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Educational Research Review 37 (2022) 100480
Available online 8 September 2022
1747-938X/© 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Review Article
Embodied learning and teaching approaches in language
education: A mixed studies review
Soa Jusslin
a
,
d
,
*
, Kaisa Korpinen
b
,
d
, Niina Lilja
c
,
d
, Rose Martin
e
,
Johanna Lehtinen-Schnabel
f
, Eeva Anttila
d
a
Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland
b
Department of Teacher Education, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
c
Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
d
Theatre Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
e
Department of Teacher Education, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
f
Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
ARTICLE INFO
Keywords:
Embodied learning
First language
Second language
Foreign language
Language education
ABSTRACT
The notion of embodied learning has gained ground in educational sciences over the last decade
and has made its way to language education with researchers acknowledging language learning as
an embodied process. This mixed studies review aggregates and reviews empirical research,
published from 1990 to 2020, using embodied learning approaches in language education. The
review focuses on embodied approaches in learning and teaching rst, second, and foreign lan-
guages at various educational levels. It encompasses 41 empirical studies with a majority pub-
lished between 2019 and 2020, suggesting that the research area is growing rapidly. The results
show that the studies align with two strands: (1) embodied learning through orchestrating
embodied language learning and teaching, and (2) embodied learning in naturally occurring
language learning interactions. The review identies various embodied learning activities and
presents how they contribute to language learning and teaching in different ways. The review
proposes an understanding of embodied language learning that holds potentials to engage learners
holistically, while simultaneously promoting language learning skills and adding emotional and
motivational benets to language learning.
1. Introduction
An interest in the mind-body connection has increased in various disciplines since the 1990’s (Kosmas & Zaphiris, 2018; Varela,
Thompson, & Rosch, 1991/2016), and the notion of embodied learning has seemingly gained ground over the last decade. Recent
literature reviews have investigated embodied learning in various educational contexts (e.g., Aartun, Walseth, Standal, & Kirk, 2022;
Fugate, Macrine, & Cipriano, 2019; Georgiou et al., 2019; Hegna & Ørbæk, 2021; Zhang, Chen, & Zhao, 2021), indicating that
embodied learning is currently a “hot topic”. Embodied learning and teaching has also been proposed to be understood as a new
potential research eld (Hegna & Ørbæk, 2021).
* Corresponding author. Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland.
E-mail addresses: soa.jusslin@abo. (S. Jusslin), kaisa.m.korpinen@utu. (K. Korpinen), niina.lilja@tuni. (N. Lilja), rosemary.k.martin@ntnu.
no (R. Martin), johanna.lehtinen-schnbabel@uniarts. (J. Lehtinen-Schnabel), eeva.anttila@uniarts. (E. Anttila).
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Educational Research Review
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/edurev
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2022.100480
Received 24 February 2022; Received in revised form 8 August 2022; Accepted 22 August 2022
Educational Research Review 37 (2022) 100480
2
Embodied learning can be broadly dened as a conception of learning where learners are holistically engaged and intertwined in
their social and material surroundings (see e.g., Anttila, 2018). This understanding has entered research on language learning with
researchers acknowledging the embodied basis for language processing (Atkinson, 2010; Macedonia, 2019). Theoretical and philo-
sophical approaches that address various connections of embodiment, language, and learning are well-established (Di Paolo, Cuffari, &
De Jaegher, 2018; Johnson, 2017; Thompson, 2017), and the empirical research base is seemingly increasing. Several experimental
studies outside educational contexts have addressed embodied cognition (see Section 1.1) in language learning (e.g., Macedonia &
Mueller, 2016; Repetto, Pedroli, & Macedonia, 2017), often focusing on hand gestures. There is also a growing interest in studying
embodiment in language use in social interaction, with an embodied turn identied in the beginning of the 21st century (Nevile, 2015).
Further, a recent meta-analysis on studies applying embodied cognition in education in the 2010s—where language education was one
investigated eld—demonstrated that embodied designs helped to improve learning efciency and academic performance (Zhang
et al., 2021). However, the meta-analysis only addressed a single theoretical perspective on embodied learning and did not cover all
empirical research on embodied learning in language education. No review so far has focused comprehensively on empirical research
on embodied learning in language education. The number of studies with such a focus has seemingly increased which indicates that the
eld is mature for interrogation.
Embodied learning is currently seeking ways to be enacted and applied in education (Georgiou & Ioannou, 2019; Nathan, 2022),
but pedagogical practices seem to respond slowly to developments in this research area (Macedonia, 2019; Macrine & Fugate, 2021). A
research synthesis offers a way to promote research-pedagogy dialogues because practitioners outside academia can obtain an
overview of the eld (Chong, 2020). Thus, to promote research-informed pedagogy and advance pedagogical practices, knowledge is
needed about the contributions of embodied learning in language education. This topic warrants a thorough review of the literature to
advance the eld and inform those interested in taking advantage of embodied learning in language education.
This study aims to aggregate and review empirical research, published from 1990 to 2020, using embodied learning approaches in
language education. The review addresses rst (L1), second (L2), and foreign (FL) language learning and teaching at various
educational levels to gain a comprehensive understanding of previous research. Examination of the characteristics in such research is
needed to gain understanding of where, with whom, and when embodied learning approaches are used in language education.
Investigation of the embodied learning activities used—i.e., activities implemented to facilitate language learning and teach-
ing—contributes understanding about how embodied learning can be implemented in language education. Further, knowledge of what
is empirically established and what remains unexplored can provide directions for further research and practice. Therefore, the
research questions (RQ) motivating the review are: (1) What characterizes embodied learning approaches in language education in
previous studies; (2) What kind of embodied learning activities are explored in previous studies; and (3) What are the empirical results
in studies using embodied learning approaches in language education?
2. Embodied learning in language learning and teaching
This review approaches embodied learning as a comprehensive conception of learning, theoretically and philosophically rooted in
the so-called embodied turn. This turn originated within the eld of phenomenology, with the emphasis on the inseparability of body
and mind (e.g., Husserl, 1998; Merleau-Ponty, 1945/2014). This development has been fueled signicantly by the seminal publication
“The Embodied Mind” by Varela et al. (1991/2016), among others. Embodied learning entails that the human body—i.e., the learner’s
body—is actively engaged in learning processes (Anttila, 2018; Anttila & Svendler Nielsen, 2019; Nathan, 2022). Therefore, the
often-presented claim stating that all learning is embodied, because the brain is part of the body, can be contested. However, the notion
of embodied learning can be substantiated through more detailed argumentation, leaning on contemporary research in several elds,
such as neuroscience, neurophenomenology, and cognitive psychology (Barsalou, 2020; Thompson, 2010, 2017; Varela et al.,
1991/2016).
Understanding cognition as embodied, which recent literature supports, connects the brain with the body and the environment
(Thompson, 2017), emphasizing that the brain is not a separate module where the mind is situated. Barsalou (2020), along with several
cognitive psychologists, challenges the modular view of cognition, where cognition is seen as operating independently from other
modules, like vision, audition, action, and emotion, and thus “sandwiched” between perception and action. Barsalou refers to extensive
research, claiming that cognition utilizes the perceptual modalities and the motor system for representation and processing purposes
and emerges from the coupling of the brain, body, and environment (e.g., Hutchins, 1995; Newen, Bruin, & Gallagher, 2018;
Thompson, 2010; Varela et al., 1991/2016).
Barsalou (2020), however, challenges the term embodied cognition. For him, “embodied” entails that the “body must necessarily be
engaged during cognition” (p. 2), seemingly referring to motor engagement or physical activity. However, the authors of this study
maintain that bodily engagement is a broader notion than just physical activity. Barsalou (2020) argues that the non-modular
perspective should be referred to as grounded cognition or 4E cognition because the body offers only one form of grounding, with
other forms of grounding being different modalities and the physical and social environment. Again, modalities are seen as part of the
embodied system that, in turn, is intertwined with the physical and social environment exactly through the modalities.
A view of embodied learning articulated in elds of education, arts education, and dance education (Anttila, 2018; Anttila &
Svendler Nielsen, 2019; Giguere, 2021; Henley, 2021) is closely aligned with the 4E perspective where “cognition, affect, and behavior
emerge from the body being embedded in environments that extend cognition, as agents enact situated action reecting their current
cognitive and affective states” (Barsalou, 2020, p. 2). This view underscores that embodied activity goes beyond visible, bodily activity
(i.e., actual movement) to also account for inner bodily sensations, experiences, and physiological changes. Modalities and all bodily
systems are responsible for generating changes in bodily states and may lead to embodied activation, engagement, and sensory
S. Jusslin et al.
Educational Research Review 37 (2022) 100480
3
experiences that are understood as “partners” in learning processes. These modalities and bodily systems connect the body with the
physical and social environment. Barsalou’s (2020) proposal about the importance to “move beyond viewing embodiment as only
action” (p. 6) has thus already been prominent in these research elds where engaging the body is seen as more than motor action. It
can thus be argued that embodied learning extends beyond learning through movement and that a more suitable term for learning
through motor action could be bodily learning.
1
Moreover, kinesthetic learning refers to pedagogical practices that emphasize the role
of sensory (kinesthetic) experiences generated through bodily activity (e.g., Lengel & Kuczala, 2010).
The combination of the body, physical activity, and language learning is not new in language education. Since the 1960s, alter-
native language teaching methods have sought to activate the body as part of the language learning process. Particularly the Total
Physical Response approach (Asher, 1969) invites learners to listen and react with their bodies to target language commands
(Macedonia, 2019). In research on second language acquisition, the importance of verbal and bodily means for communication was
already acknowledged in the Interaction Hypothesis (Long, 1996). However, the social turn shifted emphasis from the individual’s
cognition as a brain-bound phenomenon to more holistic views on cognition and language learning (Block, 2003, 2007; Firth &
Wagner, 1997, 2007). The social view understands language learning as a situated social practice where cognitive processes linked to
learning are intertwined with language use. In language teaching, there has also been a shift to communicative approaches, and, later,
to action-oriented approaches that view learners as social agents acting in real-life situations (Council of Europe, 2018).
