具身学习语言教育综述

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Abstract A multi-modal embodied robot framework was developed and evaluated to support English as a Second Language (ESL) learning in preschoolers through physical interaction and adaptive engagement. The system integrates a 4-DOF OpenManipulator-X robot with a tablet-based educational application, forming a unified instructional platform that delivers synchronized auditory, visual, and kinesthetic stimuli. Designed to improve lexical retention and motivation in early learners, the framework enables task-based interaction through pick-and-place vocabulary reinforcement, collaborative drawing, and tablet-mediated language tasks, coupled with a real-time emotion recognition module to adjust instructional cues. An experimental design within the subject was used with 21 Korean preschool children (ages 4–8), comparing robot-assisted language learning (RALL) with traditional teacher-led language learning (TLLL) in matched tasks involving vocabulary learning, math reasoning, color categorization, and spelling recall. Each session was conducted under controlled classroom conditions and analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative metrics, including engagement frequency, task precision, and structured post-session surveys. The results demonstrate significantly higher participation and task completion rates in the RALL condition, with vocabulary acquisition outcomes comparable to TLLL (p > 0.05). Children exhibited increased motivation and sustained interaction when guided by the robot and the application, suggesting that embodied adaptive systems can effectively support early second language learning. The study contributes validated design principles for integrating physical embodiment, affective responsiveness, and multi-modal instructional delivery in educational robotics. Implications are discussed for the scalable deployment of robot-assisted systems in preschool contexts, emphasizing child-centered interaction and developmental appropriateness within RALL environments.

This study explores how puppet-based self-dialogue can enhance inner speech in second-language learning. Inner speech—the silent dialogue individuals engage in with themselves—plays a critical role in cognition, emotion regulation, and identity formation. However, it remains largely untapped in traditional language pedagogy. Through a qualitative case study conducted in a university-level German conversation course, this study investigates how students use puppetry to externalize and transform their internal dialogues into expressive, reflective speech. Drawing on theoretical frameworks, including embodied cognition, metacognition, experiential learning, and narrative self-enactment, the analysis focuses on two contrasting student projects. One student progressed from emotionally detached language to personal and expressive articulation through creative puppet embodiment. In contrast, another student began with rich metaphorical reflection but regressed to an objective, depersonalized narration in the final video. These divergent outcomes highlight both the potential and challenges of employing puppetry as a pedagogical tool. Findings suggest that puppet dialogue facilitates emotional safety, promotes introspection, and supports developing a narrative voice when appropriately scaffolded. This approach builds linguistic competence and encourages learners to engage with language as a medium for personal meaning making. This study argues for reimagining language education as an emotionally resonant, embodied, and creative practice.

Many people struggle with learning a new language when moving to a new country, with traditional tools falling short in providing contextualized learning tailored to each learner’s needs. The recent development of large language models (LLMs) and embodied conversational agents (ECAs) in social virtual reality (VR) provides new opportunities to practice language learning in a contextualized and naturalistic way that takes into account the learner’s language level and needs. To explore this opportunity, we developed ELLMA-T, a design probe that integrates an LLM (GPT-4) with an ECA for English language learning in social VR (VRChat), informed by the situated learning framework. We conducted a feasibility study to explore the potential and challenges of LLM-based ECAs for language learning in social VR. Drawing on qualitative interviews (N=12), we reveal the potential of ELLMA-T to generate realistic, believable, and context-specific role plays for agent-learner interaction in VR, and LLM’s capability to provide initial language assessment and continuous feedback to learners. We provide four design implications for the future development of LLM-based language agents in social VR.

This article examines how embodied sensory-affective spaces support the emergence of communication in English as a foreign language within a performative, translanguaging approach. Drawing on an enactive perspective, language is understood as a shared, situated and embodied experience, as well as psychosocial and linguistic. It is shaped by the dynamic interplay between bodies, material spaces, imagination, speech and the temporalities of classroom life. The study analyses data from the CELAVIE project, conducted in Grade 4 and 5 classrooms, combining qualitative materials (18 focus groups, 21 semi-structured interviews, and three explanatory teacher interviews) with quantitative measures of autonomous lexical production in pre- and post-tests. The findings show that transforming the classroom into a performative space—through physical openness, sensory comfort, creative exploration and embodied engagement—encourages students to speak more spontaneously, to draw on multiple languages, and to develop empathy, creativity, and confidence. Six interrelated dimensions of sensitive space emerged: sensitive space-time, intimate spaces, material spaces, performance spaces, physical engagement, and spaces for creativity and autonomy. Together, they reveal how performative practice supports the emergence of communicative behaviour by engaging students’ bodies, emotions, perceptions and imaginative capacities. The results highlight the potential of performative pedagogy to create inclusive learning environments where language becomes a lived, relational and creative experience.

Adult language learners encounter emotional challenges such as foreign language anxiety that can affect their ability to communicate or progress in building their language skills. In this work we explore how the design of spaces for language practice can promote positive affective responses to promote a sense of achievement and the impact of Virtual Reality immersion and environments in facilitating this. The authors design a fully immersive VR experience with interactive metaphors for growth and achievement in which users navigate a campsite and collaborate on a storytelling quest to build their language skills. The design is evaluated with 11 participants. Qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews revealed several key patterns in participants’ experience, including positive emotional reactions and feelings of achievement following the activity.

No abstract available

The use of Language Learning and Teaching (LLT) materials directly affects the realization of the function of LLT materials, language teaching and learning effects. The traditional teaching ideas that teach what has said on the textbook ignoring the dynamic interaction of students’ body, cognition and environment, which caused physical and mental separation, and affects the embodied experience of language learning process. Teachers should change the way LLT materials are used to promote students’ embodied experience and effectiveness of language learning in both cognitive and behavioral level. Based on the embodied cognition theory, this qualitative study will examine how an EFL teacher used the different LLT materials practice the embodied English language teaching in Primary School. This study also attempts to examine verify the acceptability and effectiveness of embodied English teaching through practice.

Can shaking electronic devices (e.g., Pads or smartphones) affect participants’ embodied learning? To address this question, in this study we designed an application (app) named “Shaking-On” for students to answer quizzes, and applied the achievement emotion theory to design the research model. To understand whether activated/ deactivated emotions have positive/negative impacts on the learning process, the present study involved a 3-week teaching experiment with participants using Shaking-On during class for 15 minutes per week, totaling 45 minutes. The 288 seventh graders from three junior high schools were randomly selected to join this experiment, and 231 data were usefully returned. Questionnaires underwent reliability and validity testing for research model verification, and the results showed that the learners’ English learning anxiety was positively associated with their anxiety about using Shaking-On to take quizzes, but was negatively related to flow state while taking quizzes using Shaking-On. Their test anxiety was negatively associated with their learning progress, whereas their flow state was positively related to their learning progress. The results of this study imply that English as a second/foreign language teachers can use Shaking-On to reduce students’ state anxiety and promote their flow state and learning progress. Results indicate that adopting game-based learning enables students to be immersed in the learning process and enhances learning outcomes.

Co-development of action, conceptualization and social interaction mutually scaffold and support each other within a virtuous feedback cycle in the development of human language in children. Within this framework, the purpose of this article is to bring together diverse but complementary accounts of research methods that jointly contribute to our understanding of cognitive development and in particular, language acquisition in robots. Thus, we include research pertaining to developmental robotics, cognitive science, psychology, linguistics and neuroscience, as well as practical computer science and engineering. The different studies are not at this stage all connected into a cohesive whole; rather, they are presented to illuminate the need for multiple different approaches that complement each other in the pursuit of understanding cognitive development in robots. Extensive experiments involving the humanoid robot iCub are reported, while human learning relevant to developmental robotics has also contributed useful results. Disparate approaches are brought together via common underlying design principles. Without claiming to model human language acquisition directly, we are nonetheless inspired by analogous development in humans and consequently, our investigations include the parallel co-development of action, conceptualization and social interaction. Though these different approaches need to ultimately be integrated into a coherent, unified body of knowledge, progress is currently also being made by pursuing individual methods.

Embodied interaction enriches conventional educational practice and provides ways of integrating the physical body and movement into the learning process. The Embodied theoretical framework via the use of emerging technologies has significantly changed the direction of teaching allowing learners to be more active and engage in collaborative learning activities. This study investigates students’ performance in a collaborative embodied learning environment using motion-based games within a real classroom language learning context. Participants were 52 elementary students (second and third graders) and five teachers. The analysis is based on a students’ questionnaire, direct classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with participating teachers. Findings indicate that embodied learning interactions enabled students to work more collaboratively engaging them in the learning activities, physically and emotionally. The paper contributes to the HCI community by providing a better and evidence-based understanding of the potential of using embodied technology in collaborative settings within a real classroom environment.

Immersive virtual environments (IVEs) are increasingly being explored as potential educational tools. However, it is unclear which aspects of IVEs contribute to learning, including hardware modalities and learner responses (e.g. motivation, usability, cognitive load and presence). One IVE hardware modality particularly backed by theory is embodied controls, with their potential for leveraging embodied cognition for enhanced learning outcomes. This paper explores if embodied controls can be leveraged to enhance learning in an IVE by comparing language learning outcomes from an IVE using embodied controls, and a non-embodied control. It explores two words classes - verbs and nouns - to examine if there is a difference in learning outcome for embodied controls with actions (verbs) and object interactions (nouns). This paper also explores co-variables often linked with IVE learning (motivation, presence, cognitive load) to understand why learning gain occurs. It finds that leveraging embodied controls provides better learning outcomes, with no impact on cognitive load. It also finds that the benefit does not correlate with motivation or presence ratings, suggesting that embodiment-induced motivation or immersion is not the cause of the learning enhancements, and therefore this could be evidence for embodied cognition-based learning in IVEs.

Virtual reality (VR) creates 3D environments that immerse users in digital worlds, ranging from fully immersive experiences using headsets to non-immersive ones on PCs and mobile phones. While VR has been successfully applied in fields like manufacturing and paramedicine, its use in language teaching and learning is still developing. Research on VR in language education highlights benefits such as increased motivation and engagement, contextualised learning, and improved learning outcomes through embodied cognition. However, challenges remain, including a lack of familiarity with VR among teachers and learners, limited time and resources for experimentation, and the issue of cybersickness. This paper explores practical applications of VR in language learning by introducing VR apps that can be used to enhance language education. It also offers practical suggestions for teachers interested in using VR effectively in their classrooms and suggests potential future advancements in VR for education.

This article describes how a transdisciplinary module for engineering students, based on masked theatre workshops set within an enactive pedagogical framework (Trocmé-Fabre, 2022; Varela, 1999) combines a sensorimotor and reflexive (bottom-up and top-down) approach to English language learning and translanguaging (Aden, 2014). Through a process of devising and performing a masked play, students at a top engineering school in France can develop specific human-centric skills to help them mediate, collaborate and co-create within increasingly complex professional situations involving diverse perspectives. Grounded in Varela’s paradigm of enaction (Varela & al., 1993), and the mask pedagogy of Lecoq (1997, 2002) and Gaulier (2024), the students undertake a phenomenological, embodied exploration using first neutral then expressive masks. As well as covering the face, or identity (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980, p 37), masks disrupt habitual modes of sensorimotor perception, as visual input is dramatically reduced and other modes of perception increase to compensate, thereby altering relations to self, others and the environment (Preller, 2022). Masks are potent catalysts for transformation and creative freedom, as evidenced by their importance in actor-training and performance (Freixe, 2024; Lecoq, 1997; Mnouchkine, 2000). With non-actors – here, engineering students learning a second language - I aim to show how three key features of mask-work enable a creative approach to languaging, meaning-making and knowledge-building.

This study explores how young bilingual (Swedish-Chinese) children (ages 3–5) exercise their agency in heritage language learning. The study draws on a multimodal interactional approach to video-ethnographic data from classroom interactions at a Chinese weekend school in Sweden, and the analysis combines Goffman’s concept of footing with Bakhtin’s approach to heteroglossia and multivoicedness. Particular focus is on how the children use reported speech, along with code-switching and embodied actions, to incorporate voices of absent parties (family members) in classroom discourse in order to assert epistemic and moral authority while strengthening peer alignments. Such multivocal, multilingual, and multimodal practices imply shifts in footing and participation frameworks from teacher-led to child-oriented. Simultaneously, the children’s heteroglossic practices orient to monolingual norms of Chinese as the preferred classroom language. The findings contribute to an understanding of young children’s collective agency in transforming heritage language learning situations into dialogically co-constructed heteroglossic practices.

Virtual Reality (VR) offers new embodied learning opportunities through full-body avatars interacting with the virtual environment and thereby inducing a sense of embodiment. Interestingly, while there is a profound body of research on various factors of embodiment as well as on embodied learning in virtual environments, the effects of virtual self-representation and avatar embodiment on learning outcomes are underexplored. In this work we present the results of an exploratory study (n = 32) based on a within-participants design with three conditions. We examined the effects of two fully immersive learning environments, one with low avatar embodiment and one with high avatar embodiment, and a low-immersive desktop application on vocabulary learning. The results imply that fully immersive VR does not improve short- and long-term recognition compared to desktop VR. However, increased immersion prevents knowledge loss and embodied interactions through full-body avatars can foster long-term vocabulary recognition and semantic understanding.

No abstract available

This article explores the integration of Brain Gym exercises into the teaching of English Language at the senior secondary level. Drawing on principles of embodied cognition and recent empirical studies, the paper argues that movement-based learning strategies significantly enhance concentration, memory, and language retention. The authors classroom experience is supplemented by performance data, including a 100% board examination pass rate, supporting the pedagogical value of Brain Gym as a neuro-educational tool.

This study investigates how engagement (E), foreign language enjoyment (FLE), and ambiguity tolerance (AT) exert mediation/moderation in metaverse-based foreign language learning (FLL). Featuring augment/simulation-based experiences and self-fulfillment/external-control-oriented mechanics, metaverse provides virtualized interactive circumstances involving individuals’ embodied presence/behaviors, aligning with FLL that emphasizes social interaction. Based on the quantified survey data, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analyses investigate the significance and positivity of the mediation/moderation relations. According to the results, E exerts fully positive mediation in the effect of intrinsic motivation (IM) on learning effectiveness (LE), FLE exerts partially positive mediation in the effect of classroom social climate (CSC) on E, and AT exerts negative moderation in the positive effect of E on LE. Notably, FLE exerts insignificant mediation in the effect of growth mindset (GM) on E. Therefore, efficient metaverse-based FLL requires synergies of affective factors, i.e., intrinsic motivation, perceptions of classroom social climate, moderate degrees of ambiguity tolerance, and engagement, for sustainable and long-term language learning progress in virtual interactive experiences. At the theoretical level, the findings extend the FLL-related models and advance the understanding of FLL. At the practical level, the findings provide references for more efficient metaverse implementations in FLL.

