Abstract
The integration of physical movements, such as gestures, into learning holds potential for enhancing foreign language (L2) education. Uncovering whether actively performing gestures during L2 learning is more, or equally, effective compared to simply observing such movements is central to deepening our understanding of the efficacy of movement-based learning strategies. Here, we present a meta-analysis of seven studies containing 309 participants that compares the effects of gesture self-enactment and observation on L2 vocabulary learning. The results showed that gesture observation was just as effective for L2 learning as gesture enactment, based on free recall, cued L2 recognition, and cued native language recognition performance, with a large dispersion of true effect across studies. Gesture observation may be sufficient for inducing embodied L2 learning benefits, in support of theories positing shared mechanisms underlying enactment and observation. Future studies should examine the effects of gesture-based learning over longer time periods with larger sample sizes and more diverse word classes.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 920 |
Number of pages | 22 |
Journal | Behavioral Sciences |
Volume | 13 |
Issue number | 11 |
Early online date | 10 Nov 2023 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 10 Nov 2023 |
Bibliographical note
FundingS.N. is supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) as part of Germany’s Excellence Strategy—EXC 2050/1—Project ID 390696704—Cluster of Excellence “Centre for Tactile Internet with Human-in-the-Loop” (CeTI) of Technische Universität Dresden. B.M. is supported by a Research Incentive Grant (RIG)—Project 012506—from the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland.
Keywords
- gesture
- language learning
- embodied learning
- sensorimotor simulation