Recently, the role of bodily and material resources, such as body movements, facial expressions, gestures, gaze, and the use of
relevant objects for meaning-making in L2 interactions, have attracted increased attention in research analyzing L2 learning (e.g.,
Eilola & Lilja, 2021; Greer, 2019; Kasper & Burch, 2016). Such an expanded approach to language is also emphasized in the
socio-semiotic approach to multimodality (e.g., Kress, 2010; Kress & van Leeuven, 2006), prevalent within L1 education research. In
L2 teaching, the multimodal view of language is central in approaches such as action-based pedagogies, which also emphasize
embodied and multisensory engagement in language learning (van Lier, 2007). Another approach gaining ground, especially in
multilingual contexts, is the translanguaging approach. It invites transgressing borders not only between named languages, but also
between linguistic and other semiotic modes in communication (Li, 2018). Although these recent approaches strongly resonate with an
embodied approach, this dimension has not yet been fully recognized, for instance, in translanguaging (Pennycook, 2017). Embodied
learning approaches thus align with and contribute to ongoing trends in language education.
In sum, understanding embodied learning requires the ability to distinguish learning as holistic, utilizing the bodily faculties fully,
and thus connecting learning processes with the learner’s environment. This understanding underpins the analysis in this review. This
discernment may contribute to the development and implementation of novel pedagogical approaches. Against this background, an
embodied approach to language learning and teaching can draw on various theoretical perspectives, motivating why this review is
open towards different theoretical frameworks. This openness enables the review to capture different perspectives of the investigated
topic.
3. Methods
The study was conducted as a systematic mixed studies review, seeking to systematically aggregate, appraise, and synthesize
empirical studies with different research designs (Booth, Sutton, & Papaioannou, 2016; Pluye, Gagnon, Grifths, & Johnson-Laeur,
2009).
In January 2021, exhaustive literature searches were conducted in seven databases: ERIC, Academic Search Complete, Web of
Science, PsycINFO, PubMed, Finna,
2
and Google Scholar.
3
Different search terms were piloted to determine the scope of the review.
Two clusters of search terms were utilized in the databases with Boolean operators: (“embodied learning” OR “embodied pedagog*”
OR “embodied cognition” OR “embodied education” OR “embod*” OR “embodied teaching” OR “bodily learning” OR “kinaesthetic
learning” OR “embodied instruction” OR “embodied practice*” OR “movement-based” OR “bodily”) AND (“language education” OR
“language learning” OR “language teaching” OR “language pedagog*” OR “language acquisition” OR “language development”). The
searches did not specify educational levels due to the broad educational focus of the review. The database searches yielded 6507 hits
after removing duplicates.
Manual hand-searches were performed in a selection of relevant journals to enhance the comprehensiveness of the searches. The
following journals were hand-searched: Topics in Cognitive Science; Frontiers in Psychology; Applied Linguistics; Language and
Education; Linguistics and Education; Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching; Studies in Second Language Acquisition;
Language Learning; Research on Language and Social Interactions; Modern Language Journal; Language Teaching Research; Learning,
Culture and Social Interaction; TESOL Quarterly; and Language Teaching. The hand-searches yielded 22 additional hits. Relevant
meta-analyses and literature reviews found in the searches were used to search for studies not found in the original searches. Alto-
gether, 6529 references were exported to the systematic review tool Covidence for the screening process.
1
Utdanningsdirektoratet [Norwegian Ministry of Education] (2020), within the Læreplan i kroppsøving (KRO01-05) (Curriculum for Physical
Education), denines bodily learning as: versatile motor learning, development of body awareness and stimulation of joy in movement.
2
Finna is a collection of search services for Finnish universities that includes several databases.
3
Google Scholar was used to search for articles published in non-indexed journals, anthologies, and conference proceedings.
S. Jusslin et al.
Educational Research Review 37 (2022) 100480
4
3.1. Inclusion and exclusion criteria
The selection was determined by predened inclusion and exclusion criteria (Table 1). The review covered studies published
between 1990 and 2020 to gain a comprehensive overview of the topic. The study included studies reported in languages mastered by
at least two of the authors. The review included peer-reviewed empirical studies, published as journal articles, chapters, and con-
ference proceedings. Because chapters and conference proceedings are not always peer-reviewed, the review only included studies that
were explicitly labelled as peer-reviewed or if the authors knew that the studies were peer-reviewed.
The review included studies with various educational framings provided that they focused explicitly on learning or teaching
language(s). As teacher education has an effect on teaching practices in school, the review included studies addressing language
pedagogy for student teachers. Consequently, participants in the reviewed studies could range from children to adults. The review
included studies in rst (L1), second (L2), and foreign (FL) language contexts and studies focusing on learning and teaching spoken
languages (in comparison to signed languages). Ultimately, the review included studies that theoretically used an embodied frame-
work for learning and teaching (see Section 2), thus excluding studies where embodied learning and teaching was only mentioned or
not actively used.
3.2. Selection procedure and quality appraisal
The selection procedure is illustrated in Fig. 1. In the screening phase, all titles and abstracts were screened independently by two
authors to avoid selection bias, ensuring that the inclusion criteria were met. Possible conicts were resolved by a third author. A total
of 6379 references were excluded based on title and abstract screenings.
Altogether 150 full-text studies were read for eligibility by the rst author and another author. After applying the criteria, 34
studies were assessed as eligible. To expand the review, citation tracking was applied to the studies, checking both reference lists and if
the studies were cited in relevant articles, as well as researcher checking to nd relevant studies from known scholars in the eld. This
yielded seven additional studies eligible for review. The synthesis ultimately included 41 studies (23 qualitative, 12 quantitative, and
six mixed methods).
The included studies underwent quality appraisal using a scoring system for mixed studies reviews developed by Pluye et al.
(2009). The quality appraisal tool included 15 quality criteria, proposed to be the minimum set of criteria for concomitant appraisal of
qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research (Pluye et al., 2009). The studies’ quality scores were calculated by dividing the
scores (0–1) by the number of relevant criteria for the used research design x 100. This tool addressed similar aspects of methodological
quality that have been proposed for language education.
4
All studies were appraised independently by two authors. No studies were
excluded based on the quality appraisal, because the intention was to evaluate possible limitations of the studies that might affect the
synthesis.
3.3. Data extraction and analysis
Data was extracted independently by two authors using a data extraction form, piloted before using it on all studies. The following
data was extracted: aims, research questions/hypotheses, theoretical framework, research design, educational context, participants,
data collection method, method of analysis, and results in response to the review’s research questions. Discrepancies were discussed
between the authors until consensus was reached.
Thematic analysis was conducted to create a narrative synthesis (Booth et al., 2016; Braun & Clarke, 2006). Because a majority used
qualitative designs, the synthesis used an assimilated approach by qualifying and merging quantitative ndings with qualitative
ndings (Pluye et al., 2009), while still reporting effect sizes from quantitative studies when relevant for the synthesis. The data was
transferred to NVivo, where the data was coded in relation to the research questions by the rst author. Building on similarities in the
coding, the rst author grouped the codes into subthemes, upholding a close dialogue between all authors. Possible differences in
opinion were discussed until reaching a consensus. The identied subthemes were checked against the original articles several times
and ultimately compared with each other to identify patterns and create themes and subthemes in response to the research questions.
The structures of the thematic analyses are explained in relation to the research questions.
4. Results
4.1. Study characteristics
In response to RQ1, a thematic and descriptive overview of the included studies in terms of year of publication, languages,
educational levels, participants’ language prociency levels, and investigated language areas is presented. The analysis of the char-
acteristics of the used embodied learning approaches resulted in a thematization that the studies belonged to two different strands.
4
See TESOL Quarterly’s recommendations for quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/
journal/15457249/homepage/forauthors.html.
S. Jusslin et al.
Educational Research Review 37 (2022) 100480
5
4.1.1. Overview of the studies
Table 2 presents an overview of the included studies. All studies were published after 2010, except one from 2008. The number of
studies increased towards the end of the 2010s, with 35 (85%) studies published between 2015 and 2020, whereas 19 (46%) studies
were published between 2019 and 2020. Learning of English was mostly represented (56%) and other target languages were German,
French, Greek, Romanian, Swedish, Chinese, Finnish, Italian, and Japanese.
Altogether, 14 studies were conducted in higher education, 11 in primary and elementary education, seven in preschool and
kindergarten, four in adult education, three in non-formal education, and two in secondary education. Furthermore, 18 studies (L2 and
FL) targeted beginner or low prociency students, and eight studies targeted intermediate or advanced levels. All seven L1 studies
targeted children aged 3–10, and the remaining eight L2 and FL studies did not mention a prociency level.
Various terms in relation to embodied learning were used: embodied learning, embodied pedagogy, embodied teaching, embodied
Table 1
Inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Criteria Included Excluded
1. Year of publication 1990–2020 Before 1990 and after 2020
2. Language use English, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Danish Other languages
3. Scientic quality
and type of study
Peer-reviewed, empirical studies (journal articles, chapters, and
conference proceedings) using any type of research design
Non-peer-reviewed studies, meta-analyses, literature reviews,
theses and dissertations, theoretical studies, only descriptions of
practice and teaching tips
4. Educational
framing
Explicit focus on learning and/or teaching language(s) in preschool,
kindergarten, primary education, secondary education, and higher
education, adult education, and non-formal education
Non-educational settings (e.g., laboratory settings), homes,
hospitals, speech therapy, and rehabilitation centers
5. Language focus Any language as rst, second, or foreign language Sign language, and speech or cognitive impairments
6. Embodied
approach
Using an embodied framework to learning and teaching Only mentioning embodiment or embodied learning and
teaching without using it theoretically
Fig. 1. Flow Chart of the screening procedure.