In the field of English applied linguistics, learners and their learning processes including their psychological and emotional responses to second language acquisition (SLA) were traditionally researched in isolation following the psychometric tradition. By contrast, learners’ idiosyncratic, and often life-changing experiences that shape their identities are usually examined holistically drawing on interviews and case studies. In this paper, I discuss how I brought under the same roof these two seemingly incompatible research traditions to shed light on language learners’ multilingual and multicultural identity construction. The paper draws on the basic tenets that language and culture are inherently intertwined in SLA (Kramsch 1998) and that language learning is embodied (Damasio 1994) generating powerful emotional responses to language learning and use. In the paper, I delineate three holistic approaches to the study of emotions and identity in SLA including complex dynamic systems theory (CDST), language ecology, and post-structuralism. These approaches have three important principles in common. (1) They look at learners holistically in their complexity and entirety. (2) They perceive learner-intrinsic and contextual factors as interconnected, dynamic, and changing over time. (3) They examine learners and their learning processes in response to environmental stimuli in the form of interactions with others, learning materials, the learning environment, languages spoken by the individual, as well as the educational and sociocultural context. Following the introduction of the three theories, I present my latest research results drawing on these theoretical underpinnings. I explain how I conceptualized learners’ identity construction as a complex dynamic system of individual differences and how I detected novel patterns of psychological behavior using CDST in online education. Then, I discuss the impact of language socialization on language learning and use drawing on case studies. Finally, I present examples of powerful emotional and identity responses to language learning and use, the transformative potential of SLA, and the language learner’s imagined L2 habitus (Fekete 2018) pinpointing how learners speak, think, feel, and behave differently when they switch to different languages. / Keywords: emotions, identity, language learning, the psychology of learners, complex dynamic systems theory, language ecology, post-structuralism, holistic approaches, online education, language socialization, the learner’s imagined L2 habitus, online education

No abstract available

There are calls for developing ways to teach language that can inspire and motivate students to study additional languages. While previous research has pointed toward benefits of arts‐based activities in language learning, combining language and dance has mainly been studied with younger language learners. Contextualized within the course “Dance with language,” this study explores spoken word choreographies—word‐ and movement‐based choreographies—that combine dance and the learning of Swedish as an additional language at a Finnish upper secondary school. The study engages with new materialist theories to understand languaging as an activity and relational, embodied, and material processes. Using diffractive analysis with comics‐based research strategies, the analysis suggests that languaging‐and‐dancing become entangled through four doings: exploring, re‐working, co‐creating, and negotiating‐and‐switching. The spoken word choreographies offer a potentially valuable way to teach language in their move beyond students’ potential restrictions of vocabulary, structure, and grammar in the language to emphasize playfulness and creative explorations as part of language‐learning processes. In conclusion, the study proposes that dancing and spoken word, and the combination thereof, bring specific qualities to creating smooth languaging spaces that embrace wild, playful, creative, and unpredictable forces and movements in language‐learning practices.

While the diversity and complexity of the links between creativity and emotional skills as well as their effects on cognitive processes are now established, few approaches to implementing them in schools have been evaluated. Within the framework of the enactive paradigm, which considers the complexity and dynamics of language as a cognitive process, we study how an approach based on performative theatre can synergistically stimulate creativity (artistic, bodily and linguistic), emotional skills (identifying and understanding emotions) and executive functions (especially inhibition, cognitive flexibility and emotional control), all as components defined in the context of oral communication. Stimulating this synergy in the context of foreign language teaching may be especially beneficial for children with communication disorders. This paper presents the first results of the CELAVIE pilot study (Creativity, Empathy and Emotions in Language learning with Autism for an Inclusive Education) through a case study of a pupil with a neurodevelopmental disorder included in a 4th-grade class. The results show a progression in oral communication in English as a Foreign Language (EFL), in emotional skills and creativity.

This conceptual paper deals with ways in which gesture or embodied utterances create deictic expressions (i.e., deixis) that are relevant to second language teaching and learning. While many gesture types have been found to be material carriers of meaning (McNeill, 1992; Vygotsky, 1986), deictics have the ability and function to create new beginnings or propositions for learning. We review research concerning gesture, Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory (SCT), and findings dealing with the function of gesture in second language classrooms. We provide general gesture classifications and definitions and argue that deictics should be understood for their role in creating and unifying time, space, and qualitatively meaningful experiences. We then provide a conceptual understanding for how gesture works within Vygotsky’s (1987) genetic method, the term he used in researching higher forms of mental behavior. We focus on Vygotsky’s genesis as a space-time act and promote the use of deictics as additional mediation that create genesis junctures that initiate opportune moments for second language (L2) learning between teachers and students. Throughout the paper, we acknowledge Jim Lantolf’s work for providing foundational and insightful understandings in viewing L2 learning and teaching through a Vygotskian perspective.

Group conversations are valuable for second language (L2) learners as they provide opportunities to practice listening and speaking, exercise complex turn-taking skills, and experience group social dynamics in a target language. However, most existing Augmented Reality (AR)-based conversational learning tools focus on dyadic interactions rather than group dialogues. Although research has shown that AR can help reduce speaking anxiety and create a comfortable space for practicing speaking skills in dyadic scenarios, especially with Large Language Model (LLM)-based conversational agents, the potential for group language practice using these technologies remains largely unexplored. We introduce ConversAR, a gpt-4o powered AR application, that enables L2 learners to practice contextualized group conversations. Our system features two embodied LLM agents with vision-based scene understanding and live captions. In a system evaluation with 10 participants, users reported reduced speaking anxiety and increased learner autonomy compared to perceptions of in-person practice methods with other learners.

This study report proposes and preliminarily validates an innovative pedagogical framework that integrates classical ballet movements into French grammar instruction for adult beginners. This framework is grounded in the theory of embodied cognition. The methodology effectively links ballet terminology to specific grammatical structures, providing students with comprehensible input that moves beyond purely cognitive processing. Survey results reveal highly positive student feedback, with salient keywords such as "novel," "fun," and "elegant" underscoring the method's success in enhancing engagement and fostering a motivating learning environment. More significantly, the core principle of this approach—the strategic re-embodiment of linguistic elements from a language's cultural matrix—could be extended to the teaching of Chinese characters. This is demonstratedthrough a "Body-Logogram" model, where learners kinaesthetically interpret Oracle Bone Scripts by using their bodies to sculpt pictographs and narrate compound ideographs. The study concludes that this embodied pedagogy offers a replicable and transferable teaching model, demonstratingthat the creative adaptation of movement principles can transcend conventional grammar instruction and open new avenues for multisensory language acquisition across diverse linguistic contexts. 

Native Language learning is a complex and remarkable achievement because the process generally emerges from unique interactions that distributed across social networks and is embodied in individuals. Accordingly, scholars portray the need of a specific approach in native language learning. Among the native learning approach identified is the ‘experiential learning’, an approach based on the idea of learning from experience as the path to lifelong learning and development. Scholars who is a fan of the learning approach argues that providing the learners an opportunity to learn through experience thus become immensely valuable. Some even specifically suggest that musical instruments can be used as a promising experience based instructional instrument in language learning. But how exactly the musical instruments affect native language learning process? Through the application of a mixed-method approach, this paper examines the relationship between musical instruments and the native language learning via the lens of Rungus in Sabah, Malaysia. It shows that the musical instruments affect the native language learning among Rungus in Sabah, Malaysia. What this now hinted is that the musical instruments are an important part of a successful native language learning process, thus made it clear the need among instructors to consider musical instruments as part of their teaching activities.

Developing empathy in teacher education is essential as it contributes to increased sensitivity and understanding between teachers and their students. This is especially important for preservice content‐area teachers (PCTs) who may have limited linguistic awareness yet will be potentially teaching emergent multilinguals in their mainstream classrooms. In response, this inquiry explored the role of a simulated language learning experience (SLLE) as an embodied approach to center empathy in PCT training. Framed by Dewey's theory of experience, it used a qualitative composite narrative approach to explore PCTs' felt experiences and empathetic development through embodiment. Findings showed that emotional intensity appeared to be the strongest factor in producing empathetic reactions followed by disengagement due to lack of understanding. In contrast to similar research, participants continued to experience intense emotional and physical responses to the lesson even when supported by TESOL strategies. The embodied experience provides a pedagogical example for building empathy while also presenting implications for increased reflection to avoid false empathy.

No abstract available

Embodied cognition activities involve active interactions that train the motor system, the perceptual system and physical interactions with the proximal environment. In the language education of young preschoolers, these types of activities train young preschoolers in the process of learning new words, their comprehension and correct pronunciation. The article presents the influence exerted by the „Integrated exploitation of sensory-motor stimuli” educational program with an emphasis on capitalizing on embodied cognition activities, in the early language education approaches of small preschoolers. Early language education through this type of activity proves effective because it encourages children to make connections between words and concepts using tactile, visual and motor experiences. This approach helps to develop strong connections between words and their meanings. The methods used were the observation of the language behavior of the preschooler and the psychopedagogical experiment method, and the applied research tools, the observation grid of the language behavior of the preschooler and the educational program „Integrated exploitation of sensory-motor stimuli”. The study involved 98 small preschoolers, aged between 3 and 4 years, from 3 state preschool education units, from the urban and rural areas of Hunedoara County. The three educational units involved in the research are: „Mircea Sântimbreanu” Secondary School Brad, „Flore de Colț” Extended Program Kindergarten Brad and „Crișcior Extended Program Kindergarten”.

Abstract Due to the bewildering array of spatial configurations that languages build around spatial relations, the acquisition of English spatial prepositions is a daunting task for learners of English as L2. For instance, while the embodied meanings of contact and containment are expressed in English through on and in, respectively, Spanish conveys such configurations through en (in). Furthermore, spatial prepositions bear non-geometric senses, especially those imbued with metaphorical configurations. Accordingly, in addition to its spatial configuration of motion, to, for example, may denote a metaphorical (He gave a questioning look to someone) or attachment sense (The building next to the hospital). Teaching English as L2, however, does not provide learners a conceptual guide to how these senses are related and thus does not render them amenable to systematic, enduring learning. Premised on the assumption that these senses are schematically related through the Principled Polysemy model (PPM), this study assesses whether instructing Spanish learners of English at B1 level on the usages of on and to applying this model will lead to learning benefits. Participants (n = 90) were randomized to receive instruction on the usage of such prepositions based on Collocation Approach (experimental group 1), PPM (experimental group 2), or not receive such instruction (control group). Then they completed a cloze test containing different usages of the target prepositions on three instructional conditions: pre-, post-, and delayed post-test. Differential mean scores were computed using planned contrasts, which indicates a statistically significant effect for PPM.

This study addresses the persistent challenge of limited vocabulary retention among language learners, which often results from memorisation practices that lack authentic use. The research investigates the effectiveness of Vocabulary Quest, an outdoor gamified activity that integrates movement, teamwork, and simple digital tools to make vocabulary learning active and meaningful. Quantitative and qualitative approaches were combined to capture both performance outcomes and learner perspectives. Fifty- two undergraduates participated in the activity, with twenty-two completing both the pre-test and post-test used for analysis. The results showed measurable improvement in vocabulary scores, while learner reflections revealed that enjoyment, collaboration, and repeated exposure to words enhanced recall and motivation. The findings indicate that embodied and game-based activities strengthen memory through physical engagement and social interaction. The study recommends that language educators incorporate similar movement oriented and collaborative learning designs to promote deeper retention and sustained engagement beyond traditional classroom settings.

Non-verbal communication, particularly gestures and facial expressions, plays a crucial role in second language acquisition by enhancing comprehension, retention, and engagement. This study investigates the impact of teachers’ gestures and facial expressions in an EFL classroom setting, focusing on their influence on vocabulary learning and student interaction. Through an experimental design involving 60 adult learners, we analyzed the effects of high vs. low gesture use and expressive vs. neutral facial expressions on immediate vocabulary recall and long-term retention. The results indicate that gestures significantly improved learning outcomes, with students in the high-gesture condition scoring notably higher on post-tests. While facial expressions alone had a smaller effect on test performance, they positively influenced learner engagement and classroom atmosphere. The study highlights the synergistic effect of combining gestures with expressive facial cues, reinforcing theories of embodied cognition and communicative competence in language learning. These findings suggest that intentional integration of gestures and facial expressions in teaching methodologies can enhance comprehensible input and student motivation, leading to more effective language acquisition. The study contributes to the growing body of research on multimodal learning, emphasizing the importance of non-verbal communication in second language pedagogy.

Chinese characters are central to understanding how learners learn to read a logographic script. However, researchers know little about the role of character writing in reading Chinese as a second language (CSL). Unlike an alphabetic script, a Chinese character symbol transmits semantic information and is a cultural icon bridging embodied experience and text meaning. As a unique embodied practice, writing by hand contributes to cognitive processing in Chinese reading. Therefore, it is essential to clarify how Chinese character writing (bodily activity), language distance (past language usage), and cultural background (bodily coupling with the environment) influence CSL reading proficiency. Based on extant research on L2 reading acquisition and strength of key theoretical perspectives of embodied cognition theory (ECT), this study tested a regression model for CSL reading involving individual-level factors (Chinese character writing proficiency [CCWP]) and group-level predictors (language distance and cultural background). This study collected big data in a sample of 74,362 CSL learners with 67 diverse L1s. Results of hierarchical linear modeling showed a significant effect of CCWP and significant language distance × CCWP interaction effect on reading proficiency; however, cultural background × CCWP interaction effect was not significant. These results conform to the ECT and indicate that bodily activity, past language usage, and cultural background aided reading. CCWP may benefit from withstanding the negative transfer from L1s. Furthermore, CCWP and cultural background are not synergistic predictors of reading. This study may open novel avenues for explorations of CSL reading development.

This study integrated robots and tangible objects (R&T) to realize content-based instruction, game-based learning, and embodied cognition in language education. The researchers developed a robot-facilitated board game (RFBG) to facilitate seventh-graders with learning chickens-and-eggs vocabulary and knowledge in English. The purpose was (a) to investigate target seventh-graders' knowledge acquisition, word acquisition, and word recognition, and (b) to examine their learning experience with the game play. This paper adopted mixed-methods research design through a single-group experiment at a private junior high school. By immersing in a game narrative with elements such as digital dice-rolling, answering leveled questions, using playing cards, and oral practice, the participants improved significantly in terms of word acquisition and recognition, and their overall feedback via RFBG was positive. The results inform EFL practitioners about how to better integrate educational robots and tangible objects into content-based language learning.

ABSTRACT Although computer-assisted vocabulary acquisition tools have been widely applied to English as a foreign language learning, the kinesthetic and tactile potential of such tools has not been fully utilized. Embodied cognition suggested that the change of practice modality (from handwriting to keyboarding), involves different sensory-motor experiences and arguably influences language learning result. The present study is a quasi-experiment investigating the effect of using keyboard-based computer application on English vocabulary acquisition in a naturalistic vocational school setting. Over the course of an academic year, the experimental group (N = 35) used the application to practice English words, whereas the control group (N = 34) practiced words through traditional approaches (listening, reading and writing). The results indicated that the participants using keyboarding application achieved significantly higher vocabulary learning performance than the control group. The attitude questionnaires and interview data also exhibited enhanced interest, motivation, and engagement for the experimental group participants.

Against the backdrop of deepening curriculum reform aimed at cultivating core competencies, traditional junior high school English teaching from a disembodied cognition perspective struggles to effectively foster students' comprehensive language abilities and holistic development. Embodied Cognition Theory, as a significant advancement in cognitive science, posits that cognition originates from the body, is embedded in the environment, and emerges through interaction, thereby offering a new paradigm for pedagogical innovation. Grounded in this theory, this research systematically constructs a framework for the embodied design of junior high school English teaching contexts. This is achieved firstly by analyzing the theoretical connotations and their pedagogical implications; then by establishing design principles centered on multimodal integration and cognitive-affective synergy; and finally by developing a systematic model that integrates micro-level activities, meso-level contexts, and macro-level ecosystems, alongside proposing integrative and dynamic construction strategies. Through systematic embodied context design, this study provides a practical pathway aligned with cognitive principles for promoting the deep integration of linguistic form, meaning, and usage, and for developing students' core competencies in English.

