data source due to its extensive coverage of education, psychology, and computing-related journals, as well as the consistency and completeness of its bibliographic metadata, which are critical for large-scale bibliometric analysis. Restricting the analysis to a single comprehensive database also minimized inconsistencies in citation structures and metadata fields that can arise when merging records across multiple indexing platforms. The search targeted title, abstract, and keyword fields using the following query: TITLE-ABS-KEY ( Gamif* AND ( \u0026ldquo;Intrinsic Motivation\u0026rdquo; OR \u0026ldquo;autonomous motivation\u0026rdquo; ) ) AND PUBYEAR\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;2010 AND PUBYEAR\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;2026. Accordingly, the search range covered 2011\u0026ndash;2025. Records were exported from Scopus in CSV format. 678 records were identified; 18 non-English records were removed during screening. Although the query range included 2011, records from 2011 were excluded after screening because they did not meet the eligibility criteria. After deduplication (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;3) and removal of records with incomplete metadata (missing authors, title, abstract, keywords, or affiliation; n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;72), 585 studies were retained for bibliometric analysis. Eligible records included Scopus-indexed journal articles and conference papers published in English.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBecause Scopus indexing for gamification research spans both education journals and computing-oriented conference venues, eligible records in this study included English-language journal articles and conference papers. To avoid conflating dissemination channels with different publication and citation practices, the analysis treated journal outlets as the primary evidence base for interpreting educational research influence, while conference/proceedings outlets were reported as contextual or supplementary evidence describing the broader dissemination ecosystem. Accordingly, source-level results were presented separately for journals and proceedings (e.g., \u0026ldquo;most relevant journals\u0026rdquo; versus \u0026ldquo;most relevant conferences/proceedings\u0026rdquo;), while core descriptive indicators and thematic analyses were derived from the full screened corpus (2012\u0026ndash;2025; n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;585) to reflect the overall structure of the field.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.2 Data analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnalyses were conducted in RStudio using the bibliometrix package to support reproducibility. Bibliographic metadata were used to compute descriptive indicators of scientific production and impact, including annual publication counts, total citations, citations per year, and source-level metrics. Author productivity and influence were examined using citation-based indices (e.g., h-index and g-index) and publication counts. Country contributions were analyzed by distinguishing single-country publications (SCP) and multiple-country publications (MCP), alongside total citations and average article citations.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo characterize dissemination channels, sources were reported separately as journals and proceedings series. Intellectual structure was examined through bibliographic coupling at the source level, based on shared references. Conceptual structure was analyzed using keyword co-occurrence networks and thematic mapping to identify dominant, motor, niche, and emerging or declining themes. A three-field plot was used to relate terms from titles, abstracts, and author keywords to assess cross-field thematic consistency. Trend-topic analysis was applied to describe how frequently used keywords shifted over time. For network visualizations, minimum occurrence and linkage thresholds were applied to improve interpretability, specific thresholds were reported in the corresponding figure captions. In line with PRISMA 2020 principles, records underwent structured screening, deduplication, and metadata completeness checks, duplicates were identified using Rayyan.ai and verified through manual inspection of the exported CSV file.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"3 Results","content":"\u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e summarizes the bibliometric scope of the dataset on gamification and intrinsic motivation from 2012\u0026ndash;2025. The corpus comprises 585 documents drawn from 250 sources, produced by 1,703 authors, indicating a broad and multi-source research community. Single-authored contributions are limited (45 authors), which indicates that collaboration predominates. The annual growth rate of 43.25% reflects rapid expansion of the field over the study period. Impact appears substantial, with an average of 29.31 citations per document. However, international co-authorship is relatively modest (18.80%), implying that collaboration occurs largely within national or regional networks.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDescriptive data of obtained studies\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"2\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDescription\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eResults\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTimespan\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2012\u0026ndash;2025\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSources (Journals, Books, etc.)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e250\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDocuments\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e585\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnnual Growth Rate\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43.25%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAverage citations per document\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29.31\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAuthors\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1703\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAuthors of single-authored documents\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e45\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInternational Co-Authorship\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18.80%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.1 Annual scientific production\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eFigure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e indicates a clear upward trajectory in annual scientific production, rising from very low output in the early 2010s to sustained growth after 2017, with a temporary dip around 2021 and a sharp surge in the most recent years, reaching the highest level at the end of the period. Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e shows that citation impact is led by seminal works published around 2015, especially Dicheva (TC\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1,401; TCpY\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;127.36) and Hanus (TC\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1,357; TCpY\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;123.36). Overall, recent publication growth coexists with a citation structure dominated by earlier foundational studies.