Embodied learning in the classroom: Effects on primary school children’s attention and foreign language vocabulary learning

Schmidt, Mirko; Benzing, Valentin Johannes; Wallman-Jones, Amie Rae; Mavilidi, Myrto-Foteini; Lubans, David Revalds; Paas, Fred (2019). Embodied learning in the classroom: Effects on primary school children’s attention and foreign language vocabulary learning. Psychology of sport and exercise, 43, pp. 45-54. Elsevier Science 10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.12.017

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Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of specifically designed physical activities on primary school children’s foreign language vocabulary learning and attentional performance.
Design: A total of 104 children aged between 8 and 10 years were assigned to either (a) an embodied learning condition consisting of task-relevant physical activities, (b) a physical activity condition involving task-irrelevant physical activities, or (c) a control condition consisting of a sedentary teaching style. Within a 2-week teaching program, consisting of four learning sessions, children had to learn 20 foreign language words.
Method: Children were tested on their memory performance (cued recall test) after completion of the program and on their focused attention (d2-R test of attention) immediately after one learning session.
Results: Linear mixed model analyses revealed both the embodied learning (d=1.12) and the physical activity condition (d=0.51) as being more effective in teaching children new words than the control condition. Children’s focused attention, however, did not differ between the three conditions.
Conclusions: The results are discussed in the light of embodied cognition and cognitive load theory. Implications for the inclusion of specific physical activities during the school day are proposed.

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