Purpose: Early childhood is a time of tremendous growth and development, with the young body and mind changing at an unprecedented rate. It is no wonder that the relationship between motor competence (MC) and executive functioning (EF) during child development is complex, with many child and environmental factors having confounding and moderating effects. The Dutch MELLE follow-up study was grounded on embodied cognition theories suggesting that the mind-body relationship is shaped by the changing physical body features and embedded in the unique experiences within the environment. Therefore, a person-centred approach was applied to explore how functioning in diverse developmental domains jointly affects children’s developmental outcomes. Methods: In one of the MELLE sub-studies, we examined school readiness of a sample of children (n = 91) with a mean age of 3 years and 4 months (46% girls). We administered a multi-informant test battery of MC, EF, language/emergent literacy skills (LEL), and socioemotional behaviour. After the first six months of school, we collected academic and non-academic school outcomes (EF, MC, socioemotional functioning, classroom behaviour, and creative thinking). Results: A latent profile analysis revealed four distinct profiles. Motor skills were distinguished between profiles, but not performance-based EF or language scores. School readiness profiles differed in the mean scores on the first grade academic achievement, parent- and teacher-rated EF, MC, parent-rated socioemotional functioning, and prerequisite learning skills. Conclusions: The patterns of differences were complex, suggesting that profiles could not be ranked from low to high in terms of school outcomes. It could be that children develop in one or only a few school readiness skills at once at the expense of other skills. A major strength of the study was the longitudinal design and inclusion of MC as part of school readiness profiles. Our findings posit motor skills as a distinguishing feature between school readiness profiles, and also that relatively strong motor skills can act as long-term compensation for less developed skills. Therefore, the results support the increasing attention to gross and fine motor skills in school readiness assessment policies. We recommend a person-centred approach and incorporating MC when assessing a child’s school readiness.

Despite the widespread use of multimodal pedagogies in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) contexts, empirical studies specifically focusing on the impact of hands-on learning on target vocabulary and procedural knowledge acquisition in CLIL Social Studies, particularly in Taiwan, are relatively uncommon. Grounded in embodied learning theories, this study investigated the comparative impact of hands-on learning versus worksheet-based instruction on fourth graders’ target vocabulary acquisition and procedural knowledge within a CLIL Social Studies setting in Taiwan. The study also explored students’ perceptions of their learning experiences with these instructional methods. This quasi-experimental study involved four intact fourth-grade CLIL Social Studies classes from three elementary schools in Taiwan, comprising 40 students in the Experimental Group (EG), who engaged in hands-on learning, and 34 students in the Control Group (CG), who engaged in worksheet-based learning. Activities included Chinese dumpling making, bird’s nest building, and designing a pot of succulents. Data were collected through pre- and post-tests to assess target vocabulary acquisition and procedural knowledge, followed by learner experience surveys to evaluate students’ perceptions of their learning experiences. The analysis included paired-samples t-tests, independent-samples t-tests, and thematic analysis of open-ended survey responses. Results revealed that the EG significantly outperformed the CG in both target vocabulary acquisition and procedural knowledge across all three activities, with large effect sizes (d = 1.05–1.51 for target vocabulary and 0.95–2.89 for procedural knowledge), demonstrating the effectiveness of hands-on learning. However, while significant differences were observed in memory retention of target vocabulary and procedural knowledge from the survey results, no significant differences were found between the EG and CG in terms of perceived ease of learning. These findings suggest that hands-on learning offers substantial benefits over traditional worksheet-based instruction in CLIL settings, though the transition to hands-on methods may require additional support. Practical implications include the strategic selection of relevant vocabulary, the implementation of structured hands-on approaches, and the emphasis on behavioral reinforcement to enhance learning outcomes.

Children naturally enjoy stories. Children involved in education programs that utilize storytelling exhibit many positive behaviors related to increased literacy. Improved listening skills, vocabulary development and an increased ability to organize narrative thought are all behaviors exhibited by young children who have been exposed to a variety of stories on a consistent basis. Storytelling has emerged as a key cognitive skill in the process of intellectual development. Cognition that is enhanced in specific ways when children are exposed to a variety of stories can also be measured in qualitative ways. Storytelling is also an effective bridge to emergent literacy. Since we know that children are active participants in the acquisition of language, the interactive nature of show and tell or sharing time in the early grades is actually a recreation of a remembered experience. These tales are personal stories created by the children as a result of direct experience. The language patterns learned in these social contexts while children are interacting with adults and other children are constructed and reinforced as the teller becomes more proficient in relating the story. Reading stories aloud or listening and interacting with a storyteller are essentially a social experience. The development of vocabulary and syntactic complexity in oral language are more advanced in children who are frequently exposed to a variety of stories.

Traditional education is considered incapable of providing prompt feedback, facilitating proactive learning, and giving indiscriminate responses. This has been observed in both in-person classes and online courses, especially when students’ questions fall outside the instructors’ knowledge base or are considered trivial by instructors. Nowadays, the advent of large language models (LLMs) has transformed knowledge acquisition. The LLM-based chatbots enable fast learning through interactive question-answering, which serves as an effective supplement to traditional educational approaches and even shows potential for replacement. To utilize such advancements in education, we propose MAGI, a novel system providing Embodied AI-Guided Interactive digital teachers for education, which integrates LLM-based chatbot technology. To ensure MAGI generates answers without hallucination, we employ a novel retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) paradigm to organize and retrieve useful educational documents for the LLM. Moreover, we create animatable 3D avatars powered by text-to-speech and audio-to-motion models to provide students with interactive conversation experiences. We highlight the possibility of MAGI to enhance education accessibility and improve the overall learning experience.

Countries are seeing a rise in the number of families and schoolchildren who do not speak English as a first language. This study focuses on how two White monolingual English-speaking elementary teachers positioned language as it related to their Spanish-speaking students within a graduate teacher education program in the United States. Our work builds on previous cultural immersion studies by using embodied cognition and Latino Critical Theory (LatCrit) as analytical tools. Findings indicate that embodied experiences can increase teachers’ awareness of how speakers of English and Spanish are positioned by the dominant culture while LatCrit theory can illuminate future steps.

Background/Objectives: According to Embodied Cognition theories, motor skills in early childhood are closely interconnected with various cognitive abilities, including working memory, cognitive flexibility, and theory of mind. These processes are integral components of the multicomponent model of narrative comprehension, which posits that higher-order cognitive functions support the construction of coherent mental representations of narrative meaning. This study aimed to examine whether motor skills directly contribute to narrative comprehension in preschool children or whether this relationship is mediated by cognitive skills. Methods: Seventy-four typically developing children aged 3 to 6 years (47.2% female) participated in this study. Motor skills were assessed using standardized measures, and cognitive abilities were evaluated through tasks targeting working memory, cognitive flexibility, and theory of mind. Narrative comprehension was measured with age-appropriate tasks requiring the understanding and retelling of stories. A structural equation model (SEM) was conducted to test the direct and indirect effects of motor skills on narrative comprehension via cognitive skills. Results: The SEM results indicated a significant direct effect of motor skills on cognitive skills and an indirect effect on narrative comprehension mediated by cognitive abilities. No evidence was found for a direct pathway from motor skills to narrative comprehension independent of cognitive processes. Conclusions: These findings underscore the complex interplay between motor, cognitive, and language development in early childhood. The results suggest that motor skills contribute to narrative comprehension indirectly by enhancing core cognitive abilities, offering novel insights into the developmental mechanisms that support language acquisition and understanding.

Research on emotions and second language learning has recently expanded to heritage language education contexts. Influenced by a long tradition in psycholinguistics and second language acquisition, research on heritage language emotions has mainly focused on the statistical effects of emotions on language development rather than examining emotions that relate to social and interpersonal relations. This article responds to these research needs through a critical ethnographic exploration of how emotions of belonging are negotiated through the production and consumption of food at an Arabic heritage language school in the United States. Drawing on data from observations, interviews, and field notes collected during a 2‐year period, I argue that the production and consumption of Arabic food during cooking events and classes at the school afford students opportunities to negotiate emotions of belonging toward Arab culture as an embodied and nonessentialist practice, toward diverse religions and nationalities in the heritage school community, and toward the local majority community in the United States. This analysis foregrounds the affordances of occasions in which language learning and emotions are situated within the sociomaterial practices of heritage culture and highlights the need to establish interinstitutional connections with community schools to support the socioemotional well‐being and educational equity of immigrant and racialized youth.

No abstract available

In an increasingly culturally diverse society, multilingualism constitutes a vital means of transcultural communication and individual expression. This article investigates the relationship between aesthetic education and holistic approaches to fostering multilingualism, addressing not only linguistic and communicative dimensions but also socio-emotional, cultural, and sustainabilityoriented aspects. The study draws upon an established pedagogical framework from the project «Künste bilden – eine DaF Werkstatt» (Arts Educate – A Workshop Approach to German as a Foreign Language) and presents findings from an experimental study involving 18 early childhood educators. Results reveal how aesthetic methods can support both language acquisition and transcultural engagement among young children. Methodological reflections and practical implications underscore the potential of aesthetic education for advancing multilingual competencies in early childhood settings. The findings confirm that aesthetic methods are not only a valuable tool for promoting multilingualism, but also have a transformative effect on multiple facets of early childhood education. The development observed among both educators and children highlights the potential of such approaches to bridge language, social, and cultural education. To maximize the impact of these insights, systematic implementation and stronger networks between educational institutions and cultural actors will be essential. Arrival games, soundscape explorations, and the creation of multilingual scenes enable children to encounter different countries, environments, and ways of life. These embodied experiences support sustainable attitudes toward cultural and ecological diversity. Keywords: Multilingualism, aesthetic experience, early childhood pedagogy, transcultural competence, language development, empirical research project, teacher training, language awareness.

No abstract available

ABSTRACT In this paper, we use the lens of embodied language cognition and intersemiosis to argue for the importance of developing creative approaches to language work in classroom settings and we cite as an example some activities from a workshop that was developed for modern foreign languages (MFL) trainee teachers in London (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9hR-LQ0xOE). The workshop resulted from a collaboration between an applied linguist (Coffey) and an artist-educator (Patel), and combined their shared understanding of language use as an emotional, embodied enterprise etched into our autobiographical identities. We suggest that working with intersemiotic approaches to language has the potential to reinvigorate language pedagogy by challenging dominant metaphors both of ‘language’ and of ‘learning’. The paper intends both to make a practical contribution in its reporting of activities, which we hope will inspire teachers and teacher educators to develop intersemiotic approaches for their own settings, and also to contribute to the broader scholarship that calls for ‘reframing teacher cognition’ (e.g. Coffey [2015]. Reframing teachers’ language knowledge through metaphor analysis of language portraits. The Modern Language Journal 99, no. 3: 500–14), even ‘liberating language education’ (e.g. Lytra et al. [2022]. Liberating Language Education. Bristol: Multilingual Matters), to imagine new orientations for how we engage with languages in our lives and our classrooms.

This research aims to examine the trends, innovations, and challenges in acquiring Indonesian language skills in elementary education. The main findings of this research emphasize critical areas such as new innovations in Indonesian language learning based on Deep Learning with the Total Physical Response integrated Content-Languagebased Learning through the Whole Language Method approach (TPR-CLIL-WLM). This research underscores the importance of collaboration between theory, principles of character values, and technology in enhancing the acquisition of Indonesian language skills. This research significantly contributes to building a foundation for future research and education, especially in the integration of locally-based innovations with deep learning methodologies in the global context of the Indonesian language. Deep Learning prioritizes student engagement through thinking, feeling, acting, and reflecting, resulting in active student participation with enjoyable and meaningful awareness. Whole language integrates students' social-functional-linguistic experiences with contextual elements in PPBI. Total Physical Response and Content-Language based Learning uphold the development of students' sociocultural constructivist perspectives. The integration of  Teaching and Learning Indonesian Language (TLIL) based on Deep Learning through the TPR-CLIL-WLM approach focuses on the learning process rather than the learning outcomes, which tend to filter students with certain competencies, thus greatly valuing each student's abilities, needs, and processes. Thus, this integration is highly recommended. In addition, this integration also stimulates students to enhance the 6Cs skills as 21st-century essential skills.

Total Physical Response (TPR) is a language teaching method that integrates physical movement with verbal input to enhance language acquisition. Based on these premises, this study surveyed the application of the Total Physical Response (TPR) method: implications for teaching and learning of English language in primary schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. A stratified random sampling techniques was used to select 300 English language teachers from public and private primary schools in FCT Abuja. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire structured on a 4-point Likert scale and validated by experts. Reliability was established through a pilot test, yielding a coefficient of 0.78. The data analysis employed frequency counts, means and standard deviations. Findings revealed that TPR is being applied to a moderate-to-high extent particularly in encouraging pupils to respond physically to instructions. Teachers perceived TPR as highly effective in improving pupils’ ability to follow instructions, enhancing listening skills, accelerating vocabulary acquisition, and boosting speaking confidence. Attitudes towards TPR were generally positive, with many teachers enjoying its use and recommending it to colleagues. However, challenges such as large class sizes, lack of training, limited teaching materials, pupils’ low English proficiency and time constraints hindered optimal implementation. Thus, the study concludes that TPR is a valuable pedagogical tool for English language instruction in primary schools, but its potential has not been fully maximised. It recommends institutional adoption, teacher training, class size management, provision of resources and adequate lesson time to enhance effective TPR integration.

Madrasah Aliyah Negeri (MAN) is an Islamic educational institution under the Ministry of Religious Affairs aimed at developing students' Arabic language skills. However, the dominant use of the lecture method has made students passive and less motivated, which impacts their learning outcomes. This study aims to enhance the learning engagement and outcomes of Class X students at MAN 1 Kota Metro through the implementation of the Total Physical Response (TPR) method. We conducted the research using a Classroom Action Research (CAR) approach, which involved two cycles and a sample of 16 students. The results indicate that the use of the TPR method is effective in improving both student engagement and learning outcomes. Student engagement increased from an average score of 5.37 in the first cycle to 8.5 in the second cycle, showing an improvement of 3.13%. Meanwhile, student learning outcomes improved from 66.5% in the first cycle to 76% in the second cycle, with a 9% increase. Based on these findings, the researcher recommends the use of the TPR method in Arabic language teaching to create an interactive and participatory learning environment, as well as to enhance student motivation and achievement.

This study aims to improve the interest in learning Arabic of grade 2 students of Darussalam Elementary School, Patna Witya School, Yala, Thailand, through the Total Physical Response (TPR) method. This study used Classroom Action Research (CAR) which was carried out for three cycles. The subjects of the study were 15 students. The research data were collected through observation techniques using learning interest instruments that had gone through a validation process. Data analysis used quantitative (percentage) and qualitative descriptive. The results showed a significant increase in students' learning interest in each cycle. The percentage of students' learning interest in cycle I was 39% (low), cycle II was 53.1% (moderate) and cycle III was 85.93% (very high). This shows that the TPR method is effective in improving students' learning interest through the integration of physical movement with verbal instructions. The application of the TPR method creates a more dynamic and interactive learning environment, which motivates students to participate actively. Keyword: Total Physical Response Method, Interest In Leraning, Arabic Language

No abstract available

Total Physical Response (TPR) is a dynamic language teaching method that combines physical movement with verbal input to enhance language acquisition. This article examines various TPR activities, such as commands, storytelling, role-playing, and games, which engage students physically while they learn. These activities accommodate diverse learning styles, benefiting kinesthetic learners who excel with movement. The article emphasizes TPR's effectiveness in improving vocabulary retention, listening skills, and engagement. By linking actions to the language being taught, TPR reduces anxiety, creating a more enjoyable and less intimidating learning environment. Variations like group commands and interactive storytelling offer flexibility for different age groups and proficiency levels, making TPR a versatile method. Additionally, TPR promotes natural language acquisition by mirroring how children learn their first language—through listening and physical response before speaking. The article concludes that incorporating diverse TPR activities accelerates learning and fosters a dynamic, inclusive classroom atmosphere.