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMost cited articles publishing on gamification and intrinsic motivation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePaper\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDOI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e*TCpY\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDICHEVA D, 2015, EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1401\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e127.36\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHANUS MD, 2015, COMPUT EDUC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1016/j.compedu.2014.08.019\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.compedu.2014.08.019\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1357\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e123.36\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMEKLER ED, 2017, COMPUT HUM BEHAV\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1016/j.chb.2015.08.048\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.chb.2015.08.048\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e736\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e81.78\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBUCKLEY P, 2016, INTERACT LEARN ENVIRON\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1080/10494820.2014.964263\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1080/10494820.2014.964263\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e587\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e58.70\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNICHOLSON S, 2015, GAMIFICATION IN EDUCATION AND BUS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1007/978-3-319-10208-5_1\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1007/978-3-319-10208-5_1\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e549\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e49.91\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHAMARI J, 2015, INT J INF MANAGE\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2015.04.006\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2015.04.006\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e540\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e49.09\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eXI N, 2019, INT J INF MANAGE\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2018.12.002\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2018.12.002\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e523\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e74.71\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMEKLER ED, 2013, ACM INT CONF PROC SER\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1145/2583008.2583017\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1145/2583008.2583017\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e277\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21.31\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKYEWSKI E, 2018, COMPUT EDUC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1016/j.compedu.2017.11.006\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.compedu.2017.11.006\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e258\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32.25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMITCHELL R, 2020, J BUS RES\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.11.022\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.11.022\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e216\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"4\"\u003e*TC\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Total Citations, TCpY\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Total Citations per Year\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.2 Citations per year\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eFigure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e shows that average citations per year were moderate in 2012\u0026ndash;2014 (approximately 3.68\u0026ndash;6.98), followed by a pronounced peak in 2015 (16.75), indicating an exceptional surge in citation attention. After 2015, the average declined sharply to 6.41 in 2016 and then stabilized around 4.27\u0026ndash;5.81 during 2017\u0026ndash;2021, suggesting steady but lower visibility. From 2022 onward, the trend decreases consistently (4.05 in 2022 to 1.60 in 2025). Overall, the pattern reflects strong early consolidation around mid-decade contributions and a recent downturn likely influenced by citation time-lag for newer publications.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.3 Three-field plot of frequent terms in titles, abstracts, and keywords\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eFigure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e maps frequent terms across abstracts (AB_TM), titles (TI_TM), and author keywords/descriptors (DE). \u0026ldquo;Gamification\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;motivation\u0026rdquo; dominate all three fields, indicating strong thematic consistency from narrative content to indexing. Prominent linkages connect \u0026ldquo;learning,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;students,\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;intrinsic\u0026rdquo; in abstracts and titles to descriptors such as \u0026ldquo;intrinsic motivation\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;self-determination theory,\u0026rdquo; suggesting a common theoretical framing of gamification research. Additional flows to \u0026ldquo;engagement,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;education,\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;effects\u0026rdquo; imply that studies emphasize educational contexts and outcomes. Overall, the plot highlights a tightly coupled discourse centered on gamification-driven motivational mechanisms.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.4 Most productive authors in gamification and intrinsic motivation research\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e indicates that productivity and impact are concentrated among a small set of scholars. HEW KF publishes the most articles (8) but has moderate influence (210 total citations; 18.7 citations/year). In contrast, several authors with slightly fewer papers (7) exhibit substantially higher impact, notably DICHEVA D (1,427 citations), HAMARI J (1,098), and MEKLER ED (1,313), supported by stronger h- and g-indices. Among authors with six papers, DICHEV C shows the highest citation intensity (1,415 total; 24 citations/year). Other contributors display comparatively low citation traction.