S. Jusslin et al.
Educational Research Review 37 (2022) 100480
6
Table 2
Overview of included articles.
Study Aim Theoretical framework Research design Context
Andr¨
a et al. (2020) To compare the effects of
gesture and picture enrichment
on L2 vocabulary learning; to
investigate whether gesture or
picture enrichment has the
potential to boost children’s
learning of both concrete and
abstract word types; and to
investigate long-term
inuences of gesture and
picture enrichment on school
children’s L2 vocabulary
retention by comparing the
effects of the two types of
enrichment up to 6 months
post-learning.
Cognitive and neuroscientic
theories of multisensory and
sensorimotor enrichment
focusing on embodiment, dual
coding, and simulation and
imagery accounts.
Quantitative experimental
within-subjects study.
Experiments 1 and 2 compared
gesture enrichment with a non-
enriched condition, while
experiment 3 compared gesture
enrichment with picture
enrichment. Recorded
vocabulary and free recall test
sessions at three points: 3 days, 2
months, and 6 months following
the completion of the learning
phases.
Three experiments in a
primary school (grade 3) in
Germany with a focus on L2
(English). 54 students in
experiment 1; 43 students
in experiment 2; and 51
students in experiment 3.
Bara and Kaminski
(2019)
To test the proposal that
holding the real object while
saying the corresponding
word, without performing any
specic gesture, allows an
efcient encoding in memory
and facilitates the retrieval of
the name of the object.
Embodied cognition and
language, and cognitive load
theory.
Quantitative, quasi-experimental
study with a within-participant
design where the children
participated in both conditions
with images as non-verbal aids
and objects. Assessment through
a post-vocabulary test.
108 children (5–10-year-
olds) in grades 1–3 in a
primary school in Rwanda
with a focus on L3
(French).
Cannon (2017) To investigate the use of
drama-based pedagogy to
reach linguistically diverse
students.
Bakhtin’s categories of language:
authoritative and internally
persuasive discourse; embodied
learning; and multimodal
literacy.
Qualitative, ethnographic case
study with participant
observation, video-recordings,
group interviews with students,
and one-to-one interviews with
the teacher.
18 seventh- and eighth-
grade students (aged
12–14) in a middle school
in the US and their teacher
with a focus on L2
(English).
Duncan et al. (2019) To pilot a combined movement
and story-telling intervention;
examining the effect of a
combined movement and
story-telling intervention,
movement only intervention or
story-telling only intervention
on motor competence and
naming vocabulary in British
preschoolers.
Embodied cognition. Quantitative, cluster randomized
intervention design with (1) a
combined movement and story-
telling intervention; (2) a
movement only intervention; and
(3) a story-telling only
intervention, using pre-, post-,
and delayed post-tests for Test of
Gross Motor Development – 2
through video-recordings; and
British Ability Scales – 3 to assess
language ability.
74 preschool children
(aged 3–4) in three
preschools in the UK with a
focus on L1 (English). 22
children in intervention
group 1; 25 children in
control group 2; and 27
children in control group 3.
All children participated in
pre- and post-tests, and 37
children participated in
delayed post-tests.
Eilola (2020) To analyze the use of different
linguistic, embodied, and
material resources in word
explanation sequences
following dictations exercises
in language classrooms for
adult second language and
literacy learners.
Theories of multimodality,
embodied enactment, and social
interaction.
Qualitative, longitudinal
ethnographic design, applying
conversational analysis on video-
observations.
5 teachers and their adult
students at an adult
education center in Finland
with a focus on L2
(Finnish).
Eskildsen and
Wagner (2013)
To explore the return gesture as
a resource of embodied
competence in more detail in
three different situations in
which participants make use of
gestures to complete turns and
produce return gestures in
different ways.
Theories of gesture studies and a
conversation analytical
paradigm.
Qualitative conversation analysis
study applying a longitudinal
perspective on non-elicited
classroom data using observation
and video-recordings.
Adult L2 learners (English)
at a community college in
the US. 1 focal student.
Eskildsen and
Wagner (2015)
To investigate the coupling of
specic linguistic items with
specic gestures in second
language (L2) learning over
time.
Usage-based approaches to
language learning; and theories
of gesture studies and
conversation analysis.
Qualitative, longitudinal
conversation analysis study using
video-recordings.
Adult L2 learners (English)
at a community college in
the US. 1 focal student.
Guerrettaz et al.
(2020)
To analyze the ESOL lesson
that Anne Marie (Author 1)
employed and her teacher-
learners’ responses.
Sociocultural theory and
experiential learning with a focus
on embodiment.
Qualitative lesson study with
embodied lessons with nine
learning tasks using audio-
recordings of embodied lessons;
audio-recorded focus group
19 undergraduate students
(aged 18–28) in a teacher
education program in the
US with a focus on L2
pedagogy (English).
(continued on next page)
S. Jusslin et al.
Educational Research Review 37 (2022) 100480
7
Table 2 (continued )
Study Aim Theoretical framework Research design Context
sessions; written reections, and
background questionnaires.
Hanks and Eckstein
(2019)
To determine whether students
found the dance curriculum
benecial in its own right and
whether they reported any
change in their enjoyment,
motivation, or condence in
English language learning due
to their participation in a
dance-based curriculum.
Theories of motivation, self-
determination theory, kinesthetic
learning, synaptic trace of
memory, and cognitive-affective
theory of learning from media.
Quantitative questionnaires and
qualitative feedback from a 4-
week dance-based English
curriculum. Pre- and post-course
questionnaires with Achievement
Emotions Questionnaire and
Motivation Orientation of
Language Teaching; and focus
groups and interviews with 10
students.
26 students (aged 19–37) at
a language school for
learners of English (L2) at a
university in the US.
Haught and
McCafferty
(2008)
To argue that language is not a
separate domain from
communication, that language
in use is necessarily an
embodied phenomenon that
includes mimetic properties
that are part and parcel of the
language culture mix, such as
facial expressions, gestures,
posture, body language and so
forth; and that body, language,
and mind are unied in the
engendering of a thought and
its production in linguistic and
imagistic form through speech
and gesture.
Socio-cultural theory, and
embodied mind.
Qualitative design focusing on
drama workshops with video-
recordings, student notes, and
changes made to scripts in the
workshop.
6 adult students in a
voluntary drama workshop
at a university in the US,
with a focus on L2
(English).
Hellermann (2018) To address two different
aspects of the
conceptualization of
interactional competence; to
add to the discussion of
practice-based approaches to
the conceptualizations of
learning; to illustrate evidence
how the focal participant (Li) is
learning how to be a student in
a language classroom; and to
illustrate how language is
learned in the context of
learning a particular task.
Theories of cognition as
distributed and enacted and
ethno-methodological
conversation analysis.
Qualitative ethnomethodological
conversation analysis with a
longitudinal design using
observation and video-
recordings.
Adult participants in a
community college English
class in the US with a focus
on L2 (English). 1 focal
student.
Hua et al. (2020) To explore the role of
embodied repertories in
teaching and learning in a
multi-ethnic karate club in East
London and its implications for
language teaching and
learning; and to show how the
translanguaging approach
helps to highlight the
signicance embodied
repertoire in teaching and
learning.
Theories of translanguaging and
embodied repertoires.
Qualitative ethnographic
research design using
ethnographic observations,
audio- and video-recordings, eld
notes, and interviews.
Two multilingual karate
clubs in the UK with 1
sensei, 1 helper, and 20
karate children (aged 4–16)
learning Japanese karate
terms (FL) while practicing
karate moves.
Ionescu and Ilie
(2018)
To explore whether language
learning in preschoolers is
more efcient if it is based on
using the sensorimotor system
of the child when they rst
encounter abstract expressions.
Theories of embodied cognition;
grounded cognition; embodied
learning; and theory of cognitive
development.
Quantitative, pretest/posttest
quasi-experimental design with
(1) an embodied learning group
and (2) a traditional learning
group using pre- and post-tests of
children’s knowledge and
recognition of new words in a
story.
25 kindergarten children
(aged 4–5) in Romania with
a focus on L1 (Romanian):
14 children in group 1 and
11 children in group 2.
Janzen Ulbricht
(2020)
To report the results of a 7-
week experiment that tested
the effects of gesture-based L2
instruction on long-term
spatial term learning; and to
test the long-term effects of
learning a text using two
Theories of gesture studies and
embodied simulation.
Quantitative experimental study
with two experimental
conditions: codied gesture
condition and scenic learning
condition using testing materials
with objects (e.g., teddy bear,
ball, blanket) which the children
76 children (aged 8–13; M
=10.9 years) in two
primary schools, one in
Germany (n =29) and one
in Poland (n =47) with a
focus on English (FL).
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Table 2 (continued )
Study Aim Theoretical framework Research design Context
English language teaching
methods, one with teacher
gestures at the level of
morphology without access to
the written text (CG), and one
with gestures at the sentence
level with access to the written
text (SL).
performed tasks with to receive
points for different actions and
how they succeeded.
Kaˇ
sˇ
c´
ak et al. (2012) To discusses German language
acquisition at an early age: the
discovery of the
interconnection between
language and corporeality is
the key component
of the analysis based on video
studies.
Theories of the anthropology of
the body; phenomenology; and
habitus.
Qualitative ethnographic
videography study using video-
observations of 59 lessons and in-
depth interviews with teachers.
Children (aged 3–6) and
teachers in four
kindergartens in Slovakia
with a focus on German
(FL).