This article examines the implementation of the Total Physical Response (TPR) method in early English language learning during the Covid-19 pandemic by integrating the Motivation–Action–Reward framework. The study addresses the pedagogical challenges caused by the abrupt transition to online learning, which often reduces children’s motivation, engagement, and vocabulary acquisition. Using a descriptive qualitative method with a mini classroom ethnography approach, the research involved 15 children aged 5–6 years at TK Kristen Caritas Ambon. Data were collected through participant observation, documentation (photos, videos, anecdotal records), and informal interviews with teachers and parents. Thematic coding, language development assessments aligned with the Indonesian early childhood curriculum, and data triangulation were applied for analysis. The findings reveal that integrating Motivation–Action–Reward within TPR sustains children’s enthusiasm, enhances participation, and supports early language development, particularly in mastering basic vocabulary such as prepositions of place. Children responded positively to physical instructions, enjoyed online Zoom activities, and experienced intrinsic satisfaction from simple verbal rewards. The study’s novelty lies in systematically integrating TPR with a motivational framework for young learners in eastern Indonesia, a context rarely explored in international scholarship. The research contributes to education, linguistics, and language studies by expanding adaptive movement-based pedagogies for distance learning, enriching second language acquisition research for early EFL learners, and providing practical recommendations for teachers and policymakers.

Language is one of the most important developments in early childhood. Language is used to communicate with others. However, the language learned is not only the mother tongue, but also a foreign language. The development of language skills in early childhood requires the right approach in its implementation so that children easily recognize vocabulary. One approach used is Total Physical Response, where the method uses coordination of commands, speech, and motion so that all aspects of child development can be optimal. The purpose of this study is to describe the Total Physical Response approach in the development of language skills in early childhood. The research method used is qualitative descriptive type. The result of this study is the Total Physical Response approach includes several children's learning styles including visual, auditory, and kinesthetic or physical motion with various elements.

This paper delves into the integration of The Silent Way, Total Physical Response (TPR), and Suggestopedia language teaching methods within the New Headway English Course. The study analyzes the effectiveness of these methods in enhancing language learning outcomes by focusing on two specific lessons from the New Headway Elementary Course. Through an exploration of the theoretical underpinnings and practical application of each method in the context of language teaching, this paper aims to shed light on their impact on student motivation, engagement, and language proficiency. The research findings provide valuable guidance for educators seeking to optimize language teaching practices using innovative methodologies within the New Headway curriculum.

This study investigates the extent to which Total Physical Response (TPR) strengthens Grade-5 learners’ vocabulary learning outcomes and motivational engagement in a private English language center in Vietnam. A four-week quasi-experimental design was implemented with two intact classes (N = 30). The experimental group received TPR-based instruction characterized by teacher commands, gesture modeling, and movement-mediated rehearsal, whereas the control group followed textbook-centered routines aligned with Family and Friends 5, National Edition. Data were collected via a vocabulary pre-test and post-test, a classroom observation checklist capturing behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement, and a post-intervention motivation questionnaire measuring enjoyment, participation, and effort. Results show that while both groups improved over time, the experimental group achieved substantially larger learning gains (t(14) = 8.11, p < .001, d = 1.61) and outperformed the control group on the post-test (t(28) = 5.21, p < .001, d = 1.90). Observation and questionnaire patterns converged to indicate more sustained engagement and more positive motivational quality in TPR lessons. By critically linking these findings to embodied learning accounts, dual coding, and cognitive load perspectives, the study argues that movement-mediated instruction is not merely “fun” but can systematically enhance vocabulary learning conditions for young learners in private-center contexts.

This study explored the influence of the Total Physical Response (TPR) approach on improving English vocabulary acquisition among young learners and examined whether learner engagement is enhanced through the coordination of language and physical movement. The aim was to evaluate TPR as a teaching method aligned with how children naturally acquire language, combining verbal commands with physical actions to support first additional language learning effectively. The Theory of Multiple Intelligences informs teaching practices and strategies that foster real-world language acquisition in early childhood. A qualitative approach was used, and three primary schools from the township and rural areas were purposively selected. Data was collected through observations and semi-structured interviews with six Grade Three teachers. Thematic analysis was used to interpret data. Findings revealed that learners exposed to TPR showed marked improvement in vocabulary acquisition and retention compared to traditional methods. Social and interpersonal skills improved, and language learning anxiety was reduced. Learners understood instructions given in their first additional language, which increased their engagement and motivation. The use of physical actions created a dynamic classroom environment conducive to active participation. The study concluded that TPR effectively supports early language acquisition by aligning with children’s natural learning tendencies and enhancing engagement through embodied cognition. It was recommended that teachers receive ongoing support and training to implement TPR strategies effectively. This research contributes to the body of knowledge by advancing learner-centered, innovative first additional language teaching practices that integrate movement and cognitive engagement, ultimately promoting better language outcomes and reducing anxiety in diverse educational contexts.

This paper examines learning English in an adverse situation especially in Nigeria where a second language is used as the language of instruction. It focuses on Total Physical Response (T.P.R) as one of the teaching strategies that can enhance the learning of English as a second language in Nigeria. The concept, the historical background of TPR and its efficacy in promoting effective acquisition and learning of English language in comparison with other traditional methods was unveiled. This technique of language teaching tends to teach vocabularies and develop listening comprehension through some simple commands by the instructor (teacher) and responses by the learners which served as a replica to the mother tongue or first language acquisition process. The paper discusses the relationship between Total Physical Response and the learning of English language most especially as it relates to beginners in the language. The stages involved in the strategy to make meaningful impact were as well explained. The paper also examines the benefit of TPR in a typical English as a second language class and the basic steps to follow for its effective utilization dwelling on its psychological perspective in which language acquisition is viewed to initially start with psychomotor activities before the language is used in a spoken situation. It is the position of the paper that an effective English language teacher must take into cognizance some salient issues to effectively utilize the strategy optimally. This is in tandem with the principle of using psychomotor activities in a four walled classroom with a single teacher and a large number of learners as is the case in the Nigerian situation. Thus, precaution must be taken to guard against turning the class into a rowdy and disorganized one in order to tap the benefit of the strategy to lay a sound foundation in the target language.

English is a language that used by people in the world. English can be learnt by students at school. This research aims to know the implementation of Total Physical Response (TPR) method towards English Language learning on Autism Student. The researcher used a case study with a qualitative descriptive approach. The method of data collection in this study is the observation method. The observations made by the researchers were participatory observations, and the researchers did not directly intervene with the object under investigation. The result of this research was TPR has been found suitable for early childhood use, TPR can also be used to teach English to children with autism. Children with autism have difficulty accessing learning content, such as lessons for non-autistic children. Autistic children usually have difficulty understanding spoken words relating to their language development. Keywords: learning, TPR, Autism Student

This research aims to investigate the effectiveness of the Total Physical Response (TPR) method in increasing sixth-grade students' understanding of English instructions. The background of this study was the low ability of students at SD Muhammadiyah 1 Brebes to respond to teacher commands without translation. This study employed a quantitative approach with a pre-experimental design, specifically the One-Group Pretest-Posttest Design. The sample consisted of 16 sixth-grade students selected through purposive sampling in the academic year 2025. Data were collected using a listening comprehension test administered before and after the treatment. The data analysis revealed a significant improvement in student performance. The mean score of the pre-test was 52.18, while the mean score of the post-test increased to 80.31. The results indicate that the TPR method successfully helped students internalize English meaning through physical movement and reduced their learning anxiety. It is concluded that Total Physical Response is an effective strategy to enhance listening comprehension and student engagement among young learners.

The Effect Of Total Physical Response (TPR) Method On Students’ Speaking Skill at Elementary School. The main problem of this study is the lack of students' speaking ability, especially in English, so the researchers sought ways to improve students' pronunciation accuracy and vocabulary after applying the Total Psychal Response (TPR) method at Lab School SD Unismuh Makassar. This study used a quantitative quasi-experimental design by applying the TPR method to see its effect on students' speaking ability. The procedure of this research includes pre-test, treatment, and post-test. The samples in this study were second grade students of Lab School SD Unismuh Makassar consisting of two classes which became the population. This research used total sampling technique. The instruments of this research are speaking tests and recording devices. So in this study, speaking test was used as a test instrument to collect data. Based on the results of the study, the pre-test score in the experimental class in pronunciation accuracy was (22.72) and the post-test score was (65.90). and the pre-test score on vocabulary was (24.99) and the post-test score was (76.51). Meanwhile, the pre-test score in the control class in pronunciation accuracy was (24.99) and the post-test score was (33.33). and the score on vocabulary was (21.96) and the post-test score was (42.42). Based on hypothesis testing, it shows that the alternative hypothesis (Ha) is accepted and the null hypothesis (H0) is rejected based on hypothesis testing. The results showed that in the experimental class there was a significant increase from pre-test to post-test using the TPR method compared to the results of the control class using the TBLT method. So, it can be concluded that the use of TPR method can affect students' speaking ability in terms of accuracy of pronunciation and vocabulary at the laboratory school of SD Unismuh Makassar.

Introducing English vocabulary to young learners is essential for building a strong language foundation, as it enhances their reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. However, research indicates that elementary students often face significant challenges in vocabulary acquisition, emphasizing the need for innovative teaching strategies that go beyond traditional methods. One effective approach for teaching English vocabulary to EFL (English as a Foreign Language) beginners is the Total Physical Response (TPR) method. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the TPR method in improving students' vocabulary skills. Using a pre-experimental design with a one-group pretest-posttest framework, the research focused on fourth-grade students at SD Inpres 7/83 Pasempe. Data analysis, conducted through a paired sample t-test, revealed a significant increase in average scores from the pre-test to the post-test. The substantial improvement in scores highlights the effectiveness of the TPR method in helping young learners understand and retain new vocabulary. This approach leverages the intrinsic connection between physical activity and cognitive processes, making the learning experience more engaging and lasting

Kalam skills remain a significant challenge in learning Arabic, particularly in Islamic boarding schools that employ traditional and less communicative approaches. This study aims to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the Total Physical Response (TPR) method in enhancing students' kalam skills at Madrasah Diniyah Roudlotutholibin in Banyuwangi. Utilizing a qualitative method with a case study approach, data were collected through observations, interviews, and documentation, and analyzed using interactive qualitative techniques, including data reduction, data presentation, and conclusions. The results indicate that the application of the TPR method effectively improves students' kalam skill by increasing fluency, language accuracy, vocabulary richness, response speed, and verbal participation. The implementation of the TPR method is through comprehension phase, physical action, and speech production strategy. Among the factors that support the effectiveness of TPR implementation are the readiness of some students, who demonstrate high interest and enthusiasm for learning, as well as the courage to attempt speaking. This is further enhanced by a conducive Islamic boarding school environment, engaging activity programs, and active, competent teachers. In contrast, the inhibiting factors include the diverse backgrounds of students, limited learning time, and restricted access to technology. This suggests that TPR is not merely a kinesthetic method but also a communicative approach. Therefore, it is recommended that the TPR method be further developed in the context of Arabic language learning, especially in Islamic schools still dominated by traditional methods. Abstrak Keterampilan berbicara (kalam) masih menjadi tantangan umum dalam pembelajaran bahasa Arab terutama di kalangan pondok pesantren yang masih menggunakan pendekatan tradisional dan kurang komunikatif. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengevaluasi implementasi serta efektivitas metode Total Physical Response (TPR) dalam meningkatkan maharah kalam siswa di Madrasah Diniyah Roudlotutholibin Banyuwangi. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif dengan pendekatan studi kasus. Data dikumpulkan melalui observasi, wawancara, dan dokumentasi dan dianalisis dengan teknik kualitatif interaktif meliputi reduksi data, penyajian data dan penarikan kesimpulan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa penerapan metode TPR secara efektif meningkatkan maharah kalam siswa melalui peningkatan kelancaran berbicara, ketepatan bahasa, kekayaan kosakata, kecepatan tanggapan serta partisipasi verbal. TPR diimplementasikan melalui tahap pemahaman, tindakan fisik, dan produksi tuturan. Di antara faktor pendukung pelaksanaan TPR adalah kesiapan sebagian santri yang mempunyai minat yang tinggi dalam pembelajaran dan keberanian mencoba berbicara, lingkungan pesantren yang kondusif, program kegiatan yang memadai, dan guru yang aktif dan kompeten. Sedangkan faktor penghambat di antaranya latar belakang santri yang beragam, terbatasnya waktu pembelajaran, dan keterbatasan teknologi. Hal ini berimplikasi bahwa TPR bukan sekadar metode kinestetik, melainkan pendekatan yang komunikatif sehingga disarankan agar metode TPR terus dikembangkan dalam konteks pembelajaran bahasa Arab, khususnya di madrasah diniyah yang masih dominan dengan metode tradisional.

This research explores the effectiveness of incorporating picture with the Total Physical Response (TPR) technique to improve vocabulary acquisition and creative thinking in EFL learners. A total of 36 second-grade students took part in two Classroom Action Research (CAR) cycles at SMAN 03 Pamekasan. The low average mark of 58 on the pre-test among students and early observations suggested significant challenges with vocabulary retention, spelling pronunciation and proper usage. TPR integration of movement and language acquisition was paired with writing activities. While introducing vocabulary words during the first cycle students worked together in groups to describe pictures in photos and include images and vocabulary words during the second cycle to increase memory. Although there was a 12.1% increase during the period of the study the outcomes did not meet the minimum passing criteria established by the institution (KKM). During the immediate cycle, additional practice and stress-relief techniques, such as occasionally reviewing images from recent tests, led to a significant improvement, with the average score increasing to 80. The research indicated that when paired with melodies, the TPR method enhanced students' vocabulary fluency, spelling, pronunciation, and accuracy of usage. Furthermore, it fostered greater student involvement, enthusiasm, and creativity in the classroom. Overall, the study demonstrates that TPR and picture provide an engaging, straightforward method for vocabulary acquisition, helping students navigate difficulties in language learning and fostering a more vibrant and enjoyable educational atmosphere.

Abstract The study examines the effectiveness of Total Physical Response (TPR) and Game Based Learning (GBL) compared to traditional instruction in teaching Italian vocabulary to Arabic-speaking EFL children, learners of Italian as a third language, based on Krashen’s Affective Filter Hypothesis (AFH). The study follows a quantitative quasi-experimental comparative design with pre- and post-tests including twenty-four Italian words that refer to twelve body parts and twelve related actions for a period of six weeks. Vocabulary knowledge was assessed based on four criteria: pronunciation, listening, contextual knowledge, and interrelatedness. The findings showed that the differences between the participants’ answers on the post-test in the two experimental groups (i. e., TPR and GBL) and the control group were statistically significant in favor of the former. It was found that GBL and TPR foster an engaging and enjoyable learning environment, which is believed to enhance motivation and decrease foreign language anxiety. Although the control group did not employ specific strategies to lower the affective filter, they still demonstrated significant improvement from the pre-test to the post-test. This improvement suggests that factors such as general motivation and a positive learning environment can positively influence learning outcomes. However, the differences between the participants’ answers on the posttest in the two experimental groups were not statistically significant. It was argued that AFH cannot be used to explain the differences and unique effectiveness of teaching approaches when compared to each other.