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMost active authors publishing articles on gamification and intrinsic motivation research\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMost Productive Authors\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eArticle Number\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eh_index\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eg_index\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal Citations\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e*CPY\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHEW KF\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e210\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDICHEVA D\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1,427\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHAMARI J\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1,098\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMEKLER ED\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1,313\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDICHEV C\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1,415\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFERRIZ-VALERO A\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e202\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGUY B\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eISOTANI S\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e122\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eZHANG Y\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e88\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBAI S\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e81\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"6\"\u003e*CPY\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Citations per year\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.5 Most productive countries publishing on gamification and intrinsic motivation\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e shows that publication output is led by China (47), Spain (41), and the USA (39), with most papers produced as single-country publications (SCP) rather than international collaborations (MCP). Impact, however, differs from volume: the USA records the highest total citations (2,807) and a high average article citation (AAC\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;72.0). Hong Kong also demonstrates strong per-article influence (AAC\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;40.2) despite fewer papers (14). Spain and Germany have relatively high AAC values (31.4 and 30.2), suggesting efficient citation performance. Overall, productivity and citation impact are not perfectly aligned across countries.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMost active countries publish articles on gamification and intrinsic motivation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMost Productive Countries\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eArticles\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSCP\u003csup\u003e*\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMCP\u003csup\u003e*\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTCN\u003csup\u003e*\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAAC\u003csup\u003e*\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCHINA\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e47\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e815\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.30\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSPAIN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1286\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31.40\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUSA\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2807\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e72.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGERMANY\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e725\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30.20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMALAYSIA\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e434\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18.10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eINDIA\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e158\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.90\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUNITED KINGDOM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e397\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.80\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHONG KONG\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e563\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40.20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJAPAN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e73\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCANADA\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e262\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23.80\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"6\"\u003e\u003csup\u003e*\u003c/sup\u003e SCP\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Single Country Publication, MCP\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Multiple Country Publication, TCN\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Total Citations Number,\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"6\"\u003eAAC\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Average Article Citation\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.6 Most relevant sources on gamification and intrinsic motivation\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo avoid conflating dissemination channels with fundamentally different publication and citation dynamics, sources were analyzed separately as journals (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e) and conferences/proceedings (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e). This separation enables a clearer distinction between high-volume reporting venues and archival outlets where citation-based influence typically consolidates over time.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab5\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMost relevant journals publishing articles\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSources\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eh-index\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eg-index\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePYS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEDUCATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e99\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2018\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJMIR SERIOUS GAMES\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e292\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2016\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIEEE ACCESS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e114\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2020\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCOMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1109\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2017\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEDUCATION SCIENCES\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2022\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e164\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2019\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBEHAVIOUR AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e85\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2021\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCOMPUTERS AND EDUCATION\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1777\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2015\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eINTERACTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e798\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2016\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSUSTAINABILITY (SWITZERLAND)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e94\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2021\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"6\"\u003eAN\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Article Number, TC\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Total Citations, PYS\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Publication Year Start\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab6\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 6\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMost relevant conferences publishing articles\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSources\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eh-index\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eg-index\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePYS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLECTURE NOTES IN COMPUTER SCIENCE\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e203\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2014\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eACM INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE PROCEEDING SERIES\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e505\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2013\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCEUR WORKSHOP PROCEEDINGS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2017\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePROCEEDINGS OF THE EUROPEAN CONFERENCE ON GAMES-BASED LEARNING\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2016\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCOMMUNICATIONS IN COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCE\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e103\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2012\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLECTURE NOTES IN NETWORKS AND SYSTEMS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2022\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIEEE GLOBAL ENGINEERING EDUCATION CONFERENCE, EDUCON\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2019\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCONFERENCE ON HUMAN FACTORS IN COMPUTING SYSTEMS - PROCEEDINGS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e476\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2013\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePROCEEDINGS - FRONTIERS IN EDUCATION CONFERENCE, FIE\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2018\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eADVANCES IN INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS AND COMPUTING\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e50\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2016\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"6\"\u003eAN\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Article Number, TC\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Total Citations, PYS\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Publication Year Start\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e shows that journal dissemination is led by Education and Information Technologies and JMIR Serious Games (AN\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;9 each), indicating strong uptake in mainstream educational technology and applied serious-games outlets. However, influence is concentrated in archival, high-impact journals: Computers \u0026amp; Education (TC\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1,777; AN\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;5) and Computers in Human Behavior (TC\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1,109; AN\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;6) attract far higher citations despite fewer papers, reflecting the \u0026ldquo;volume versus impact\u0026rdquo; distinction. Source-level h- and g-indices mirror this pattern, suggesting more consistent citation performance in these flagship journals.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e indicates that proceedings are a major high-volume channel, led by LNCS (AN\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;32), consistent with rapid dissemination norms in computing and learning-technology design communities. Citation impact, however, is uneven: ACM International Conference Proceeding Series (AN\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;18; TC\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;505) and CHI Proceedings (AN\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;5; TC\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;476) show disproportionate influence, implying that select HCI venues generate seminal contributions on gamification elements and motivation mechanisms. This supports the study\u0026rsquo;s methodological choice to report journals and proceedings separately, avoiding conflation of publication volume with enduring scholarly impact.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.7 Most used keywords and trending topics in gamification and intrinsic motivation research\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eFigures \u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e and \u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e show that the literature is strongly anchored in gamification (422; 33%), with intrinsic motivation (147; 12%) and motivation (136; 11%) as core constructs and self-determination theory as a key framework. Smaller but persistent themes include engagement, education/learning, rewards, and game elements. Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e indicates temporal shifts: earlier work emphasizes design-oriented terms (e.g., badges, game design elements, mobile), whereas more recent trends (\u0026asymp;\u0026thinsp;2021\u0026ndash;2024) foreground educational effectiveness and learner-centered outcomes (e.g., student engagement, satisfaction, psychological needs, learning effectiveness), reflecting a move from mechanisms to measurable impacts.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003e3.8 Keyword co-occurrence patterns in gamification and intrinsic motivation research\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFigure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e reveals a highly centralized co-occurrence structure dominated by \u0026ldquo;gamification\u0026rdquo;, which functions as the main hub connecting multiple thematic clusters. \u0026ldquo;Intrinsic motivation\u0026rdquo; forms a second core node, strongly linked to theory-driven terms such as self-determination theory, autonomy, competence, and psychological needs, indicating a frequent motivational framing. A large education-oriented cluster (e.g., learning, students, higher education, e-learning) suggests that research is primarily situated in instructional contexts. Design-mechanism terms (e.g., badges, leaderboards, rewards, game elements/mechanics) connect to outcome concepts such as engagement and behavior change, implying emphasis on how specific mechanics translate into motivational and behavioral effects.