Kern (2018) To explore, using the
methodology of conversation
analysis, what rst graders
learn about words and syllables
when they are asked to clap
whilst vocalizing them.
Theories of ethnomethodology. Qualitative conversation analysis
study using videotaped examples.
5 rst-grade children and 2
teachers in primary school
in Germany with a focus on
L1 (German).
Kosmas and Zaphiris
(2019)
To examine if the embodied
interaction delivered through
the use of motion-based games
(i.e., Kinect educational
games) can facilitate the
collaboration between
students; and to examine if the
delivery of embodied learning
through technology can
support the collaboration
between students in the
classroom within the language
learning.
Theories of embodied interaction
and cognition.
Mixed methods study
implementing embodied learning
as part of the learning activities in
a real classroom environment
using an attitudinal Likert scale
questionnaire to assess students’
overall experience and
perceptions of the learning
approach; and teachers’
observation protocols and semi-
structured interviews with
teachers.
52 students (mean age 8.2)
and ve teachers from four
elementary classrooms in
two primary schools in
Cyprus with a focus on L1.
Kosmas and Zaphiris
(2020)
To investigate a new approach
to classroom interventions
from an embodied perspective;
and to provide a new teaching
paradigm for teachers and
researchers to use in their
exploration of embodied
learning-driven technology as
a learning tool.
Theories of embodied cognition. Mixed methods study with a
three-month movement-based
intervention using pre and post
language and vocabulary tests
Word Finding Vocabulary Test
and personalized PanBoy
vocabulary test; student
questionnaires; and semi-
structured interview with the
teachers.
118 students (62 rst-
graders, 56 s-graders) and 6
teachers in elementary
schools in Cyprus with a
focus on L1 (Greek).
Kosmas et al. (2019) To examine how using
Kinect-based educational
games, as one example of
implementing embodied
learning in a classroom
context, can become a reality
in an authentic classroom
environment with documented
gains for students.
Theories of embodied learning;
embodied interaction; and
embodied cognition.
Mixed methods intervention
study with 13 intervention
sessions during a four-month
period using pre- and posttests
with “Psychometric criterion of
cognitive adequacy for children”
to assess short-term memory
skills; “Word nding vocabulary
test” to assess language skills;
collecting learning analytics from
the Kinect game to examine the
children’s progress; teacher’s
reective diaries; and semi-
structured interviews with
teachers.
52 third-graders (aged
7–10) and ve teachers,
involved in the research
procedure, at four
elementary classrooms in
two primary schools in
Cyprus, with a focus on L1
(Greek).
Lan et al. (2018) To investigate the learning
effects of different types of
embodied movements, real
body versus 3D avatar, on
elementary school EFL
students’ learning
comprehension of phrases
about sports.
Theories of embodied cognition;
embodied language processing;
and human’s motor system.
Quantitative quasi-experimental
design with three treatment
groups in an 11-week
experiment: (1) Kinect; (2)
Second Life; and (3) paper, using
an EFL performance pre-test
(week 1) and delay-tests (week 6
and 11).
69 fth-grade students in
two elementary schools in
Taiwan with a focus on
English (FL): 25 students in
Kinect group; 22 students
in Second Life group; and
22 students in paper group.
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9
Table 2 (continued )
Study Aim Theoretical framework Research design Context
Lan et al. (2015) To investigate the learning
effects of different modalities
on elementary school EFL
students’ learning of phrases
about sports; and to investigate
how the tness between
learners’ learning styles and
adopted learning modalities
inuences the learning of
English as a foreign language
(EFL) by elementary school
students.
Theories of embodied cognition. Quantitative experimental design
with three modality groups: (1)
video; (2) gesture-based; and (3)
3D avatar-based using a
performance test and a learning
style questionnaire.
87 fth-grade students in
an elementary school in
Taiwan with a focus on
English (FL): 27 students in
video group; 32 students in
gesture group; and 28
students in avatar group.
Lilja et al. (2020) To increase understanding of
language use and moments of
language learning in social
circus interaction.
Theories of embodied
demonstration, action, and
resources and a conversation
analysis paradigm.
Qualitative video-ethnography
study with multimodal
conversation analysis using
video-observations and
researchers’ notes.
Adult immigrants and
instructors in social circus
in Finland with a focus on
L2 (Finnish).
Majlesi (2014) To show, in detail, how
awareness about grammatical
glosses, relations, and rules are
progressively accomplished in
face-to-face teaching moments;
and to demonstrate how
instructing second language
grammar and accomplishing
grammatical understanding on
a worksheet are underwritten
by embodied practices.
Theories of ethnomethodological
conversation analysis and
dialogical and praxeological
perspectives.
Qualitative ethnomethodological
conversation analysis study using
video-recordings.
Adult immigrants in
Swedish for immigrant
classes in Sweden with a
focus on L2 (Swedish).
Majlesi (2015) To demonstrate the use of
teachers’ responsive matching
gestures in different
interactional sequence types as
part of intertwined resources
(e.g., prosody, body
orientations, etc.) to
foreground and highlight what
is learnt.
Theories of ethnomethodological
conversation analysis.
Qualitative ethnomethodological
conversational analysis study
using video-recordings.
Adult immigrants in
Swedish for immigrant
classes in Sweden with a
focus on L2 (Swedish).
Majlesi (2018) To show how multimodality,
that is, the use of multiple
communicative resources, such
as talk, body, and available
artifacts, is indispensable to
action-building in human
activities including language
teaching, here the teaching of
grammar.
Multimodal analysis of classroom
interaction from an ethno-
methodological conversation
analysis perspective.
Qualitative ethnomethodological
conversational analysis study
using video-recordings.
Adult immigrants in
Swedish for immigrant
classes in Sweden with a
focus on L2 (Swedish).
Marian et al. (2019) To explore the role positive
emotions might play in
language learning in the
preschool period; and to see if
the previous results can be
replicated.
Theories of embodied cognition
and grounded cognition; and the
broaden-and-build theory.
Quantitative quasi-experimental
design with four conditions:
Sensorimotor condition with
emotions (SME); traditional
learning condition with emotions
(E); sensorimotor condition (SM);
and control group (C), using pre-
and post-tests to assess the
number of newly learned words
and idioms, and the number of
narrative sequences retold in the
correct order.
Children (aged 4–5) from
two kindergartens in
Romania with a focus on
L1: 20 children in SME
group; 14 children in E
group; 7 children in SM
group; and 10 children in C
group.
Matsumoto (2019) To investigate moments when
embodied actions and gestures
become prominent
interactional resources for
teaching in the context of a L2
writing classroom.
Theories of multimodality,
embodiment, and non-verbality;
and a conversation analytical
paradigm.
Qualitative conversation analysis
study using video-recordings and
observations.
19 university students and
1 instructor at a university
in the US, with a focus on
L2 (English).
Mavilidi et al.
(2015)
To investigate the effects of
enacting words through full-
body movements in the form of
physical exercise and part-
body movements in the form of
Theories of grounded or
embodied cognition.
Quantitative mixed experimental
design with four conditions: (1)
integrated physical exercise
condition; (2) non-integrated
physical exercise condition; (3)
125 preschool children
(mean age 4.94) from
fteen childcare centers in
Australia, with a focus on
Italian (FL): 31 children in
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Table 2 (continued )
Study Aim Theoretical framework Research design Context
gesturing on learning a foreign
language vocabulary.
gesturing condition; and (4)
conventional condition, using
measurement of memory
performance (free-recall and
cued recall tests); measurement
of physical activity with
accelerometer to assess the
children during, directly after,
and follow-up.
group 1; 23 children in
group 2; 31 children in
group 3; and 26 children in
group 4.
Nguyen (2016) To describe how a teacher uses
talk, the body, and material
artifacts to teach pronunciation
in an intensive ESL classroom.
Theories of social interaction. Qualitative conversational
analysis study using participant
observations and video-
recordings.
University students and
their teacher at a university
in the US, with a focus on
L2 (English).
Paseld-Neotou,
Huang, & Grant
(2015)
To examine student interaction
in a virtual environment
customised for foreign
language learning to examine
“virtually” embodied and
extended cognition.
Theories of embodied cognition
and extended embodied
cognition.
Qualitative case studies with two
cases: (1) focus group interviews
after a lesson when navigating
the avatar in Second Life; and (2)
video-recordings of students
using avatars to buy traditional
dish in Second Life, and one-on-
one stimulated recall interviews.
Students (aged 18–25) in
computer lab lessons at a
university in Australia,
with a focus on L2
(Chinese): 14 students in
case 1; and 11 students in
case 2.
Rosborough (2014) To investigate the mediational
role of gesture and body
movement/positioning
between a teacher and an
English language learner in a
second-grade classroom.
Sociocultural theory and
ecological learning.
Qualitative observational study
using video-recordings,
observation and eld notes,
classroom documents, and two
interviews with the teacher.
19 s-grade students and 1
teacher in elementary
school in the US, with a
focus on L2 (English). 1
focus student in the study.
Rothwell (2011) To explore the potential of a
process drama pedagogy in the
language classroom to enhance
engagement and achievement
in additional language learning
in its early stages; and to
examine any links between this
process and the current
emphasis on improving
learners’ experiences of the
language culture nexus
through what is called
intercultural language
learning.
Socio-cultural model of language
and multimodality.
Qualitative action research study
using video-recordings of classes,
questionnaires, and interviews
with students.
21 eight-grade students
(aged 12–13) and 1
teacher-researcher in a
secondary school in
Australia, with a focus on
German (FL).
Scally (2019) To investigate the application
of theatre devising strategies to
create a heightened awareness
of non-verbal language and
embodied experience of words
in second language acquisition
(SLA) learning and teaching.