This study aims to examine the effectiveness of the Total Physical Response (TPR) method in enhancing the vocabulary mastery of seventh-grade students, especially in learning daily activity verbs and prepositional phrases. TPR, introduced by James Asher, is a teaching approach that integrates language with physical movement, helping students associate words with actions to make learning more engaging. This research used a quasi-experimental design involving two groups: an experimental group taught using TPR and a control group taught using conventional methods. In the control group, the teacher applied a traditional approach, including explanation of vocabulary, translation into Indonesian, and memorization exercises without physical movement. A total of 64 students participated, with 32 students in each group. The intervention was carried out over four meetings. Both groups were given a pre-test and post-test to measure vocabulary improvement, and the results were analyzed using an independent samples t-test. The findings revealed a significant improvement in the experimental group’s vocabulary scores (mean score = 76.09) compared to the control group (mean score = 65.78), with a t-value of -3.325. Beyond academic performance, classroom observations indicated that TPR reduced students’ anxiety and encouraged more active participation. These results suggest that TPR is not only effective in improving vocabulary mastery but also supports a more enjoyable and motivating learning environment for junior high school students.

This study explored English language teachers’ pedagogical knowledge of the Total Physical Response (TPR) method in the primary schools of the Al-Dafniya Education Office in Misurata, Libya. As English is introduced in the first grade, the Libyan Ministry of Education has based primary English textbooks on TPR principles. However, limited training and a lack of awareness among teachers have raised concerns regarding the actual implementation of this method. Using a qualitative research design, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 female primary school teachers from six different schools of the Al-Dafniya Education Office. The findings revealed that although a few teachers applied certain TPR techniques, for instance, giving commands and incorporating songs with physical actions, most of them lacked background knowledge of TPR as a teaching method. Moreover, none of the teachers knew that it is the recommended method in Libyan primary English textbooks. The findings further demonstrated that factors such as insufficient training, a lack of classroom resources, and irregular use of English made it difficult for teachers to implement TPR effectively. The findings showed the gap between the recommended method and actual classroom practices which suggest a need for professional development and for improving primary English textbooks to align with pupils’ needs.

In this article authors study the usage of the Total Physical Response (TPR) approach in Uzbekistan primary schools with an emphasis on first-grade classes.  Because it integrates spoken language with physical activities, TPR is seen to be one of the best methods for teaching second languages because it helps students make the connection between language and movement.  For young students in particular, this method is advantageous since it makes the learning process more dynamic, interesting, and memorable. Through the use of physical responses, children are able to internalize vocabulary more effectively and demonstrate better comprehension of new concepts. The study emphasizes that the integration of TPR not only motivates learners but also creates a supportive classroom atmosphere. Consequently, developing and implementing TPR in primary education can lead to significantly improved learning outcomes.

Teaching English as a foreign language is not easy, especially teaching English to elementary students. Teachers are expected to always have creative and innovative ideas to attract students' attention in classroom teaching activities so that students can understand the material being taught. Total Physical Response (TPR) is one method that can be applied. TPR is a method that uses body movements to interpret words. The purpose of holding training using this method is to help teachers teach English and create a pleasant classroom atmosphere. This method is easy to apply to teachers at MIN 1 Tangerang. The participants who attended were 48 people consisting of the Principal and teachers. The methods used include 1) providing material about TPR regarding theory and examples with power points and videos, 2) assigning participants in groups to find themes and practice TPR, 3) guidance and discussion about the TPR that was practiced. The results of this activity were that all participants were enthusiastic and could use the TPR method well.

This article aims to explore the application of the Total Physical Response (TPR) teaching method in young children’s English teaching. Through literature review and empirical research, we found that the TPR teaching method can effectively promote children’s interest and enthusiasm in English learning, and improve their language comprehension and expression ability. This article introduces the theoretical basis, implementation steps, and specific application of the TPR teaching method in children’s English teaching in detail, and proves its effectiveness through teaching experience. Finally, we put forward the direction and prospects of future research.

This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of the Total Physical Response (TPR) method in improving English vocabulary comprehension in children aged 5–6 years. Early age is an important period in language development, so a learning method is needed that is in accordance with the characteristics of children, one of which is the TPR method. This study was conducted through a literature study by reviewing various internationally reputable scientific journals that discuss the application of the TPR method in early childhood education (PAUD). The results of the study indicate that TPR is an effective method in improving vocabulary mastery through fun and participatory physical activities. Children are asked to respond to verbal instructions with body movements, such as pointing, running, or jumping according to the meaning of the words being learned. This approach makes it easier for children to associate vocabulary with real actions, thus strengthening their memory. The TPR method is very suitable for the cognitive and psychomotor development of early childhood children who tend to learn through concrete experiences. Through movement-based learning, children become more active, focused, and motivated. In addition, the learning atmosphere created is more interactive and free from pressure, because children are not forced to speak directly, but rather understand and respond to commands physically. The Total Physical Response method has been proven to be effective as an English teaching strategy for early childhood. This approach not only improves vocabulary, but also supports the development of motor skills, concentration, and children's self-confidence.

This paper explores the theoretical underpinnings, empirical evidence, and educational implications of Total Physical Response (TPR) in early language instruction, highlighting its advantages, difficulties, and cognitive processes. The results indicate that TPR promotes enhanced retention, engagement, and language comprehension in young learners, offering significant potential for language educators. TPR was developed by Dr. James Asher in the 1960s and has garnered significant attention as an effective language acquisition tool for young learners. The method is based on the belief that language learning can be enhanced by combining physical movement with verbal input.

This study examines the effectiveness of the Total Physical Response (TPR) method in improving listening comprehension among second-year students at SMPN 1 Libureng-Bone. Addressing the urgent need for more engaging and effective strategies in English language instruction, this research highlights TPR as a movement-based, learner-centered approach. Using a pre-experimental design with a single-group pre-test and post-test, the study involved 30 randomly selected students from Class VIII.D over eight sessions, including treatment. Findings revealed a substantial increase in students’ direct meaning comprehension scores—from a pre-test mean of 4.05 to a post-test mean of 7.9, reflecting a 93% improvement. These results suggest that TPR significantly enhances listening skills by promoting active participation and cognitive engagement. The study contributes to the growing body of research supporting TPR in EFL contexts and offers practical implications for improving English instruction in Indonesian secondary schools.

Abstract: Learning vocabulary is essential for English language learners and it is often best taught in early age, such as in primary school students. One of the methods that can be used in teaching vocabulary is Total Physical Response (TPR). The purpose of this study is to investigate the implementation of TPR in teaching vocabulary among primary school students and to explore the students’ responses after learning. The participants were an English teacher who also served as the researcher and twenty-three second-grade students of SD Aisyiyah Multilingual Darussalam Kudus. This study used a descriptive qualitative method, with data obtained from observation and interviews.  The findings revealed that there are three teaching stages in the teaching vocabulary, such as pre-teaching, whilst-teaching, and post-teaching. Furthermore, the teacher has several roles in these stages, such as planner, director, model, and assessor.  Various fun activities such as singing a song together, listening and doing, and playing games were used to boost the students’ enthusiasm and motivation. In the last stage, the teacher assesses the students to ensure their comprehension. In addition, interview data shows that TPR method has effectively helped students remember new vocabulary, create fun and enjoyable learning atmosphere.

The article explores the application of Total Physical Response (TPR) principles in teaching English in higher educational institutions. The study focuses on modern pedagogical perspectives on TPR and its relevance for adult learners in university contexts. Although traditionally associated with teaching young learners, TPR is reconsidered as an effective approach for enhancing vocabulary acquisition, grammatical competence, learner engagement, and motivation in higher education. The article analyzes recent research on kinesthetic learning, embodied cognition, and communicative language teaching, demonstrating that physical involvement supports deeper language processing and retention. Practical strategies for implementing TPR principles in vocabulary and grammar instruction at the tertiary level are proposed. The findings confirm that TPR contributes to creating an interactive, student-centered, and low-anxiety learning environment, which is essential for developing communicative competence among university students.

This paper focused on the TPR method as a learning media for English as a foreign language to young learners. This study was designed to investigate the teachers’ experience in using the TPR method as a means of teaching English to young learners. The research design of this study was a narrative inquiry and the participant of this study was an English teacher at one of the non-formal education institutions in Ciamis. The subject of this research were students and an English teacher in non-formal education Ciamis. The data collection included classroom observation and semi-structured interviews. The results of the study found that the TPR method had a positive influence as a means of learning English as a foreign language, particularly when the teacher teaches vocabulary. From the five-question indicators, it can be concluded that the TPR method is also quite effective to be applied as a learning medium for young learners since young learners have a good memory to input the vocabulary that is being taught. Moreover, it is easier for the teacher to provide learning students’ enthusiasm for learning clearly appears that makes the class not boring.

This study aimed to determine the use of the Total Physical response method (TPR) through tiktok as a learning media to improve students' listening skill at SMAN  18 Makassar. The research used pre-experimental research method. The population of this research was eleventh grade students of SMAN 18 Makassar at first semester academic year 2023/2024. The number of the sample were 33 students. The research collected the data by giving pre-test, treatment, and post-test. The data of this research was analyzed by SPSS 25 version. The researcher concluded that there was a significant improvement in students' listening skills by using the Total Physical Response (TPR) Method through Tiktok as a learning medium. This is supported by the results of the average scores in the pre-test and post-test. The average score on the pre-test was 55.45, while on the post-test was 84.70. The significant value in this study is 0.000 which is smaller than 0.5. This means that there is a significant improvement in students' listening skills with the Total Physical Response (TPR) Method through Tiktok as a Learning Media

Abstract. This research aimed to find out whether there was an statistically significant increase in students' after the implementation of Total Physical Response (TPR) Method. The research was quantitative research using one group pretest  and posttest design. The samples of this research were thirty students in class V-Multazam at SDIT Insan Kamil Bandar Jaya in the academic year 2023/2024. The data were collected using pretest and posttest of vocabulary test. In order to analyze the result, Paired Sample T-Test was used to test the hypothesis. it was proved by the increase of students' mean score in the pretest was 34.13 and the students' mean score in the posttest was 74.51. It showed that the gain of students' improvement was 40.37. The result showed that there was a statistically significant increase of students' vocabulary with significant level (0.00<0.05) and the t-value (17.330) were higher than t-table (2.048). This suggest that teaching vocabulary using Total Physical Response (TPR) method facilitates students to improve their phrasal verbs. Keywords: Young Learners, Phrasal Verbs, Total Physical Response.

E-learning systems traditionally provide content rather than interactive, adaptive learning. This hinders active learning by limiting students' access to quick, customized feedback. Future VR and AR learning will be experiential; however, real-time feedback methods are currently lacking. Without these tools, VR/AR students may not be able to repair faults or receive adaptive feedback, decreasing its instructional impact. VR/AR e-learning systems may benefit from deep learning-augmented feedback. The system instantaneously captures data on VR/AR headset gesture tracking, speech monitoring, and gaze detection. A deep feedback engine uses CNNs for gesture detection, LSTM networks for temporal action analysis, and transformers for speech understanding. Multi-modal inputs provide personalized real-time feedback. To operate within 250 ms, neural network compression methods such as pruning and quantization are employed. Lab tests confirmed the effectiveness of the strategy for STEM and language learning courses. Compared to traditional e-learning systems, learner interest increased by 32% and success by 25%. Response learning is possible because the system calculates feedback in real time with a latency of under 250 milliseconds. Deep learning and real-time multi-modal interaction analysis in VR/AR classrooms are used to create an adaptive feedback system for immersive learning. Individualized, real-time feedback boosts student engagement and academic performance. This work prepares for next-generation intelligent immersive learning spaces with deep learning-based real-time feedback loops for technical accuracy and pedagogical relevance.

This community service program was conducted to address young learners’ limited basic English vocabulary in a non-formal educational setting at PPA Krammer Hilina’a Church. The program aimed to improve students’ vocabulary mastery through deep learning–based interactive learning activities that emphasize meaningful understanding and active use of language. The participants were 23 students aged 9 to 11 years. The program was implemented in two cycles using planning, action, observation, and reflection stages. Interactive activities such as gesture-based learning, picture-based tasks, pair work, and guided sentence construction were employed to support deep learning through repeated exposure and contextual practice. Quantitative data were collected through vocabulary tests, while qualitative data were obtained from observation sheets and field notes. The results indicated a significant improvement, as students in the Good and Very Good categories increased from 21.74% in Cycle 1 to 69.57% in Cycle 2, while students in the Poor and Very Poor categories decreased from 39.13% to 0%. These findings demonstrate that deep learning–based interactive learning activities effectively support basic English learning in community-based programs.

Language is a medium of communication. In this world, there are many languages, one of which is Sign Language. Sign Language is a communication system that utilizes body and visual movements, not just hand signals. In addition to the use of sign language, learning methods are also developing to improve the understanding of deaf students, which is gesture-based, which includes body movements and expressions. This study aims to determine the Effectiveness of Using Sign Language in Understanding Indonesian Language Learning for Grade IV/B Deaf Students at SLB Bhakti Luhur Baumata Kupang. The method used is Classroom Action Research with a quantitative descriptive approach based on the Kemiis and McTaggart model which includes 4 stages: Planning, implementation, observation and reflection. The research subject was 1 person, namely 1 woman. Data were collected through observation sheets of students. The results of the study in the first cycle showed an increase in understanding Indonesian language learning using Sign Language. Thus, it can be concluded that Indonesian and Sign Language with contextual activities with environmental themes make it easier for students to understand the material, improve fine motor coordination, and foster an attitude of caring for the environment

No abstract available

With the rise of high-speed internet and interactive platforms, distance English teaching has become mainstream. However, challenges such as limited interaction, delayed feedback, and declining motivation persist. This study proposes a multi-modal task-collaboration model grounded in task-based language teaching that integrates voice, gesture, and text interactions within a three-stage cycle (pre-task activation–task execution–result feedback), enhanced by artificial intelligence-driven real-time diagnosis and data visualization. An eight-week action research study verified that the model significantly boosts learning motivation, collaboration efficiency, and language output complexity, while offering teachers effective monitoring tools. The study concludes with reflections on limitations and suggests future improvements, including generative artificial intelligence feedback and expanded cross-cultural tasks, aiming to provide a scalable paradigm for online English education.

Intelligent tutor systems (ITSs) in mobile devices take us through learning tasks and make learning ubiquitous, autonomous, and at low cost (Nye, 2015). In this paper, we describe guided embodiment as an ITS essential feature for second language learning (L2) and aphasia rehabilitation (ARe) that enhances efficiency in the learning process. In embodiment, cognitive processes, here specifically language (re)learning are grounded in actions and gestures (Pecher and Zwaan, 2005; Fischer and Zwaan, 2008; Dijkstra and Post, 2015). In order to guide users through embodiment, ITSs must track action and gesture, and give corrective feed-back to achieve the users' goals. Therefore, sensor systems are essential to guided embodiment. In the next sections, we describe sensor systems that can be implemented in ITS for guided embodiment.

