Digital gamification and product creativity in vocational education: A systematic literature review

Abstract

Digital gamification is increasingly used to promote engagement in vocational education, but its relationship with creative technical performance remains insufficiently understood. This systematic literature review examines how gamification, game-based learning, and related active pedagogies support creative learning and product creativity in technical and vocational education and training. A PRISMA-informed search of Web of Science, Scopus, and ScienceDirect identified 235 records. After screening and eligibility assessment, 38 publications were included. Bibliometric mapping in VOSviewer was combined with qualitative thematic synthesis. The reviewed studies associated challenges, feedback, progression, collaboration, authentic projects, and iterative improvement with motivation, persistence, experimentation, and reflection, although causal effects were not established. Most studies measured engagement, satisfaction, achievement, or creative thinking rather than the creativity of technical products. Product creativity was rarely assessed through the combined criteria of novelty, usefulness, technical feasibility, and elaboration. The review proposes a Creative Gamification Framework for TVET linking digital game design to psychological mediators, learning processes, and assessable product outcomes. Key research priorities include element-level comparisons, longitudinal and pretest-posttest designs, standardized product-creativity rubrics, and studies connecting engagement and completion with technical creative performance.