Theories of linguistic habitus,
phenomenology, and a socio-
cognitive approach to SLA.
Qualitative ethnographic study
with a four-week theatre
workshops, using video
documentation of the sessions to
complement the researcher’s
reections and observations of
the sessions; a project blog, a pre-
and post-project electronic
survey; and audio-recorded semi-
structured interviews.
10 participants (aged
26–44) in a theatre
workshop with a focus on
L2 in Switzerland.
Schmidt et al.
(2019)
To investigate the effects of
specically designed physical
activities on primary school
children’s foreign language
vocabulary learning and
attentional performance.
Theories of embodied cognition
and cognitive load theory.
Quantitative intervention study
with three experimental
conditions: (1) meaningful
physical activity; (2) nonrelated
physical activity; and (3) without
physical activity (control), using
a pre d2-R test of attention and a
questionnaire including
background variables
immediately after the one
learning session; ratings of
enjoyment and cognitive exertion
after second session; wearing
accelerometers and a post d2-R
test of attention after third
learning session; and cued recall
test after the fourth session.
Enjoyment measured with
Third-grade students
(mean age =9.04) in six
elementary school classes
in Switzerland, with a focus
on French (FL): 34 students
in group 1; 38 students in
group 2; and 33 students in
group 3.
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Table 2 (continued )
Study Aim Theoretical framework Research design Context
Physical Activity Enjoyment
Scale and cognitive exertion
measured with Self-Assessment
Manikin.
Shiang (2018) To explore the impact of
embodied cognition on EFL
reading instruction via a
comics production activity,
comparing its effects on EFL
reading comprehension to
those of a translation activity.
Grounded cognition and
embodied cognition.
Comparison of two groups: (1)
comics production group that
illustrated texts; and (2)
translation group that translated
texts, using a true or false reading
test and a semi-structured post-
experiment focus group
interview.
71 freshmen students at
two universities in Taiwan,
with a focus on English
(FL): 35 students in group
1; and 36 students in group
2.
Sila and Lenard
(2020)
To determine how essential it is
for children to include
movement support in teaching
them to produce words and
alliteration after being given
the initial sound of a word
(vowels/æ/,/e/,/ɪ/,/ɒ/,/ʌ/) in
English.
Theories of kinesthetic learning
and embodied cognition.
Qualitative descriptive design
with two teaching sessions using
video clips, a semi-structured
interview, and a word and
alliteration production test.
13 children (mean age =
5.8) with a teacher and a
dance teacher in a
preschool in Slovenia, with
a focus on English (FL).
Smotrova (2017) To examine the ways the
teacher and students employ
body movement in an ESL
classroom in order to identify
its instructional functions and
implications for pedagogy.
Sociocultural theory;
Vygotsky’s obuchenie; a
neurological lens to imitative
learning through mirror neuron
mechanisms; and classication of
gestural dimensions.
Qualitative conversation analysis
study using video-recordings and
a semi-structured follow-up
interview with the instructor.
12 students and 1 teacher
in a course at a university
in the US, with a focus on
L2 (English).
Su˜
ner and Roche
(2019)
To investigate the effectiveness
of multimedia animations for
the visualization of embodied
concepts related to so-called
light verb constructions in
German (e. g. Germ. eine Rede
halten, ‘to give a speech’).
Theories of embodied cognition,
concept-based approach to
grammar, and cognitive
linguistics.
Quantitative experimental study
with two groups: (1) concept-
based approach with image-
schematic approach; and (2)
traditional approach with a
formalistic approach, using tasks
with pre- and posttests and a
questionnaire on the experience
with the teaching materials and
activities, and the perceptions of
the importance of grammar in the
context of language learning.
39 students (mean age =
22.3) at two universities in
Belgium, with a focus on L2
(German). 20 students in
group 1; and 19 students in
group 2.
Tai and Brandt
(2018)
To gain a detailed
understanding of the
possibilities of employing
embodied enactments as a
pedagogical strategy to
respond to learner initiatives in
an L2 classroom.
Theories of embodied enactment
and learner initiatives.
Qualitative conversational
analysis study using video-
recorded classroom data.
4 students and 1 teacher in
a class at a university in the
US, with a focus on L2
(English).
Toumpaniari et al.
(2015)
To examine whether preschool
children’s learning of a foreign
language vocabulary by
embodying words through
task-relevant enactment
gestures and physical activities
would be perceived as the
preferred teaching method and
lead to higher learning
outcomes than learning by
embodying words through
task-relevant enactment
gestures only and learning in a
conventional way without
gestures and physical
activities.
Theories of cognitive,
physiological, and affective gains
and processes; and physical
activity and academic
performance.
Quantitative quasi-experimental
study with three experimental
conditions for four weeks: (1)
embodying words through
gesturing; (2) embodying words
through physical activity and
gesturing; (2) and control group,
using individual post-test with to
evaluate the teaching method and
to determine how many words
they could remember with cue-
recall format.
67 children (aged 4) in
three kindergarten classes
from two kindergartens in
Greece, with a focus on
English (FL): 23 children in
group 1; 23 children in
group 2; and 21 children in
group 3.
Wei et al. (2019) To study the specic effect of
embodied interactive action
games to second language
vocabulary acquisition.
Theories of game-based learning;
gamication; and embodied
interaction.
Comparison of two group: (1)
experimental group with Kinect;
and (2) control group with
reading cards, using pre- and
post-test questionnaires with an
assessment of sustainable
learning motivation, academic
performance, learning anxiety of
13 college students in
China, with a focus on L2
(English): 16 students in
group 1, and 15 students in
group 2.
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cognition, embodied enactment, embodied actions, embodied interaction, embodied practice, embodied instruction, kinesthetic
learning, and corporeality in learning. Five studies specically referred to embodied language learning, but from different perspec-
tives: the implemented intervention (Ionescu & Ilie, 2018; Marian, Rogobete, Vescan, Ilie, & Ionescu, 2019), the tasks implemented
(Guerrettaz, Zahler, Sotirovska, & Boyd, 2020), a keyword (Lan, Sung, Chen, & Liu, 2015), and the title of the theory section (Haught &
McCafferty, 2008).
The studies investigated embodied learning with different approaches to language education. L1 teaching was represented in seven
studies, focusing on preschool, kindergarten, and primary school, and encompassed learning and remembering new words and idioms,
spelling and listening skills of new words, recognizing syllables, and retelling narrative sequences in the correct order.
L2 teaching was represented in 22 studies, focusing primarily on higher and adult education, but preschool, primary, and non-
formal education were also prominent. L2 teaching for adults or adolescents focused mostly on vocabulary learning with concrete
and abstract nouns, verbs, prepositions, lexical phrases, and specic types of vocabulary (e.g., academic vocabulary). The focus was
also on pronunciation (e.g., syllables, word stress, and rhythm), grammar (e.g., adjectives, adverbs, and light grammar constructions),
and sentence structure (e.g., requests and conditional statements). The studies included language use in performing different tasks (e.
g., navigating and buying items) and in student-teacher interactions, such as answering questions and teachers’ explanations, for-
mulations, and corrections. L2 teaching also had a broader L2 pedagogical approach through an embodied language pedagogy in
teacher education. Finally, the focus was vocabulary (abstract and concrete nouns) and student-teacher interactions in L2, within the
context of solving math problems, in primary school.
FL teaching (including third languages) was represented in 12 studies and evident on all educational levels, but primarily in
preschool, kindergarten, and primary school. In preschool and kindergarten, FL teaching focused on rhymes, alliteration, and vo-
cabulary (nouns, adjectives, verbs). In primary school, the teaching had varied foci: vocabulary, listening comprehension of sports-
related phrases, and spatial terms with sentences, and lexical chunks. In other education levels, the focus was on karate terms as
formulaic language in non-formal education and reading comprehension in higher education.
4.1.2. Two strands of embodied learning in language education
The studies could be divided into two strands: (1) embodied learning through orchestrating embodied language learning and
teaching, and (2) embodied learning in naturally occurring language learning interactions. In both strands, L1, L2, and FL studies were
identied.
Within these two strands, different characteristics of embodied learning in language learning and teaching were distinguished,
partly derived from the theoretical and methodological approaches used. The rst strand, with 25 studies, compared varied learning
conditions to investigate the effect of different embodied learning interventions (see Table 2) or investigated an embodied language
learning approach in educational practice. This strand included quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method designs. The second
strand encompassed 16 qualitative studies that examined how language learning involves different embodied aspects (e.g., gestures
and embodied actions).
Across these two strands, an understanding that cognition and body are connected and that language and meaning are embodied
Table 2 (continued )
Study Aim Theoretical framework Research design Context
second language vocabulary
acquisition; and semi-structured
interviews.
Fig. 2. Overview of the embodied learning activities and number of studies in the themes.
S. Jusslin et al.
Educational Research Review 37 (2022) 100480
13
phenomena was identied. The embodied learning approaches acknowledged the body’s role in language learning from different
theoretical perspectives. Studies within the rst strand mainly, but not exclusively, drew on embodied cognition, whereas studies
within the second strand mainly, but not exclusively, drew on theories from an ethnomethodological, a sociocultural and/or a
multimodal theoretical paradigm (see Table 2). Differences as regards methodological designs were mainly, but not exclusively, using
experimental designs in the rst strand and conversation analysis in the second strand (see Table 2).
There were traces of acknowledging that language and embodied actions did not have prominence over the other, which was linked
with perceiving language as embodied. For example, verbal utterances can complement body movements (Hua, Li, & Jankowicz-Pytel,
2020), and gestures were not merely a tool to strategically resort to, but played a facilitative role in the learning process and changed
alongside the learning process (Eskildsen & Wagner, 2015). Some studies applying a conversation analytical approach (Eskildsen &
Wagner, 2013, 2015; Hellermann, 2018; Kern, 2018; Majlesi, 2015; Rosborough, 2014) portrayed learning as a construction of
intersubjectivity.