In educational settings, theory and practice of foreign language (FL) learning have been dominated by a cognitive output-driven notion of an ostensibly quantifiable “efficiency” of FL learning. The concepts of enaction and embodiment challenge the conventional view of language learning by positing that the learner's organism endows components of the environment with specific meaningfulness, and the environment provides the organism with specific affordances, activating modality-specific brain areas. Hence, cognitive learning processes can no longer be understood as linear input-output functions for accumulating information in the brain but must involve the sensory and motor capacities of learners' bodies. Action-oriented foreign language learning scenarios mobilize preverbal (inter)corporeal experiences, which are actually lived through in multisensorial and multimodal experiences. Whereas methodologies promoting bodily activation emphasize learners becoming more attuned to the foreign language-framed eco-social environment and its semiotic resources, they tend to overlook the aspect of the learner's immaterial lived body and its pre-reflective resonances with and responses to actually experiencing the FL and its manifestations which is vital for connecting subjective corporeal memories to the FL learning process. What was corporeally sensed as striking resonances can be made explicit through attentiveness and reflective verbal explication. Conversely, learned items appear to be more meaningful to the learner when the situated affective background shines through. Since language is a form of embodied sociality, the objective for FL learners is to incorporate the foreign language as an integrated semiotic repertoire for sociocultural behavior through body mobilization and enhanced attentiveness to the preverbal resonances and responses of their lived body.

Italian Sign Language (LIS) is the primary form of communication for many members of the Italian deaf community. Despite being recognized as a fully fledged language with its own grammar and syntax, LIS still faces challenges in gaining widespread recognition and integration into public services, education, and media. In recent years, advancements in technology, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, have opened up new opportunities to bridge communication gaps between the deaf and hearing communities. This paper presents a novel educational tool designed to teach LIS through SIGNIFY, a Machine Learning-based interactive serious game. The game incorporates a tutorial section, guiding users to learn the sign alphabet, and a classic hangman game that reinforces learning through practice. The developed system employs advanced hand gesture recognition techniques for learning and perfecting sign language gestures. The proposed solution detects and overlays 21 hand landmarks and a bounding box on live camera feeds, making use of an open-source framework to provide real-time visual feedback. Moreover, the study compares the effectiveness of two camera systems: the Azure Kinect, which provides RGB-D information, and a standard RGB laptop camera. Results highlight both systems’ feasibility and educational potential, showcasing their respective advantages and limitations. Evaluations with primary school children demonstrate the tool’s ability to make sign language education more accessible and engaging. This article emphasizes the work’s contribution to inclusive education, highlighting the integration of technology to enhance learning experiences for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals.

An educational gesture detection system for real-time sign language learning was developed. The applied 3-step approach consists of continuous image gathering, hand detection using the MediaPipe pipeline from Single-Shot Detector BlazePalm method and Hand Landmark Model, pretrained on a combination of synthetic and real images, for hand key points defining, and simple gesture classification. Its primary purpose is to provide an opportunity for people with hearing or speech disorders to improve their sign language skills with the help of a real-time gesture detection educational system. The process of sign recognition is divided into several phases: gathering an image from the camera, detecting a palm, setting key points, and defining a letter.

This research investigates the effectiveness of using the "Gesture Game" in vocabulary learning among first-grade students at MA Miftahul Ulum Bettet, a Madrasah Aliyah in Indonesia. Conducted in early 2025, the study employed a qualitative case study approach with purposive sampling, gathering data through interviews with students and teachers, as well as classroom observations. The findings indicate that students responded positively to the method, enjoying its interactive and enjoyable nature. Teachers also observed increased student participation and better understanding of vocabulary. The results suggest that the "Gesture Game" aligns well with kinesthetic learning principles, creating a more dynamic and enjoyable classroom atmosphere and fostering greater student involvement. However, the study also identified several limitations, such as the need for a spacious classroom and the possibility of some students feeling self-conscious when performing gestures in front of their peers. Overall, the research highlights the potential of the "Gesture Game" as an effective instructional method for enhancing students' motivation and vocabulary comprehension, particularly in the context of Islamic education. It also provides valuable insights into the application of kinesthetic learning strategies and offers practical recommendations for incorporating the Gesture Game into English language teaching.

Teaching gesture recognition is a technique used to recognize the hand movements of teachers in classroom teaching scenarios. This technology is widely used in education, including for classroom teaching evaluation, enhancing online teaching, and assisting special education. However, current research on gesture recognition in teaching mainly focuses on detecting the static gestures of individual students and analyzing their classroom behavior. To analyze the teacher’s gestures and mitigate the difficulty of single-target dynamic gesture recognition in multi-person teaching scenarios, this paper proposes skeleton-based teaching gesture recognition (ST-TGR), which learns through spatio-temporal representation. This method mainly uses the human pose estimation technique RTMPose to extract the coordinates of the keypoints of the teacher’s skeleton and then inputs the recognized sequence of the teacher’s skeleton into the MoGRU action recognition network for classifying gesture actions. The MoGRU action recognition module mainly learns the spatio-temporal representation of target actions by stacking a multi-scale bidirectional gated recurrent unit (BiGRU) and using improved attention mechanism modules. To validate the generalization of the action recognition network model, we conducted comparative experiments on datasets including NTU RGB+D 60, UT-Kinect Action3D, SBU Kinect Interaction, and Florence 3D. The results indicate that, compared with most existing baseline models, the model proposed in this article exhibits better performance in recognition accuracy and speed.

Second language learning is a multimodal phenomenon and thus investigating the multimodal aspects of learners’ language learning has become a promising area for research (Guichon & McLornan, 2008; Hardison & Pennington, 2021). Traditionally, language learners’ interactions during classroom activities are often understood by analyzing text-based data, which is not sufficient to paint the full picture of learners’ multimodal participation (Helm & Dooly, 2017). Thus, examining learners’ multimodal participation during classroom activities (i.e., gestures, facial expressions, head movement) has become a need to better paint the picture of students’ learning processes. By adopting a multimodal (inter)action analysis, the present study sought to explore participants’ multimodal participation during a game-mediated project that consisted of playing a video game and completing a series of wraparound activities. Focusing on a small group of English language learners and one teacher, this multiple-case exploratory study provided detailed descriptions of how they participated in game-mediated activities as well as communicated with one another. Findings suggested participants using multimodal elements to help enhance their communication by explaining the meaning and pronunciation of words, and providing additional information to their communication, even when the spoken language was not being used. Implications for both research and practice were discussed as well.

Non-verbal communication, particularly gestures and posture, is vital in enhancing student engagement, comprehension, and retention in language learning. This study investigates the impact of integrating deliberate gestures and posture into English language teaching, focusing on student learning outcomes. A controlled experiment was conducted with 58 participants (8 teachers and 50 students) divided into Experimental Groups (EG) and Control Groups (CG). Teachers in the EG received training on the effective use of iconic, deictic, metaphoric, and beat gestures and posture awareness techniques, while the CG followed traditional teaching practices. Data were collected through pre-and post-tests, student surveys, classroom observations, and retention assessments. The results demonstrated significant improvements in the EG compared to the CG across all measures. Comprehension scores in the EG increased by 6.62 points, compared to 2.96 points in the CG (T-statistic = 3.27, P-value = 0.002). Student engagement levels were also higher in the EG, with more frequent participation, higher motivation, and a more substantial influence of gestures and posture on learning (F-statistic for engagement = 18.27, P-value = 0.002). Additionally, retention of language concepts two weeks after the intervention was significantly higher in the EG, with an 8.50% improvement over the CG (Cohen’s d = 2.01, large effect size). Regression analysis further confirmed that gesture frequency and type strongly predicted comprehension, engagement, and retention improvements.

When people inter‐ act, they act conjointly, not as independent beings. This article explores the role of interactive we‐processes in second language acquisition and teaching (SLA/T). First, we define we‐processes, review literature, and summarize our theoretical framework—a sociocognitive approach to SLA/T. Second, we present an exploratory study of we‐processes in an Australian ESL classroom, microanalyzing a 55‐second videotaped interaction using novel methods. Evidence for language learning‐and‐teaching‐related we‐processes was found in multiple areas: embodied participation framework, intertwined semiosis, interactional infrastructure, pronunciation as learning action, interactional identity/face, multimodal coordination, affect, and language production. Third, we discuss the theoretical–empirical results of our exploration comparatively with the conversation analysis (CA) approach in SLA/T studies.

ABSTRACT The application and investigation of various virtual world experiences in language learning have been on the rise. However, mixed reality (MR) has received limited attention due to its ambiguous concepts, unclear affordances, and insufficient incorporation of theoretical frameworks.To promote the investigation and implementation of MR-enhanced language learning, we aimed to explore its concepts, affordances, and theoretical frameworks by reviewing four related research topics: (a) MR and its relationship with other types of virtual world experiences, (b) technology-enhanced language learning, (c) MR-enhanced learning in general, and (d) other types of virtual world experiences for language education. The findings show that MR-enhanced language learning can be defined as an approach to developing language knowledge and skills based on real-time, bi-directional interactions with representations of language learning materials seamlessly merged into the physical environment. MR can present rich input, provide opportunities for practices, support communication and collaboration, enhance student-centredness, and increase enjoyment. MR-enhanced language learning can be implemented based on seven theories: game-based learning theory, autonomous learning theory, cognitive theories of multimedia learning, sociocultural theory, collaborative learning theory, constructivist theory, and embodied learning theory. The benefits of incorporating mixed reality (MR) into language learning include contextualized learning, enhanced autonomy, improved communication and collaboration, and reduced risk for learners.

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This work explores the use of mixed-reality (MR) technology to enable situated language learning using everyday objects in the environment around the learners. The learning method is based on Presentation, Practice, and Production (PPP), which cultivates the habit of independent learning through repetition, practice, and demonstration. In our game design, the learners first interact with real-world objects via MR, and the objects’ spelling and their pronunciation will appear (Presentation), the learners repeat the pronunciation (Practice) to collect the letters of this objects, and finally the learner use the collected letters to spell out the target words (Production), which then transform into interactive 3D objects. We designed the learning experience and content tools using gestural UI, voice input, and object-to-word engine. Children in the preliminary user study found the game to be immersive, helpful in learning the spelling of the everyday objects and the target words, and additionally showed increased interests in learning about other nearby objects after playing the game.

The rise of generative artificial intelligence (GAI), especially with multimodal large language models like GPT‐4o, sparked transformative potential and challenges for learning and teaching. With potential as a cognitive offloading tool, GAI can enable learners to focus on higher‐order thinking and creativity. Yet, this also raises questions about integration into traditional education due to the limited research on learners' interactions with GAI. Some studies with GAI focus on text‐based human–AI interactions, while research on embodied GAI in immersive environments like mixed reality (MR) remains unexplored. To address this, this study investigates interaction dynamics between learners and embodied GAI agents in MR, examining cognitive and socio‐emotional interactions during collaborative learning. We investigated the paired interactive patterns between a student and an embodied GAI agent in MR, based on data from 26 higher education students with 1317 recorded activities. Data were analysed using a multi‐layered learning analytics approach, including quantitative content analysis, sequence analysis via hierarchical clustering and pattern analysis through ordered network analysis (ONA). Our findings identified two interaction patterns: type (1) AI‐led Supported Exploratory Questioning (AISQ) and type (2) Learner‐Initiated Inquiry (LII) group. Despite their distinction in characteristic, both types demonstrated comparable levels of socio‐emotional engagement and exhibited meaningful cognitive engagement, surpassing the superficial content reproduction that can be observed in interactions with GPT models. This study contributes to the human–AI collaboration and learning studies, extending understanding to learning in MR environments and highlighting implications for designing AI‐based educational tools. What is already known about this topic Socio‐emotional interactions are fundamental to cognitive processes and play a critical role in collaborative learning. Generative artificial intelligence (GAI) holds transformative potential for education but raises questions about how learners interact with such technology. Most existing research focuses on text‐based interactions with GAI; there is limited empirical evidence on how embodied GAI agents within immersive environments like Mixed Reality (MR) influence the cognitive and socio‐emotional interactions for learning and regulation. What this paper adds Provides first empirical insights into cognitive and socio‐emotional interaction patterns between learners and embodied GAI agents in MR environments. Identifies two distinct interaction patterns: AISQ type (structured, guided, supportive) and LII type (inquiry‐driven, exploratory, engaging), demonstrating how these patterns influence collaborative learning dynamics. Shows that both interaction types facilitate meaningful cognitive engagement, moving beyond superficial content reproduction commonly associated with GAI interactions. Implications for practice and/or policy Insights from the identified interaction patterns can inform the design of teaching strategies that effectively integrate embodied GAI agents to enhance both cognitive and socio‐emotional engagement. Findings can guide the development of AI‐based educational tools that capitalise on the capabilities of embodied GAI agents, supporting a balance between structured guidance and exploratory learning. Highlights the need for ethical considerations in adopting embodied GAI agents, particularly regarding the human‐like realism of these agents and potential impacts on learner dependency and interaction norms.

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Traditional sign language teaching methods face challenges such as limited feedback and diverse learning scenarios. Although 2D resources lack reality sences, classroom teaching is constrained by a scarcity of teacher and methods based on VR and AR have relatively primitive interaction feedback mechanisms. This study proposes an innovative teaching model that uses real-time monocular vision and mixed reality technology. First, we introduce an improved hand-posture reconstruction method to achieve sign language semantic retention and real-time feedback. Second, a ternary system evaluation algorithm is proposed for a comprehensive assessment, maintaining good consistency with experts in sign language. Furthermore, we use mixed reality technology to construct a scenario-based 3D sign language classroom and explore the user experience of scenario teaching. Overall, this paper presents a novel teaching method that provides an immersive learning experience, advanced posture reconstruction, and precise feedback, achieving positive feedback on user experience and learning effectiveness.

Abstract Abstract In the digital era, mixed reality technology is widely used in several fields, especially in education. After exploring the application of mixed-reality technology in the field of education, this paper introduces it to English teaching, constructs an English immersive mixed-reality teaching model, and develops an online English platform based on mixed-reality technology. Taking the English majors of a school as the experimental subjects, the English immersive mixed reality teaching mode is put into teaching practice, and the application effect of the mixed reality teaching mode is evaluated through the data analysis of test indicators and students’ attitudes. Then, using structural equation modeling, a study was conducted on how mixed reality technology promotes immersive learning in English teaching. Students found the English immersion teaching model based on mixed technology to be more satisfactory, with evaluation scores exceeding 4 for each indicator. The promotion effect of mixed reality technology on learning immersion is moderate (0.46~0.58), and it further promotes students’ English learning immersion through the enhancement effects of spatial proximity, realism, interaction, and social proximity.

Mixed reality creates exciting new opportunities for computer-aided language learning. By combining markerless tracking technology with a user's geolocation, software systems can dynamically locate and generate personalized interactive language practice exercises. The Locabulary mobile app uses a combination of markerless tracking and metadata from the user's location information to construct that utilize the learner's physical surroundings to provide unique and relevant content. Additionally, Locabulary employs context-aware spaced repetition to help language learners develop mastery over the material in the exercises it creates.

Developing speaking proficiency in a second language can be cognitively demanding and emotionally taxing, often triggering fear of making mistakes or being excluded from larger groups. While current learning tools show promise for speaking practice, most focus on dyadic, scripted scenarios, limiting opportunities for dynamic group interactions. To address this gap, we present ConversAR, a Mixed Reality system that leverages Generative AI and XR to support situated and personalized group conversations. It integrates embodied AI agents, scene recognition, and generative 3D props anchored to real-world surroundings. Based on a formative study with experts in language acquisition, we developed and tested this system with a user study with 21 second-language learners. Results indicate that the system enhanced learner engagement, increased willingness to communicate, and offered a safe space for speaking. We discuss the implications for integrating Generative AI and XR into the design of future language learning applications.

