Embodied Learning Implementation in EFL Classroom: A Qualitative Study

Authors

  • Kanar Zirak Haseeb Chicho English Language Teaching Department, Education Faculty, Tishk International University, Erbil, Iraq

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23918/ijsses.v8i1p51

Keywords:

Embodied Learning, Learning Theories, Motivation, Language Development

Abstract

Motivating students for learning a foreign language in classrooms needs several updated techniques, strategies, and methods. Modern methods and approaches play important roles in language teaching in a learning environment. Recently, Embodied learning, as one of the modern approaches shows its effectiveness on developing speaking skills in foreign language classes. Embodied learning means the connection between bodily movements during the activities and cognitive ability; it adds a modern pedagogical theory of learning which shows the role of body in education and learning. This paper aims to investigate the effectiveness of embodied learning in educational practice in teaching English as a foreign language in Erbil, Kurdistan Region. Data were collected from language learners through interviews. The students’ responses, motivation and development were analysed in the data analysis. It was found that embodied learning affects the learners to be more motivated to learn the language also reinforces them to use the target language effectively in the classroom.

References

Barzani, S. H. H. (2020). The perceptions of EFL teachers and students on the use of short stories to enhance reading comprehension. Asian EFL Journal 27(3.1), 325-341.

Channon, A., Matthews, C. R., & Khomutova, A. (2018). Moving lessons: Teaching sociology through embodied learning in the HE classroom. In Teaching with sociological imagination in higher and further education (pp. 135-151). Springer, Singapore.

Dixon, M., & Senior, K. (2011). Appearing pedagogy: from embodied learning and teaching to embodied pedagogy. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 19(3), 473-484.

Foglia, L., & Wilson, R. A. (2013). Embodied cognition. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science, 4(3), 319–325.

Kosmas, P., Ioannou, A., & Zaphiris, P. (2019). Implementing embodied learning in the classroom: effects on children’s memory and language skills. Educational Media International ,56(1), 59-74.

Mart, Ç.T. (2011). How to sustain students’ motivation in a learning environment. Retrieved from ERIC database: ED519165.

Mart, Ç.T. (2018). From communicative competence to language development. International Journal of English Linguistics, 8(2), 163-167.

Mart, Ç.T. (2019). Reflections on discussions of literature: A language learning environment to promote speaking skills. The Journal of Social Sciences Research, 5 (4), 846-850.

Meena, R. S., & Altun, M. (2020). The effect of cooperative learning strategies in the enhancement of EFL learners’ speaking skills. Asian EFL Journal Research Articles, 27.

Schmidt, M., Benzing, V., Wallman-Jones, A., Mavilidi, M. F., Lubans, D. R., & Paas, F. (2019). Embodied learning in the classroom: Effects on primary school children’s attention and foreign language vocabulary learning. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 43, 45-54.

Segal, A. (2011). Do gestural interfaces promote thinking? Embodied interaction: Congruent gestures and direct touch promote performance in Math. Unpublished PhD thesis, New York: Columbia University.

Smyrnaiou, Z. G., & Kynigos, C. (2012). Interactive movement and talk in generating meanings from science. Bulletin of the IEEE Technical Committee on Learning Technology, 14(4), 17.

Downloads

Published

01.03.2021

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Chicho, K. Z. H. (2021). Embodied Learning Implementation in EFL Classroom: A Qualitative Study. International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies, 8(1), 51-58. https://doi.org/10.23918/ijsses.v8i1p51

Similar Articles

1-10 of 443

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.