4.2. Embodied learning activities
The explored learning activities were clustered into several themes in relation to the two strands (Fig. 2). Although some studies
included a combination of different activities, the studies had a certain focus regarding the activities. The analysis maintained a holistic
approach to the activities, indicating that they were categorized to only belong to one theme. Splitting the activities into several themes
could lead to a misleading understanding of the original research agendas.
4.2.1. Activities orchestrating embodied learning in language education
The 25 studies with activities orchestrating embodied language learning and teaching were divided into ve themes.
Activities using technological resources. Eight studies explored activities using technological resources at varied educational
levels. Kinect was used with primary school children and adults to learn vocabulary and sports-related phrases (Kosmas, Ioannou, &
Zaphiris, 2019; Kosmas & Zaphiris, 2019, 2020; Lan et al., 2015; Lan, Fang, Hsiao, & Chen, 2018; Wei, Yang, Wang, Zhang, & Li,
2019). For example, children watched movements displayed with words in Kinect and imitated the movements (Kosmas & Zaphiris,
2020). Second Life was used with fth-graders and adults to learn phrases or perform tasks in a FL environment (Lan et al., 2015, 2018;
Paseld-Netou et al., 2015). For example, university students used avatars to navigate and buy a traditional dish in the FL envi-
ronment in Second Life (Paseld-Netou et al., 2015). Ultimately, university students learned light verb constructions when watching
multimedia animations (Su˜
ner & Roche, 2019).
Arts-based activities. Seven studies explored activities with drama, dance, or comic production
5
at varied educational levels.
Various drama activities (e.g., improvisations, working with written dramatic scripts, mime) were used when teaching languages in
secondary, higher, and non-formal education (Cannon, 2017; Haught & McCafferty, 2008; Rothwell, 2011; Scally, 2019). For example,
secondary school students used drama to learn academic language (Cannon, 2017). Dance activities were used to teach vocabulary and
alliteration to preschool and university students (Hanks & Eckstein, 2019; Sila & Lenard, 2020), and comic production was imple-
mented with university students producing comics as an embodied reading comprehension activity (Shiang, 2018).
Activities with physical activity and movements. Six studies investigated physical activity and movement activities with young
children in preschool and kindergarten. Children used physical activity in vocabulary learning (Mavilidi, Okely, Chandler, Cliff, &
Paas, 2015; Schmidt et al., 2019; Toumpaniari, Loyens, Mavilidi, & Paas, 2015) and combined movements with story-telling to learn
vocabulary (Duncan, Cunningham, & Eyre, 2019; Ionescu et al., 2018; Marian et al., 2019). For example, children enacted movements
indicated by animal names (e.g., kangaroo; Schmidt et al., 2019) and listened to a story and imitated new words and idioms (e.g., to
scuttle away) in the narrative (Ionescu & Ilie, 2018).
Activities using materials, gestures, and/or pictures. Three studies compared the use of materials, gestures, and/or pictures in
primary school students learning vocabulary or prepositions. Children held various objects (e.g., school objects, clothes, food) to learn
vocabulary (Bara & Kaminski, 2019). Using objects was also compared with using gestures to learn prepositions (Janzen Ulbricht,
2020). In turn, gestures and pictures were compared when learning vocabulary (Andr¨
a, Mathias, Schwager, Macedonia, & von
Kriegstein, 2020).
Activities within language teacher education pedagogy. One study had student teachers participate in an embodied lesson with
various embodied tasks (Guerrettaz et al., 2020). The embodied tasks built on a novel, and included freewriting to an image, timed
reading and drama enactments of an excerpt from the novel, lming and watching drama enactments, group discussions, watching
movie versions of the novel, and reading authentic student reections from participating in the embodied lesson.
4.2.2. Activities in naturally occurring language learning interactions
The 15 studies addressing embodied learning in naturally occurring language learning interactions were divided into three themes.
Gestures and embodied actions in classroom activities. 13 studies, primarily conducted in higher education, addressed stu-
dents’ and teachers’ use of gestures and embodied actions. Gestures and embodied actions (e.g., bodily actions contributing to
meaning-making) were performed by students and teachers in word and sentence explanations (Eilola, 2020; Hellermann, 2018;
Majlesi, 2015; Matsumoto, 2019), word searches (Eskildsen & Wagner, 2013), conversational tasks (Eskildsen & Wagner, 2015) and
5
Comic production is thematized as a form of art (cf. Zanettin, 2008).
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when asking and answering questions (Hellermann, 2018; Tai & Brandt, 2018). Teachers used gestures and semiotic resources when
teaching pronunciation (Smotrova, 2017) and grammar (Majlesi, 2014, 2018) and in correction, formulation, and reformulation se-
quences in student–teacher interactions (Majlesi, 2015).
With children, embodied actions were used as spontaneous educational strategies with rhymes and rhythms (Kaˇ
sˇ
c´
ak, Pupala, &
Kovalˇ
cíkov´
a, 2012). Further, gestures were used in student and teacher L2 interactions (Rosborough, 2014), and
speaking-and-clapping in combination with various board games were used to teach and highlight words and their syllabic structure
(Kern, 2018).
Movement and arts teaching activities. Two studies had an embodied approach to language learning interaction through
engagement in various movement practices in non-formal education. One study encompassed students (aged 4–16) learning Japanese
karate terms while practicing karate moves (Hua et al., 2020). Another study with adults encompassed social circus activities (e.g.,
juggling and clowning), followed by the participants summarizing the lesson with an end circuit (Lilja, Laakkonen, Sariola, &
Tapaninen, 2020).
Gestures and material artifacts in classroom activities. One study addressed a university teacher’s gestures and material ar-
tifacts when teaching pronunciation (Nguyen, 2016). For example, the teacher showed the students how to use the rubber band as a
tool in language learning.
4.3. Empirical results
In response to RQ3, two major themes with respective subthemes and three minor themes were identied. The studies belonged to
several themes depending on the diversity in the studies’ results. These major themes were improvement in and experiences of lan-
guage learning and facilitating and scaffolding language learning, whereas the minor themes were emotional and motivational benets
to language learning, authentic and meaningful situations, and fostering and reaching multilingual students.
4.3.1. Improvement in and experiences of language learning
The most prominent theme, encompassing 21 studies from the rst strand, indicated that embodied learning approaches improved
language learning or that participants experienced that they learned language. Gains in vocabulary learning were most prominent,
especially with children.
Technological resources for learning vocabulary, phrases, and grammar. This subtheme, with six studies, showed varied
language learning gains when using technological resources. Using Kinect improved children’s L1 vocabulary learning between pre-
and post-testing (d =0.65 in grades 1–2; Kosmas & Zaphiris, 2020; d =0.28 in grade 3; Kosmas et al., 2019), and teachers experienced
it to benet children’s vocabulary acquisition. Despite these vocabulary learning gains for children, Kinect was not more effective for
older children learning phrases or for adults learning vocabulary. Fifth-graders’ listening comprehension of FL phrases seemingly
benetted more from watching virtual avatars doing motions in Second Life than moving their bodies using Kinect (Lan et al., 2018),
and college students’ use of reading cards led to higher L2 vocabulary performance than Kinect, but also higher levels of anxiety (Wei
et al., 2019). Still, a benecial outcome was that bodily engagements with multimedia animations led to better L2 grammar perfor-
mance for university students (Su˜
ner & Roche, 2019).
Experiences of and improvement in language learning through arts-based activities. Six studies indicated that drama, dance,
or comic production could contribute to language learning. Drama and dance produced subjective experiences of learning L2, while
comic production appeared to be efcient for FL reading comprehension.
Participants in drama and dance activities experienced memory and learning of L2 vocabulary, pronunciation, and prosody
(Cannon, 2017; Hanks & Eckstein, 2019; Haught & McCafferty, 2008; Rothwell, 2011; Scally, 2019). For example, students experi-
enced that drama made learning more memorable (Rothwell, 2011) and that using dance movements helped them learn vocabulary
better than they normally would (Hanks & Eckstein, 2019). Comic production was signicantly superior to a translation condition,
indicating that it enhanced university students’ FL reading comprehension (Shiang, 2018).
Improvement in children’s vocabulary learning through physical activity and movements. Six studies demonstrated that
engagement in physical activity and movements improved children’s vocabulary learning in L1 and FL. First, physical activity
signicantly improved children’s FL vocabulary memory and performance (Mavilidi et al., 2015; Schmidt et al., 2019; Toumpaniari
et al., 2015). For example, using meaningful physical activity (large effect; d =1.12) and nonrelated physical activity (moderate effect;
d =0.51) improved third-graders’ memory performance of vocabulary (Schmidt et al., 2019).
Second, combining movements and story-telling improved children’s (aged 3–5) L1 vocabulary learning. This combination was
more effective than story-telling or movement alone (
η
2
=0.469; Duncan et al., 2019). Similarly, embodied learning was signicantly
more effective than traditional learning of words, idioms, and narrative sequences (Ionescu & Ilie, 2018; Marian et al., 2019).
Learning vocabulary and prepositions using materials, gestures, and pictures. Three studies identied mostly similar gains
when comparing the use of materials, gestures, and/or pictures in primary school students’ learning of vocabulary and prepositions.
Using gestures and materials (e.g., teddy bear, ball, blanket) led to similar gains when learning prepositions, but the gain was more
immediate when exposed to one gesture per morpheme (Janzen Ulbricht, 2020). Regarding vocabulary learning, gesture and picture
enrichment had long-term benets for students’ L2 vocabulary without a signicant difference between gesture and picture enrich-
ment (Andr¨
a et al., 2020). However, students recalled FL words learned by holding real objects six times more often than using images
(Bara & Kaminski, 2019).