This study aims to examine how Virtual Reality (VR) can enhance students’ public speaking skills in Receptive Oral Language Learning. VR provides a realistic and interactive environment that allows learners to practice speaking without the pressure of a real audience. Through VR, students can engage in various scenarios, receive immediate feedback, and improve their confidence and fluency in public speaking. This research employed a mixed-method approach involving interviews, documentation, and questionnaires. The findings indicate that VR is an effective tool for improving both verbal and non-verbal communication. Quantitative results show that 80% of students strongly agreed and 20% agreed that VR enhances their public speaking performance. Qualitative feedback further revealed that VR practice reduced anxiety and increased learners’ motivation. However, challenges such as the high cost of VR equipment, limited accessibility, and health-related comfort issues were also identified. Overall, VR is proven to be a valuable pedagogical tool for improving students’ public speaking competence and receptive oral language learning outcomes.

Abstract Early learners experience various difficulties when learning foreign languages. Augmented reality technology can support learning environments and foreign language vocabulary teaching by attracting the attention of early learners. The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of Augmented Reality (AR) technology supported English language learning activities on preschool children with the effects of traditional activities (presentation, lecture, question-answer). In this study, embedded mixed method was used. The sample of the study consisted of 44 five-year-old preschool children (19 boys, 25 girls). Color knowledge test, mood scale, observation, and interview forms were used as data collection tools. As a result of the study, it was concluded that AR-supported English learning activities were more effective than traditional activities on students’ English color vocabulary levels. The children were very happy and they had fun during the experimental process. According to the results of classroom observations, children made weekly progress in cognitive, affective and social/language categories. Implications are discussed in terms of pedagogical insights, practices for AR supported English language learning in preschool, and further research directions.

In this paper we present Do You Speak Holo?, an application for Microsoft HoloLens co-designed with linguistics experts that aims to facilitate the learning process of a foreign language for children and adolescents with language disorders (LD). The application includes several educational activities, aimed at improving both vocabulary and morpho-syntactic aspects of the language through the interaction with virtual content immersed in the real world. The application includes a virtual assistant, which acts as a virtual teacher and guides the user step by step in the comprehension and execution of the activities.

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The use of AR in education has garnered attention as an innovative method to enhance engagement and effectiveness of learning. This study focuses on integrating Augmented Reality (AR) into language improve student motivation, it can learning communication skills, and writing proficiency. The research aims to explore and analyze the impact of implementing AR technology using Assemblr Studio in language learning contexts. The research methodology employs a mixed methods approach, with data collected through surveys, language proficiency tests, interviews, and participatory observations. The study involves students at Muhadi Setiabudi University learning with AR-based educational media tailored for language learning. Results show that implementing Augmented Reality (AR) using Assemblr Studio produces innovative learning media, particularly in writing and speaking skills. Three-dimensional (3D) media using AR is found effective in learning, with students responding positively to its use. Furthermore, AR technology can enhance the quality of language learning by providing engaging, interactive, and personalized learning experiences, fostering better understanding and authentic language use in real-world contexts.

This study examines the integration of Augmented Reality (AR) technology in English language learning based on blended culture. The research addresses two key questions: 1) How does the use of AR learning media influence student engagement in blended culture-based English learning? 2) How does the use of AR learning media affect students' understanding in blended culture-based English learning? The researcher employs a mixed-method approach with a quasi-experimental and qualitative descriptive design, involving two schools with a total sample of 60 students and 4 teachers selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected through observations and interviews to obtain qualitative data. Surveys and tests were used to gather quantitative data. The results show that: 1) student engagement increased, particularly in active participation, interaction with AR media, and collaboration with peers. 2) AR significantly enhances student engagement and understanding, with post-test scores increasing from 56.33 to 80.33 in School A and from 49.33 to 85.00 in School B. Survey results indicate that using AR technology in English learning enriches students' understanding of cultural diversity. AR allows students to engage more deeply in exploring local and target cultures, such as through interactive visualizations and culturally relevant contexts in the learning materials. This study highlights the significant potential of AR as an effective tool for enhancing the quality of English language learning through a blended culture-based approach.

Mixed Reality (MR) technology has demonstrated its effectiveness in enhancing education, particularly in task-based training and the visualization of spatial concepts. This study examines the feasibility of using MR to assist EFL (English as a Foreign Language) children in learning English vocabulary and collocations. By analyzing different teaching methodologies, we identify two suitable strategies for MR-based instruction and develop two prototypes: Spelland and VerbVenture. Spelland uses situated learning to help children explore everyday objects and learn vocabulary through context, practicing pronunciation and spelling to earn letters for building new words and creating virtual objects. VerbVenture employs embodied learning to help children understand verb-noun collocations by interacting with virtual scenarios and performing actions, reinforcing word-object-action connections. We conduct a pilot study with EFL children to evaluate these prototypes, providing insights for further refinement and development of MR-based EFL learning applications.

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Although the use of Augmented Reality (AR) in language learning has increased over the last two decades, there is still little research on the preparation of pre-service teachers as AR content creators. This paper focuses on analyzing the digital competence and attitudes of teacher candidates to integrate AR in the foreign language classroom. For this purpose, eighty-five college students were assigned into different teams to create their own AR-based projects which aimed at teaching English and content to young learners. The teacher candidates employed several software development kits (SDKs) to construct collaborative AR projects in a five-week period, including discursive and illustrative representations of the learning content. In this research based on a mixed method, quantitative and qualitative data were gathered trough AR project presentations and surveys encompassing two validated scales, the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework and the Augmented Reality Applications Attitudes Scale (ARAAS). The statistical data and qualitative findings revealed that the participants lacked practical knowledge on AR content creation and implementation in Education. The major problems were related to the TPK (Technological Pedagogical Knowledge) intersection since participants had been previously trained in AR technology just as recipients and not as content creators and educators.

With the deep integration of educational technology and second language acquisition (SLA), mixed reality (MR) technology—combining the immersive qualities of virtual reality (VR) and the contextual relevance of augmented reality (AR)—has provided a novel pathway to address key challenges in traditional mobile English learning, including limited immersion, insufficient interaction, and the disconnection between knowledge and real-world application. This study aims to construct multiple differentiated MR-based mobile English instructional designs and to systematically compare their learning effects across four dimensions: knowledge acquisition, language proficiency, learning engagement, and cognitive load. A quasi-experimental design was employed, in which participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups: a context-immersive MR group, a collaborative inquiry MR group, a personalized adaptive MR group, and a traditional mobile learning control group. An eight-week instructional intervention was implemented. The expected findings indicate that (a) all three MR-based instructional designs perform significantly better than the traditional mobile learning model in vocabulary retention, listening and speaking proficiency, and learning engagement; (b) the context-immersive MR group demonstrates superior performance in contextualized language use and cultural awareness; (c) the collaborative inquiry MR group exhibits distinct advantages in cooperative communication and problem-solving skills; and (d) the personalized adaptive MR group experiences the lowest cognitive load and the highest satisfaction across learners of different proficiency levels. This study contributes to the theoretical development of technology-enhanced SLA, provides empirical support for optimizing MR-based mobile English instructional design, and offers practical guidance for the deeper integration of MR technology into second language education.

Virtual Reality (VR) is now being heralded as a revolutionary learning technology, but its application in language learning and teaching remains far from fully exploited in Ghana. Breaking Classroom Walls: Exploring the potential of Virtual Reality in Language Teaching and Learning in Ghana is research work that highlights the possibilities and constraints of VR in facilitating language learning through immersion, contextualized practice, and learner engagement. The research, employing a mixed-method design, combined questionnaires and semi-structured interviews between language learners and instructors with classroom case implementation of VR-enhanced instruction. Quantitative findings revealed significant learner performance and motivational gains, and qualitative findings revealed positive attitudes to integration but concerns regarding cost, accessibility, and teacher preparation The research sees the potential of VR for enhanced motivation, correct pronunciation, and contextual learning. It contributes to education innovation literature in sub-Saharan Africa by offering evidence-based recommendations on teacher training, policymaking, and curricula development in Ghana.

This randomized controlled trial tested the effects of immersive Virtual Reality (VR) enhanced with artificial intelligence on English language development, operationalized as performance on an author-developed, CEFR-aligned language proficiency battery emphasizing grammatical and lexical performance, in undergraduate Chinese EFL learners (N = 477). Participants were assigned to NLP-enhanced VR, ML-enhanced VR, SA-enhanced VR, or a traditional instruction control condition. Posttest scores on an author-developed, CEFR-aligned proficiency measure were analyzed using mixed-effects ANCOVA to account for recurring laboratory sections. The NLP-enhanced VR condition yielded substantially greater grammatical and lexical gains than all other conditions (F(3,473) = 1139.45, p < .001, η 2 = .88), with post hoc tests confirming its superiority. Communication competence and intercultural competence were measured only within the three VR arms. No reliable between-arm differences were detected for communication competence (F(2,354) = 0.02, p = .982) or intercultural competence (F(2,354) = 1.06, p = .349), so no causal claims are made versus the control group for these outcomes. Findings indicate that context-sensitive, NLP-driven conversational support in immersive VR can causally enhance foundational linguistic subsystems—vocabulary, grammar, and sentence-level syntax—as measured by the CEFR-aligned assessment, while the durability and communicative transfer of these gains require verification through delayed and independent measures.

High-immersion virtual reality (HiVR) attracts increasing attention among language learning researchers because of its potential to enhance language learning. Prior studies focused mainly on HiVR and linguistic knowledge acquisition, and little is known about HiVR and emotions in language learning. Foreign language speaking anxiety (FLSA) is a common emotion that inhibits language learning and use, so it is important to explore approaches to alleviate it. This study investigated the potential use of HiVR for coping with FLSA in which 140 Chinese EFL learners were randomly assigned to four groups (35 students each) with a different combination of learning environments (HiVR or classroom) and learning principles (situated learning or teacher-centred learning). Students’ pre- and post-test of FLSA levels within and among four groups were compared via t-tests and ANOVA. Participants’ descriptions of FLSA change and perceptions of the effects of HiVR on FLSA were integrated with quantitative results for analysis. The integration of analysis showed that although most students perceived HiVR as a useful tool for alleviating FLSA, it is difficult for them to apply the reduced anxiety experienced in HiVR to real-life situations. The statistical results also showed that HiVR did not influence students’ real-life FLSA significantly. Most participants reported that HiVR offered them an authentic environment and enjoyable learning activities, which engaged them in learning, but the use of avatars in HiVR sometimes created an obstacle to communication. Implications for using HiVR technology to enhance foreign language learning are provided.

Our purpose of this study is to increase efficiency of learning sign language and fingerspelling, the visual language. In general, illustrations and videos are used as learning materials to study these languages. However, the learning materials are drawn from the view point of someone to talk to. Therefore, learners need to imagine finger shape that looked from the person while they study. Understanding the motion is easier if learners can watch it in three dimensions. Therefore, taking lessons by a teacher who has already mastered it will be the best way. However, the method is not appropriate to study by themselves. Then, we devise a new method to increase the efficiency of learning by increasing learning opportunities by developing equipment that learners can study alone. We propose learning support equipment using glasses-shaped wearable device and mixed reality. By using mixed reality, learners can watch sign language and fingerspelling motion in three dimensions as if learners looked at these languages in the real world. In the previous studies, the equipment was developed by using augmented reality. AR marker was used for the operation. With this equipment, learners have controlled movement and rotation of 3D model. In this study, we develop the equipment used mixed reality by selecting the holographic button with gesture. Therefore, learners can operate the equipment without using the other device and this make them possible to study more intuitive. With glasses-shaped wearable device, learners can also study sign language and fingerspelling mimicking the gesture with both hands. As we build sign language learning support contents, learners can study sign language and fingerspelling with them. However, the present equipment is short of 3D animation of sign language. Therefore, we are planning to make 3D animation by capturing the motions that hearing-impaired person use. We had a trial test for hearing-impaired person and a sign language interpreter in order to get real impression. As a result, we got an opinion that some 3D animations are not accurate and complicated to understand. Also, we got an opinion that 3D model direction is not clear after the rotation. According to these opinions, we corrected as follows: the correction of 3D animation, adding function of displaying the track of the finger, and the function of selecting the holographic reset button for the 3D model direction.

Aim/Purpose: This paper investigates three key aspects of metaverse-based platforms in English language teaching: (1) their effectiveness in enhancing language learning outcomes, (2) their impact on digital literacy development in higher education, and (3) their accessibility and inclusivity implications for diverse student populations. Background: Despite growing interest in digital language learning, research gaps exist in understanding the long-term effectiveness of immersive technologies, particularly in resource-constrained settings. The metaverse – an integrated platform combining augmented reality (AR) for real-world digital overlays and virtual reality (VR) for immersive experiences – remains little studied in language education. While existing research examines AR or VR separately, this study investigates their combined impact through metaverse technology, addressing the unexplored intersection of language proficiency, digital literacy, and learning sustainability in higher education. Methodology: A mixed-methods study was conducted with 60 undergraduate students divided equally between experimental (metaverse-based) and control (traditional online) groups for an 8-week English course. The experimental group used an integrated metaverse platform combining AR and VR technologies for one hour daily. Quantitative assessment included pre-test, post-test, and six-month retention measurements of language proficiency (reading, writing, speaking; 10-point scale each) and digital literacy (36-item standardized scale). Semi-structured interviews with 15 participants from resource-limited environments explored accessibility and inclusivity challenges. Contribution: This research contributes to understanding technology-enhanced language learning in immersive environments, challenging assumptions about digital literacy’s impact on academic performance and providing insights into the long-term effects of metaverse-based learning on language skills. Findings: The results revealed significant improvements in reading, writing, and speaking skills among the experimental group, with reading and writing gains maintained over six months. While participants showed substantial improvement in digital literacy, no significant relationship was found between digital literacy and academic performance. Qualitative analysis uncovered two key themes: inclusive social interaction opportunities and technical barriers in the learning process. Recommendations for Practitioners: To maximize the effectiveness of metaverse-based language learning, three key recommendations emerge: institutions should prioritize robust technological infrastructure alongside comprehensive training for both educators and students, educational platforms should be developed with greater inclusivity and customization options, and regular practice sessions or hybrid learning models should be implemented to maintain speaking skills over time. Recommendation for Researchers: Future research directions should focus on three critical areas: conducting longer-term studies to better understand how metaverse-based learning affects academic performance and language proficiency, exploring the complex relationship between digital literacy and academic achievement through alternative success measures, and investigating how adaptive learning systems within metaverse environments can effectively address diverse learner needs. Impact on Society: The findings suggest that metaverse technology has the potential to revolutionize language education, making it more engaging and effective. However, they also highlight the need to address technical challenges and ensure inclusivity to prevent new forms of educational inequality. Future Research: Future investigation should address three key areas: examining how digital skills gained in metaverse environments transfer to real-world contexts and other academic disciplines, developing standardized assessment tools for evaluating language proficiency and digital literacy in immersive virtual settings, and studying the long-term impact of metaverse-based learning across different age groups and educational levels.

