Game Elements for Learning Programming: A Mapping Study.

Serious games have been used as a tool to support learning in several areas and subjects. To achieve its educational goals, a serious game must consist of a set of game elements that are related to the learning outcomes. In Computer Science, educators are also using serious games and their elements to enhance learning of programming-related disciplines, which are often considered challenging by first-year students. It is important for educators in Computer Science to know what are the types of game elements used in games to learn programming. Besides that, it is also important to know how game elements are evaluated and what are the game elements that mostly contribute to learning achievements. In this work, we aim to verify how serious games and their composing elements are used and evaluated to support learning programming. To achieve this goal, we conducted a systematic mapping study on the use and evaluation of game elements for learning programming. Our results indicate that game elements are only evaluated indirectly by means of their serious games. Furthermore, we identify some shortcomings in game elements evaluation, such as the lack of evaluation in some primary studies and low number of quantitative studies.