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Educational Research Review 37 (2022) 100480
15
4.3.2. Facilitating and scaffolding language learning
The second most prominent theme, explicated in 18 studies, concerned the facilitation and scaffolding of language learning. These
studies mainly belonged to the second strand—with two exceptions—and were thematized into three subthemes.
Gestures and materials facilitating second language learning. Ten studies indicated that teachers’ and students’ use of ges-
tures, and also materials, facilitated students’ L2 learning. Some studies implied that gestures could contribute to language learning
over time. This subtheme focused on adult language learners, with one exception.
Gestures could help solve comprehension trouble, explain words, facilitate question–answer sequences, and teach pronunciation
(Eilola, 2020; Eskildsen & Wagner, 2013, 2015; Hellermann, 2018; Majlesi, 2015; Nguyen, 2016; Smotrova, 2017; Tai & Brandt,
2018). For example, teachers’ matching gestures could remedy adult students’ productions, reformulations, or explanations (Majlesi,
2015), and second grade teachers and students used gestures to embody meaning and establish strategies for solving future
communication problems (Rosborough, 2014). Gestures inuenced adults’ language learning over time, since gesture-talk combi-
nations deployed by students at a particular time to display understanding were also used in later occasions in the language classroom
(Eskildsen & Wagner, 2013, 2015).
Gestures could make the intangible language phenomena of pronunciation (e.g., syllables, stress, and rhythm) visible and graspable
and help students identify and produce pronunciation and recognize errors and how to correct them (Nguyen, 2016; Smotrova, 2017).
Introducing materials, more specically rubber bands, in language education also facilitated the learning of pronunciation (Nguyen,
2016).
Embodied scaffolding in language learning. Six studies demonstrated that embodied scaffolding from teachers, peers, and
drama contributed to language learning. This subtheme mainly focused on adults’ L2 learning, with one exception. Scaffolding
encompassed various semiotic resources to promote the understanding of linguistic phenomena and entities.
The scaffolding included various embodied actions and semiotic resources (e.g., verbal, visual, gestural, and material resources).
Teacher scaffolding occurred, for example, when a teacher initiated an interactive, embodied scaffolding sequence when teaching
grammar on a worksheet to help adult, immigrant students see and understand grammatical features of L2 words (Majlesi, 2014).
Further, when learning syllables through speaking-and-clapping, rst-grade children synchronized bodily and verbally (L1) with the
teachers, but this activity might still not provide reliable knowledge about students’ learning of phonetic knowledge (Kern, 2018).
Peer scaffolding occurred especially within arts-based activities (Haught & McCafferty, 2008; Lilja et al., 2020; Rothwell, 2011).
For example, trusting in and relying on one’s peers—which is central in social circus activities—was reected in participants helping
and seeking help from each other in shaping linguistic entities (Lilja et al., 2020), and drama in itself acted as a scaffold as it enabled
students to play safely with language (Rothwell, 2011).
Attention to the body in language learning. Three studies showed how attention to the body was crucial for students’ learning
and that verbal language alone was not enough in language learning. Attention to the body and embodied actions inuenced both
children and adults. For example, the effectiveness of the FL learning situation in a kindergarten classroom began to fade if the bodily
engagement faded in the teaching (Kaˇ
sˇ
c´
ak et al., 2012). Similarly, university students paid more attention to the teacher’s verbal
explanations in L2 teaching when using embodied actions that contributed to the meaning-making (Matsumoto, 2019). Furthermore,
language also appeared to complement body movements. Doing Japanese karate terms (FL) through repeating, copying, and polishing
the terms became part of the embodied performance of drilling moves, whereas the L1 became the language of discipline, explanation,
elaboration, and reinforcement (Hua et al., 2020).
4.3.3. Emotional and motivational benets to language learning
With 12 studies identied from both strands, this theme indicated that embodied learning can have emotional and motivational
benets to language learning. It highlighted positive contributions of implementing embodied learning approaches that move beyond
solely acquiring language skills to emphasize a positive take on learning languages. Activities such as physical activities, Kinect, dance,
social circus, and drama were considered enjoyable in comparison to “conventional” language learning methods (Hanks & Eckstein,
2019; Kosmas & Zaphiris, 2019, 2020; Lilja et al., 2020; Rothwell, 2011; Schmidt et al., 2019; Sila & Lenard, 2020). They could
contribute to strengthening motivation, enthusiasm, condence, engagement, interest, overall well-being, and overcome anxiety
(Cannon, 2017; Hanks & Eckstein, 2019; Kosmas & Zaphiris, 2020; Rothwell, 2011; Wei et al., 2019). For example, kindergarteners
evaluated the embodying of words through physical activity and gesturing as signicantly more positive than the conventional
teaching method (Toumpaniari et al., 2015). Further, bodily engagement through multimedia animations contributed somewhat to
changing university students’ attitudes about grammar learning (Su˜
ner & Roche, 2019).
4.3.4. Authentic and meaningful situations
Identied in both strands, the fourth theme included seven studies, demonstrating how using embodied learning approaches could
create authentic and meaningful situations for learning and use. It could contribute to students’ performing themselves as language
users despite limited language repertoires.
Using drama was particularly evident when it came to the authenticity in language learning (Cannon, 2017; Rothwell, 2011; Scally,
2019), and it could contribute to performing oneself as a language user (Haught & McCafferty, 2008; Rothwell, 2011). For example,
drama gave students (grade 7–8) freedom to express themselves in meaningful situations and could ground the L2 vocabulary in a
meaningful and authentic context (Cannon, 2017). Further, student teachers’ participation in language teacher education pedagogy of
embodiment, partly including drama enactments, can enable incorporation of the knowledge into their lived experiences (Guerrettaz
et al., 2020).
Situations of pretending and creating imaginary contexts for language use were not, however, limited to drama activities. For
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Educational Research Review 37 (2022) 100480
16
example, university students may not distinguish between themselves and their avatars in the quasi-authentic FL-oriented Second Life
environment (Paseld-Neotou et al., 2015). Additionally, teachers created hypothetical scenarios and imaginary contexts for stu-
dents to understand how the language can be used in real life outside the classroom, which lead to students taking ownership of their
language learning processes even though their L2 repertoire was limited (Tai & Brandt, 2018).
4.3.5. Fostering and reaching multilingual students
The nal theme was identied in both strands and indicated that embodied learning approaches could help to foster and reach
multilingual students. It included three studies with varied focuses, such as language teacher education pedagogy of embodiment and
language learning in drama and karate. More specically, participation in the language teacher education pedagogy of embodiment
increased student teachers’ empathy for L2 learners (Guerrettaz et al., 2020), and implementation of drama had potential to reach
linguistically diverse students (Cannon, 2017). Further, consideration of embodied repertoires in multilingual environments in terms
of translanguaging could provide a lens to overcome monolingual bias in teaching and learning (Hua et al., 2020).
5. Discussion
This study aggregated and reviewed empirical research on embodied learning approaches in language education, focusing on study
characteristics, learning activities, and empirical results. The review identied two strands: (1) embodied learning through orches-
trating embodied language learning and teaching, and (2) embodied learning in naturally occurring language learning interactions.
These strands are characterized by different theoretical and methodological underpinnings, which, in turn, affect the different out-
comes. Despite recognizing the mind-body connection ontologically and epistemologically, embodied learning approaches to language
education seem to hold two different meanings. Embodiment was either something added to language education (i.e., specic learning
activities) or something that was already there in language education (i.e., language learning is embodied). In the rst strand with
mostly experimental studies using embodied cognition, the synthesis reveals an understanding of language learning as measurable and
quantiable and that there exists language learning that is not embodied. However, understanding embodiment as already there in
language learning—like in the second strand with studies using mostly ethnomethodological and conversation analytic approach-
es—suggests a more holistic approach, acknowledging language and meaning-making as embodied phenomena. Evidently, the applied
theoretical and methodological approaches affect these different understandings and capture different aspects of embodied learning in
language education as a phenomenon. The boundaries between the two strands are, nevertheless, overlapping as the theories used
accentuate the body’s important role in learning.
The synthesis identied various learning activities with respective outcomes in language education. There was a trend to focus on
vocabulary learning across the educational levels, emphasizing the trend to apply embodied teaching for beginner learners. An
interpretation for why such a large focus was on vocabulary is that language education with beginner learners devotes much time to
developing vocabulary. Gestures were used in all age groups, except for adolescents, with signicantly proven outcomes for children’s
language learning and empirical results pointing towards facilitation and scaffolding of language learning for children and adults.
Physical activities and movements seemed to be benecial to children’s vocabulary learning with studies showing signicant effects. In
non-formal educational settings, movements in combination with language learning also held facilitating and scaffolding features for
children, adolescents, and adults. Similarly, when using technology, Kinect could be more effective for children’s language learning
compared to older students, whereas other technological resources might be more suitable for older students. Further, material objects
appeared to signicantly benet children’s language learning, and could act as a tool to support language learning for adults. Par-
ticipants in arts-based activities experienced benets in language learning. Results also showed that embodied learning approaches
using gestures, physical activity, technological resources, and arts-based activities had emotional and motivational benets for lan-
guage learning. Additionally, embodied learning approaches, especially using drama, could create authentic and meaningful language
learning situations. Another contribution of embodied learning is to foster and reach multilingual students. In sum, although the
review reveals that embodied learning can contribute to different aspects of language learning, it suggests that embodied learning
approaches can contribute to improving mainly vocabulary learning in terms of measurable outcomes and subjective experiences,
while simultaneously adding emotional and motivational benets to language learning. These results are important for practice from
student and teacher perspectives, due to the question of how students can be motivated and engaged in language education (Mercer,
2019).
