Gamification adapted for students with attention deficit disorder (ADD) in language and literature teaching: impact on school performance

Abstract

This article critically reviews recent evidence on gamification adapted for students with attention deficit disorder (ADD) in language and literature teaching, with the aim of identifying its impact on school performance and the most effective design elements. An exploratory and systematic search was conducted in Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, and ScienceDirect (last ten years), using descriptors in Spanish and English; eligible studies addressed ADD, adapted gamification, and results in language skills, and were synthesized using a comparative matrix. The findings converge on consistent improvements in sustained attention, motivation, and participation, as well as promisingalbeit still heterogeneousindications of progress in vocabulary, reading, and writing tasks when the design dynamically adjusts difficulty and provides immediate feedback. The strategic use of rewards and mechanics (points, levels, missions, rankings) promotes self-regulation if aligned with linguistic objectives and mitigates the “novelty effect” and extrinsic overdependence. Gaps remain: a scarcity of specific studies on language and literature with ADD, small sample sizes, and methodological diversity. It is concluded that adapted gamification is a promising pedagogical approach, not a substitute, that requires continuous calibration of the challenge, contextualized feedback, and longitudinal assessments with robust linguistic indicators.