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.9 Thematic map and thematic evolution of keywords in gamification and intrinsic motivation research\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eFigures \u003cspan refid=\"Fig7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e and \u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e summarize both the structural importance and the temporal evolution of keywords. In Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e, gamification\u0026ndash;intrinsic motivation\u0026ndash;self-determination theory appear as basic themes (high centrality, lower density), indicating foundational but still-developing conceptual cores. Physical activity/health/behavior change emerge as motor themes (high centrality and density), reflecting well-developed, influential application areas. Niche themes (e.g., serious games, flow, game design) are specialized, while competition/rewards/social comparison trend toward emerging or declining topics. Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e shows a shift from early emphases (virtual reality, engagement, game design elements) toward later consolidation around gamification, motivation, and education-focused contexts (e.g., student engagement, secondary education, blended learning).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"4 Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eBuilding on the bibliometric patterns identified in the results, this discussion interprets publication dynamics, citation structures, collaboration patterns, and thematic convergences in research on gamification and intrinsic motivation. In this study, intrinsic motivation is treated as a need-mediated outcome, consistent with Self-Determination Theory (SDT), in which autonomy, competence, and relatedness function as central explanatory mechanisms [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe results demonstrate sustained growth in annual scientific production from 2012 to 2025, with acceleration after 2017 and a sharp increase in the most recent years. This trajectory, together with the high annual growth rate, indicates that research on gamification and intrinsic motivation has progressed beyond exploratory novelty into a more consolidated research stream within educational technology. Similar growth patterns have been interpreted as indicators of disciplinary legitimization rather than short-term enthusiasm in related application areas [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e]. The temporary dip around 2021 likely reflects broader disruptions affecting research production cycles rather than a substantive decline in scholarly interest.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCitation evidence reveals that scholarly influence is strongly concentrated in seminal contributions published around the mid-2010s. The pronounced peak in citations per year around 2015 and the dominance of highly cited studies from this period suggest that early work established the conceptual vocabulary and evaluative standards that continue to structure the field. Influential studies by [NO_PRINTED_FORM] [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e], [NO_PRINTED_FORM] [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e], and[NO_PRINTED_FORM] [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e] framed both the potential benefits and limitations of gamification, emphasizing the importance of motivational quality rather than mere increases in activity or participation. The continued prominence of these works supports the interpretation that SDT provides the primary theoretical anchor through which gamification effects on intrinsic motivation are conceptualized [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA key contribution of this study is the explicit analytical separation of journal and conference/proceedings outlets, which clarifies the distinction between publication volume and enduring scholarly influence. Journal-based results (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e) show that outlets such as Education and Information Technologies and JMIR Serious Games are leading venues in terms of productivity, indicating strong uptake of gamification and intrinsic motivation research within mainstream educational technology and applied serious-games scholarship. However, citation impact is disproportionately concentrated in established archival journals, particularly Computers \u0026amp; Education and Computers in Human Behavior, which attract substantially higher total citations despite publishing fewer articles. This pattern suggests that highly influential theoretical and empirical contributions tend to consolidate in journals that serve as the primary long-term record for educational research [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eProceedings-based results (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e) reflect a complementary dissemination ecology. High-volume series such as Lecture Notes in Computer Science indicate frequent conference-based reporting, consistent with rapid dissemination norms in computing-oriented learning technology and human\u0026ndash;computer interaction communities. Citation influence across proceedings, however, is uneven. Selected venues, such as the ACM International Conference Proceeding Series and the Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI) Proceedings, exhibit disproportionately high citation impact relative to their output, indicating that certain conference papers function as conceptual or methodological anchors in the development of gamification and motivation research [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e]. These findings justify the methodological decision to report journals and proceedings separately, as combining them risks conflating high-volume dissemination with long-term scholarly influence\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAcross titles, abstracts, and keywords, the conceptual structure of the literature is highly coherent. Gamification and intrinsic motivation form the central hubs of the keyword co-occurrence network, with strong linkages to SDT-related constructs such as autonomy, competence, and psychological needs. Thematic mapping and trend-topic analyses indicate a temporal shift in emphasis: earlier studies focused primarily on design elements and platforms (e.g., badges, leaderboards, mobile learning), whereas more recent research increasingly foregrounds learner-centered outcomes and effectiveness indicators, including engagement, satisfaction, and learning effectiveness. This evolution is consistent with a maturing field that is moving from cataloguing design mechanisms toward testing explanatory pathways, mediators, and boundary conditions [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlthough collaborative authorship dominates the corpus, international co-authorship remains relatively modest. Country-level analyses further indicate a misalignment between publication volume and citation impact, suggesting that highly influential contributions are concentrated within specific research ecosystems. This pattern underscores the importance of expanding cross-national collaboration to strengthen external validity, particularly given evidence that motivational processes and the interpretation of gamification elements may vary across cultural and educational contexts [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e30\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTaken together, the findings reinforce that the relationship between gamification and intrinsic motivation is best understood through the lens of SDT and the quality of need support provided by instructional design, rather than through the mere presence of game elements. For future research, three priorities emerge. First, longitudinal studies are needed to assess the sustainability of motivational effects and to distinguish novelty effects from durable changes in self-regulation [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e]. Second, comparative studies that benchmark gamification against alternative pedagogical approaches would strengthen causal interpretation and inform instructional decision-making. Third, broader cross-cultural and cross-context investigations, supported by stronger international collaboration, are essential to clarify boundary conditions and improve the generalizability of findings across educational systems.