The results draw attention to contexts where embodied learning approaches might not be the most efcient approach in language
education. Some embodied learning approaches appear to be more suitable for certain age groups. In turn, the potentials of embodied
learning approaches to facilitate and scaffold language learning, as well as to provide and create authentic and meaningful situations
for language learning, also emphasize qualitative contributions of this kind of approach to language education. Embodied learning
approaches to language education can enable a holistic approach to language learning that actively engages learners, not focusing
solely on acquisition of language skills, but on language in a broader sense.
Embodied learning was often considered somewhat a counter-weight against conventional teaching approaches, and there were
prevailing arguments that language education could be developed by implementing various embodied learning activities. However,
there is no one “conventional” teaching approach in language education. The studies often referred to sedentary activities as con-
ventional teaching approaches, even though the notion of embodied learning extends beyond learning through physical, motor ac-
tivity. It still appears that understanding learning as embodied often entails physical movements. Further, the fact that orchestrating
embodied learning activities was often proposed to deviate from conventional language learning and teaching approaches was often
connected to arguments about easy implementation, especially with children. Many activities might not be new for teachers, but
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teachers might still feel unprepared and unqualied to implement them in practice (e.g., drama and dance; Buck & Snook, 2020). This
emphasizes a need to introduce diverse kinds of language teaching approaches already in teacher education to prepare future teachers
to work with embodied learning approaches.
Overall, the quality of the studies was mostly strong. However, three particular methodological quality aspects require attention.
First, a majority of the qualitative studies did not discuss the researchers’ reexivity. Whereas this consideration is crucial when the
researcher is actively involved in the data collection, it is not always valid for all types of qualitative designs (e.g., conversation
analysis). Second, experimental or quasi-experimental studies rarely concealed or blinded the participants when performing tests and
measurements. This is not necessarily a limitation, especially in quasi-experimental designs, as concealment might not be desirable
when researching this phenomenon in authentic educational practices. Third, whereas mixed methods designs presented opportunities
to examine the phenomenon from multiple perspectives, the use of such designs was not always described or justied. Therefore, this
study argues for the value of investigating embodied learning in authentic language educational contexts to contextualize the research
results in the practices to which they intend to contribute and impact.
Another important result is what remains unexplored. The studies were primarily focused on orchestrating embodied learning
activities in L1 and FL teaching with children and naturally occurring L2 teaching with adults. Adolescents in secondary education and
intermediate and advanced language learners therefore remain understudied groups. For example, no studies addressed gestures,
technological resources, or material objects in secondary education. With younger students, it is more common to have a creative and
playful approach to language learning (e.g., movements). Secondary education is often governed more extensively by standardized
testing and curricula that do not bend as easily to cross-disciplinary approaches, as in primary education. This might explain why
embodied learning approaches have not been investigated more in secondary education. There is not sufcient knowledge in this
review about embodied learning approaches to language education in secondary education and with intermediate and advanced
language learners to be able to articulate its possible contributions.
Decades after the origination of the embodied turn, embodied learning approaches in language education seem to be gaining
critical momentum, as evidenced by the growth of studies in the late 2010s. This growth is also visible regarding embodied learning in
related areas of educational sciences (Aartun et al., 2022; Georgiou et al., 2019; Hegna & Ørbæk, 2021) and applied linguistics (Nevile,
2015), and more studies were published in 2021 (e.g., Bauer, 2021; Chicho, 2021; Kosmas, 2021). However, the number of included
studies was expected to be larger, which can be explained through scrutiny of related research areas. A major reason for the small
number is that much research was excluded—for example about gestures and arts in language education—because it did not explicitly
use an embodied framework. For example, the small number of studies with the arts is surprising because of the body’s important role
in the arts. Additionally, the synthesis does not necessarily reect the reality of pedagogical practices as embodied learning approaches
might be used by teachers. For example, the language-teaching methodology of Total Physical Response (Asher, 1969) is well known,
but its theoretical foundation does not draw on embodied learning. This review presents the present state of the art of the
research-based knowledge of embodied learning approaches in language education and an important result is thus that empirical
research base is currently increasing.
5.1. Limitations
We acknowledge some limitations to this study. The review aggregated a wide area of research. This provides breadth and range,
which is a purpose of mixed studies reviews (Pluye et al., 2009), but also prevents a concentrated focus. We systematically searched
databases, hand-searched journals, used citation tracking, and researcher checking, but relevant studies might have escaped our
attention. The focus was limited to peer-reviewed studies, indicating that the review did not include “grey literature” (Booth et al.,
2016), which possibly impacted the results. Because we limited the search to peer-reviewed studies, our selection may have been
subject to publication bias. However, we argue that peer-reviewed studies can aid in guaranteeing that the studies have undergone
some kind of quality check, which is sometimes difcult to determine when it comes to grey literature (e.g., doctoral dissertations are
not always published or peer-reviewed). Further, the hand-searches were complementary to the database searches that already
covered a large range of scientic journals and no included study was retrieved from the hand-searches (Fig. 1). Nevertheless,
expanding the hand-searches could possibly have generated additional studies to be included.
One might argue that a limitation concerns the surprisingly small number of studies included in the review. This can be explained
by the inclusion and exclusion criteria utilized in the review. This limitation has the advantage of reviewing the research area more
clearly, but simultaneously, it leaves out important research that sheds light on embodied learning in language learning from other
perspectives. Firstly, the review only focused on empirical research in educational settings. There is, however, a large body of
experimental and conversation analytical research addressing embodied learning in language learning outside educational contexts.
Although such studies contribute important knowledge about language learning, it is still important to actually examine embodied
learning approaches in real educational contexts with students and teacher to contextualize the research results in the practices to
which they intend to contribute.
Secondly, the review included studies that explicitly stated that embodied learning or teaching was used theoretically. Although
some excluded studies can be interpreted to have an implicit embodied approach, we chose to follow the authors’ wordings. We did not
want to add an embodied emphasis to other scholars’ work, as scholars can have different meanings for the wordings. We still
acknowledge that different wordings can refer to embodiment (Nevile, 2015) or embodied learning and teaching. If including studies
with an implicit or underlying—i.e., not stated clearly in writing—approach to embodied learning and teaching, the review could have
ended up with a larger data sample and other results. As such, we chose to be stringent with this inclusion criterion to capture empirical
research that specically addresses embodied learning explicitly in language learning and teaching.
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5.2. Conclusions and future directions
This review provides knowledge about the current state of the art of empirical research on embodied learning approaches in
language education. What arises as an interesting question based on the review is: How can embodied learning approaches to language
education be understood and characterized as embodied language learning? It is highly likely that this concept holds different meanings
because of what philosophical, theoretical, and pedagogical underpinnings are used. Still, it is possible that the concept could be
helpful to conceptualize and gather embodied learning approaches in language education. The review shows that embodied language
learning holds potentials to engage learners holistically while simultaneously having the possibility of promoting language learning
skills and adding emotional and motivational benets to language learning.
The review identies certain research gaps. Secondary education arises as the most understudied research area. More research is
needed to determine if and how embodied language learning can contribute to this educational level. In addition, research is needed to
investigate the effects that embodied learning approaches have for intermediate and more advanced language learners and in other
areas of language use than vocabulary.
The results have implications for educational practice. Embodied language learning can benet language learners on different
educational levels, but some learning activities seem to be more effective for certain age groups. The review aggregates various
learning activities, which can contribute in promoting research-pedagogy dialogues (Chong, 2020). This is important because peda-
gogical practices seem to respond slowly to developments in this research area (Macedonia, 2019; Macrine & Fugate, 2021), although
embodied learning approaches might already be used in classroom practices, which is not necessarily shown in empirical research. To
affect this slow response, the knowledge gained through advances in this research area needs to be translated to classroom practices
(Macrine & Fugate, 2021). Consequently, the argument about easy implementation in educational practice is very much relevant here.
Importantly, for embodied language learning to gain foothold in language educational practices, more research about implementation
in educational practice is needed and pedagogical approaches need to change (cf. Nathan, 2022). Therefore, the knowledge presented
in this review is useful for research-based teacher education. Pre-service and in-service teacher education could act as catalysts in
introducing and preparing teachers for implementing embodied language learning in educational practices.
In conclusion, it is likely that this research area will continue to expand and develop due to its rapid growth. Based on this review,
embodied language learning presents a valuable approach to language education by enabling a holistic approach to language learning
that actively engages learners. As shown in the review, it can be implemented in various ways and contexts to support language
learning and renew language pedagogies.
Authorship statement
All persons who meet authorship criteria are listed as authors, and all authors certify that they have participated sufciently in the
work to take public responsibility for the content, including participation in the concept, design, analysis, writing, or revision of the
manuscript.
Authorship contributions
Soa Jusslin: conceptualization, methodology, data collection, formal analysis, writing – original draft, writing – review & editing,
visualization.
Kaisa Korpinen: conceptualization, data collection, writing – original draft, writing – review & editing.
Niina Lilja: conceptualization, data collection, writing – original draft, writing – review & editing.
Rose Martin: conceptualization, data collection, writing – review & editing.
Johanna Lehtinen-Schnabel: conceptualization, data collection.
Eeva Anttila: conceptualization, writing – original draft, writing – review & editing, project management.
Declaration of Competing interest
We have no conicts of interest to disclose.
Data availability
The data is presented in Table 2 in the article.
Acknowledgements
The literature review was conducted within the research project Embodied Language Learning through the Arts (2021–2024) and
was support by the Kone Foundation and Svensk- ¨
Osterbottniska Samfundet. Jusslin also had a postdoctoral grant from
H¨
ogskolestiftelsen i ¨
Osterbotten during 08–12/2021.
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19
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