COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF LEARNING GAINS IN EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS MEDIATED BY GAMIFICATION VERSUS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Resumen

Pedagogical innovation mediated by emerging technologies has assumed a central role in the contemporary transformation of the teaching–learning process, particularly in response to the demands of an increasingly digital, interconnected, and data-driven society. In this context, gamification and artificial intelligence stand out as promising strategies for reshaping educational practices by fostering greater engagement, personalization, and dynamism in learning experiences. This study presents a systematic literature review that critically analyzes the contributions of these two approaches to educational improvement, encompassing indexed publications from 2021 to 2026. The investigation was guided by a reformulated research question, with clearly defined descriptors, explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria, and a structured process of identification, screening, and selection of studies, organized through a methodological flowchart. The findings indicate that gamification, when grounded in consistent theoretical frameworks and aligned with well-defined pedagogical objectives, enhances student engagement, intrinsic motivation, and active participation. Simultaneously, artificial intelligence demonstrates significant potential in personalizing learning pathways, continuously monitoring performance, and providing adaptive real-time feedback, thereby supporting more precise and data-informed pedagogical interventions. The comparative synthesis suggests that integrating gamification with intelligent systems may further strengthen educational outcomes by combining motivational and analytical dimensions within hybrid instructional models. It is concluded that the effective implementation of these technologies requires structured pedagogical planning, ongoing teacher training, and robust ethical regulation to ensure effectiveness, equity, and sustainability in contemporary educational settings.