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"5 Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe bibliometric evidence indicates that scholarship on gamification and intrinsic motivation has moved from an emerging topic toward an established line of inquiry in learning technology. Sustained growth in publications from 2012 to 2025, coupled with a high annual growth rate (43.25%), signals consolidation, while citation patterns show that influence remains concentrated in foundational studies published around 2015. The field is thematically coherent, with strong convergence on gamification, intrinsic motivation, and Self-Determination Theory, and with well-developed application strands in health and behavior change. Authorship patterns suggest collaborative knowledge production, although international co-authorship is still modest. Future work should prioritize longitudinal evidence on motivational sustainability, comparative evaluations against alternative pedagogies, and more cross-cultural, context-sensitive research to strengthen external validity and practical guidance. For educational technology researchers and practitioners, these findings underscore the importance of designing gamification strategies that explicitly support autonomy, competence, and relatedness rather than relying on surface-level game elements.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors received no specific funding for this work.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData availability\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClinical trial number\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics, Consent to Participate, and Consent to Publish declarations\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIMP: conceptualization, methodology, data curation, formal analysis, investigation, writing original draft, review \u0026amp; editing.DK: data curation, investigation, writing, review \u0026amp; editing.PS: methodology, validation, writing, review \u0026amp; editing.IAF \u0026amp; MDD: visualization, writing, review \u0026amp; editing.HP: validation, writing, review \u0026amp; editing.All authors read and approved the final manuscript\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMese C, Dursun OO. 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J Chin Gov. 2024;9:244\u0026ndash;78. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1080/23812346.2024.2327735\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1080/23812346.2024.2327735\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-education","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"diedu","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Education](https://www.springer.com/journal/44217)","snPcode":"44217","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/44217/3","title":"Discover Education","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"gamification, intrinsic motivation, educational technology, bibliometric analysis","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8548127/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8548127/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eGamification is widely adopted in digitally mediated education to support learner motivation, yet the expanding literature on intrinsic motivation remains dispersed across venues, methods, and conceptual emphases. This study maps the intellectual structure, growth trajectory, and thematic evolution of research on gamification and intrinsic motivation. Using Scopus as the data source, records were retrieved for 2011\u0026ndash;2025 and screened following PRISMA principles; after screening, deduplication, and metadata checks, 585 English-language documents published in 2012\u0026ndash;2025 were retained for analysis. Bibliometric analyses were conducted in RStudio using bibliometrix to examine annual scientific production, citation patterns, co-authorship structures, and keyword-based thematic relationships. Results show strong publication growth, accelerating after 2017, while citation influence is concentrated in seminal contributions around 2015. The conceptual core is highly coherent, with Self-Determination Theory anchoring links between gamification, intrinsic motivation, and psychological needs. Trend and thematic analyses indicate a shift from early design-oriented topics (e.g., badges, mobile, game design elements) toward learner-centered outcomes and effectiveness (e.g., engagement, satisfaction, learning effectiveness). International co-authorship remains modest. The findings highlight consolidation alongside needs for longitudinal evidence, comparative pedagogy studies, and broader cross-cultural validation.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"A Bibliometric Analysis of Gamification and Intrinsic Motivation in Learning Technologies","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-01-21 17:50:40","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8548127/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-03-12T19:06:55+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-03-09T07:04:42+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-03-04T03:47:43+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"309200274704144337520535514065344053962","date":"2026-03-02T13:09:36+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"306542276942170095264397107140920701973","date":"2026-03-02T06:54:16+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-02-24T07:07:44+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"34413920763855251719708427864054148671","date":"2026-02-23T11:21:25+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"167635287380061535425710558256008609474","date":"2026-02-15T22:46:18+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-01-20T06:34:18+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2026-01-19T13:13:19+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-01-16T04:15:56+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-01-14T15:40:06+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Discover Education","date":"2026-01-14T15:23:05+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-education","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"diedu","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Education](https://www.springer.com/journal/44217)","snPcode":"44217","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/44217/3","title":"Discover Education","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"b8f69ff5-b162-4b74-8322-f5436fc7333c","owner":[],"postedDate":"January 21st, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-30T06:41:32+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-01-21 17:50:40","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8548127","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8548127","identity":"rs-8548127","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}