In telecollaboration research, scholars have broadened their focus from the purely linguistic details of online intercultural encounters to include its multimodal dimensions. Yet, no study to date has explored spatial repertoires, namely the totality of semiotic resources (e.g., speech, image, objects) embedded in a particular environment and used during teaching and teacher telecollaboration. To add to the literature on this topic, this telecollaborative project invited language teachers in Taiwan and the U.S. to first use a mixed-reality (MR) simulation technology for enacting lessons with avatar students, in order to examine the spatial repertoires that unfolded during instruction, and then to reflect on their own as well as each others' teaching. Drawing on video recordings of teacher instruction, as well as lesson plans, written reflections, and post-lesson telecollaborative interactions with each other, we identified rich spatial repertoires emerging from deeply intertwined individual repertoires, from diverse semiotic resources afforded in the MR-based simulation space, and from the sequential telecollaborative tasks. The findings highlight the agentive and performative role of semiotic resources in this virtual space (especially the avatar teaching videos) in deepening L2 teachers’ intercultural understanding, which indicates the potential contributions of integrating MR simulations into telecollaboration for teacher intercultural learning.

This paper presents a holistic system to scale up the teaching and learning of vocabulary words of American Sign Language (ASL). The system leverages the most recent mixed-reality technology to allow the user to perceive her own hands in an immersive learning environment with first- and third-person views for motion demonstration and practice. Precise motion sensing is used to record and evaluate motion, providing real-time feedback tailored to the specific learner. As part of this evaluation, learner motions are matched to features derived from the Hamburg Notation System (HNS) developed by sign-language linguists. We develop a prototype to evaluate the efficacy of mixed-reality-based interactive motion teaching. Results with 60 participants show a statistically significant improvement in learning ASL signs when using our system, in comparison to traditional desktop-based, non-interactive learning. We expect this approach to ultimately allow teaching and guided practice of thousands of signs.

This study examines the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) augmented mixed reality (MR) technologies on the enhancement of technical English proficiency among engineering students in the Gulf countries. The main aim of the research is to explore how the gap between foreign language learning and domain-specific technical knowledge can be reduced by integrating the immersive and adaptive MR environments with AI. The mixed method design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of AI-enhanced MR technologies in a 12-week course. The sample size consists of 300 students from the Gulf region. The treatment group used AI-enhanced MR technologies, which simulated real-life engineering scenarios to facilitate content-based English learning. The quantitative data from the pre-and post-tests revealed higher proficiency with the mean score of 72.5 to 80.3 that shows a medium-to-large statistically significant improvement. The qualitative data indicated enhanced engagement, confidence, and understanding of technical vocabulary. The study’s results suggest that AI-driven MR applications provide an practical pedagogical approach for advancing English for Specific Purposes (ESP), particularly within a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) setting. Technical issues, usability problems, and misalignment with culture were highlighted as challenges. Improving the technical support and cultural appropriateness of the content would address these challenges. The study’s significance is shown through its contribution to practical pedagogical strategies by combining AI and MR for ESP instruction in the engineering context. It also reflects that these technologies can be effective in other fields.

We introduce Inner Child, a novel virtual reality (VR) system designed to enhance adult language learning by leveraging the immersive capabilities of room-scale VR to embody child avatars. Our study involved 60 participants divided into three groups: adult avatar, child avatar, and no virtual body. Results showed significantly higher pattern recall in the immediate and delayed post-intervention periods for those using the Inner Child system. This suggests that embodying child avatars can foster a childlike mindset, reducing socio-psychological barriers and enhancing language acquisition. Our findings highlight the potential of VR technologies in revolutionizing educational methods by combining cognitive psychology principles with immersive experiences.

Immersive learning has been recognized as a promising paradigm for enhancing educational experiences through the integration of VR. We propose an architecture for intelligent tutoring in immersive VR environments that employs LLM-based non-playable characters. Key system capabilities are identified, including natural language understanding, real-time adaptive dialogue, and multimodal interaction through hand tracking, gaze detection, and haptic feedback. The system synchronizes speech output with NPC animations, enhancing both interactional realism and cognitive immersion. This design demonstrates that AI-driven VR interactions can significantly improve learner engagement. System performance was generally stable; however, minor latency was observed during speech processing, indicating areas for technical refinement. Overall, this research highlights the transformative potential of VR in education and emphasizes the importance of ongoing optimization to maximize its effectiveness in immersive learning contexts.

The integration of generative artificial intelligence into educational applications has enhanced personalized and interactive learning experiences, and it shows strong potential to promote young learners language acquisition. However, it is still challenging to ensure consistent and robust performance across different languages and cultural contexts, and kids-friendly design requires simplified instructions, engaging interactions, and age-appropriate scaffolding to maintain motivation and optimize learning outcomes. In this work, we introduce SingaKids, a dialogic tutor designed to facilitate language learning through picture description tasks. Our system integrates dense image captioning, multilingual dialogic interaction, speech understanding, and engaging speech generation to create an immersive learning environment in four languages: English, Mandarin, Malay, and Tamil. We further improve the system through multilingual pre-training, task-specific tuning, and scaffolding optimization. Empirical studies with elementary school students demonstrate that SingaKids provides effective dialogic teaching, benefiting learners at different performance levels.

This article focuses on the multimodal support of L2 education when learners visit extracurricular learning sites. As part of a design‐based research project, a team of students, cooperative partners, and the researcher developed an educational game using Actionbound to enhance on‐site cultural and language education. The aim of this paper is to document and analyze the multimodal interplay between the context and the behavior of B1‐level L2 German language learners, as guided by digital stimuli during a scavenger hunt. The analysis of the multimodal interplay offers insight into the potential for culturally and linguistically adapted learning support. A corpus of video, photo, and audio recordings is utilized to analyze the multimodal interaction of L2 learners (n = 7; July 2024) as they engaged with the application. The case study of one learning group (n = 3; aged 15, 16, and 17 years) at the secondary school level illustrates how the context of the combined virtual and physical sites is perceived by the learners and to what extent the tasks within this context contribute to linguistic and cultural learning.

ABSTRACT Employing social robots in foreign language (FL) learning offers potential benefits for enhancing student interaction, addressing a common limitation often found in traditional, teacher-led classrooms. This study investigated FL learners' perceptions of using social robots as aids in multimodal content creation. The study involved 53 college FL learners tasked with producing multimodal content with robots and reflecting on the experience in reflective essays. Analysis of these essays revealed that learners perceived improvements in language proficiency, presentation, and coding skills. The interconnected nature of these skills suggests that robot-assisted learning can provide a holistic educational experience. The study emphasizes the role of social robots in fostering immersive and learner-centric environments and suggests that incorporating such technology in FL curricula could significantly enhance linguistic and related abilities.

This study aims to describe the forms of interaction between teachers and 4th-grade students with speech delay in English language learning, analyze the influence of such interactions on students' speaking abilities, and identify the instructional challenges faced by teachers in inclusive classrooms. A qualitative case study approach was employed at Binari Green Primary School in Tarakan, North Kalimantan. The subject was a 10-year-7-month-old male student diagnosed with speech delay by a psychologist. Data were collected through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, documentation, and pre- and post-assessments. The findings revealed that teacher-student interactions were consistent and supported by multimodal strategies such as visual aids, modeling, guided questioning, and collaborative activities. These structured interactions positively influenced the student's oral English proficiency by reducing affective barriers, enhancing confidence, and providing necessary scaffolding. However, challenges were encountered, including limited verbal responses, public speaking anxiety, and the need for individualized teaching approaches. The study concludes that fostering inclusive, adaptive, and student-centered interactions is crucial for promoting English language development in students with speech delay.

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This paper proposes a novel intelligent online learning framework for Chinese language education using deep learning-based multimodal data analysis. Moving beyond simplistic metrics like login frequency, our framework integrates textual responses, speech, facial expressions, and interaction logs via a hybrid Transformer and Temporal Convolutional Network (TCN) architecture. This enables real-time, fine-grained assessment of learner proficiency, engagement, and difficulties. The operationalization of affective and cognitive states is grounded in educational psychology, with pedagogical principles enforced as rule-based constraints in the recommendation system. Evaluated on a dataset from online Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) courses, our model achieves over 92% accuracy in predicting learning outcomes and identifies at-risk students with an F1-score of 0.89, outperforming conventional methods. A pilot study confirmed that its personalized recommendations lead to measurable learning gains. While validated on CFL, the core methodology presents a generalizable approach for intelligent tutoring systems across diverse educational domains.

Technological advancement has enabled language learners to employ verbal and nonverbal cues in computer-mediated communication (CMC). These cues can support language use for learners wishing to communicate more effectively in English. Interactive alignment is one phenomenon that shows how humans tend to collaborate in their language use by adapting, priming, and reusing verbal and nonverbal cues to achieve mutual understanding. Informed by a sociocognitive framework, this study explored and documented English language learners’ multimodal interactive alignment during their CMC task engagement through Instagram. We collected data from 30 first-year Indonesian business school learners who participated in seven online CMC tasks using Instagram chat features: text chat, voice chat, and video chat. To examine various interactive alignments (e.g., how interlocutors adapt, prime, and reuse verbal and nonverbal cues to achieve mutual understanding) that occurred during multimodal task communication, we employed multimodal (inter)action analysis. Findings revealed that learners adapted and reused various nonverbal features (e.g., emojis, GIFs, facial expressions, gestures) and verbal cues (e.g., expression, lexical) to convey and comprehend meaning during CMC task completion. Caveats about using various nonverbal alignment patterns for supporting better English online communication were also noted. The study highlights how language learners use the full repertoire of semiotic resources in CMC to maximize their online language learning.

In classrooms, teachers play a fundamental role in managing students’ participation. As part of their classroom interactional competence to maximize interactional space for students’ learning, teachers use multimodal resources to orchestrate turn‐taking, allocate the next speaker, and manage repair sequences. However, little is known about how teachers employ these resources to engage learners in delegated peer repair, that is, repair sequences initiated by a student and solved by another classmate. Adopting a multimodal conversation analysis approach, this study aims to investigate how Spanish‐as‐a‐foreign‐language teachers multimodally manage delegated peer repair in whole‐group interaction by increasing interactional space to promote students’ participation. The findings show that teachers often resort to embodied resources such as gaze, gestures (pointing), and hand and body movements (stepping backward) to engage students in delegated peer repair, leading to increased student participation and autonomy. We end with some reflections on the relevance of the adopted methodology for better understanding how teachers employ multimodal resources to create interactional space and engage students in delegated peer repair, thus promoting learners’ interactional competence in the foreign language. It also suggests some potential implications for teachers’ professional development.

In this paper, we propose Virtual Avatar Interactive Live Streaming System (VAILSS), our approach to streaming 3D avatar performances in interactive storytelling applications using multimodal interactive techniques. This study focuses on developing a virtual live interaction system for VTubers in the context of language learning. A live virtual performance from our system consists of three components: 1) an Avatar generation framework, 2) an AI motion capture system, and 3) an interactive storytelling engine. The system integrates artificial intelligence and uses motion capture to identify facial expressions and movements, enabling virtual characters to provide live storytelling services. Additionally, the system allows for bi-directional interaction with players through tablet touch and voice. The system aims to promote multimodal learning channels for the masses. To gain deeper insights into the effectiveness of virtual role-playing in language learning, we organized a three-week workshop to investigate our system’s impact on user experience. We extended invitations to 17 night-school freshmen from the NFU Department of Applied Foreign Languages, enrolled in an English class focused on tour guides, to participate in a virtual performance. The experiment results demonstrated that the VAILSS positively affected students’ learning outcomes, particularly in enhancing foreign language acquisition.

Language acquisition unfolds within inherently multimodal contexts, where communication is expressed and perceived through diverse channels embedded in social interactions. For hearing children, this involves integrating speech with gesture; for deaf children, language develops through fully visual modalities. Such observations necessitate a paradigm shift from speech-centric models to a holistic framework that equally values all modalities, whether in spoken or signed languages. This framework must account not only for the multimodal scaffolding of input and interaction but also for individual and contextual diversity, including the cultural and cognitive variabilities children bring to language learning contexts. Responding to commentaries on our target article, this paper refines and expands the multimodal language framework, emphasizing its capacity to integrate the interactive richness of input and the heterogeneous contexts and individual variations shaping language acquisition.

For both instructors and students, a multimodal approach in the classroom may inspire creativity. It does not necessarily rely on technology and instead makes use of the existing kinaesthetic, auditory, and visual modalities. In this essay, we shall quickly define modes and trace the history of multimodal research. We can recognize modes through a multimodal lesson that incorporates video and see how they connect to both modern culture and certain cognitive processes. This combination can improve the learning environment by allowing for flexibility and creativity in teacher-student interaction.

ABSTRACT We present doing language testing sequences; L2 learners decide for themselves to test themselves or each other explicitly on new linguistic items, outside the official task cycle with no professional present, investing extra time and energy. We examine how and why pairs of learners do this, and its impact on their learning. They use an App to learn Chinese language and culture whilst cooking in their university dormitory kitchens, receiving multimedia instructions and help from a tablet. Using a mixed-methods research design, we asked: How is the practice of doing language testing organised in interactional terms? Using multimodal CA we found: learners organised the interaction themselves and introduced their own learning interests. Some self-tested and some peer-tested; some consulted the system and some did not. To ascertain the reasons why the learners decided to do language testing, we used post-hoc interviews and found their major motivation was to have an improved learning experience. We then compared their vocabulary post-test score gains with those who did not do language testing and found they made significantly higher gains with a learning advantage. The study shows that some students are motivated to do language testing in order to enhance their task performance and learning experience, in which they succeed.

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Currently, Deep Learning (DL)-based Intelligent Teaching Systems (ITS) have been widely applied to online Chinese language education to personalize instruction. These systems typically adapt content based on learner performance metrics. However, the existing DL-based ITL systems cannot detect and respond to learners' emotional states in real-time complex language learning. Hence, this study proposes a Multimodal Emotion-Aware Adaptive Learning (MEAAL) framework for proactively adjusting content and support based on learners' emotional and cognitive states. Initially, facial image data were collected and user interaction data were recorded. A Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) with an attention mechanism was employed to extract emotional features. Subsequently, a multimodal fusion model combines facial emotion scores, idle time, and eye-tracking data to calculate the engagement score using weighted averaging. Next, an adaptive learning path decision was handled using a rule-based engine that selected appropriate actions based on the detected emotional state. Furthermore, personalized learning materials are served through a DL content recommendation module, and an updated student model, namely, Recurrent Neural Network (RNN), stores engagement trends as well as emotional feedback for improved future adaptation. The proposed MEAAL model achieved better results in terms of accuracy (96%) than existing DL Dual Neural Network (DL-DNN).

Collaborative learning in K-12 classrooms creates deeply engaging problem-solving experiences for students. This involves rich, multimodal interactions, such as speech, gaze, and gesture, that can provide insight into how collaborative learning unfolds and contributes to effective learning and engagement. However, analyzing these interactions is challenging, as it typically requires manual processing of complex multimodal data, making the task labor-intensive and time-consuming. Multimodal classroom video question-answering holds significant potential for addressing these challenges by automatically capturing and interpreting collaborative problem-solving behaviors. In this paper, we present a multimodal classroom video question-answering framework that analyzes and automatically answers questions on videos of students’ collaborative problem-solving communication and interactions in K-12 classrooms. The video question-answering framework leverages large language model code generation capabilities to analyze classroom videos of students’ collaborative problem solving and spoken language dialogue by dynamically composing Python programs that call expert models including audio-visual grounding, speech recognition, text analysis, gaze tracking, object detection, and moment localization. Results of evaluations demonstrate that the framework significantly outperforms competitive baselines (i.e., ViperGPT, VideoChat2) according to semantics-based automated metrics along multiple types of student engagement and according to an automated video-based evaluation method we introduce. Furthermore, the results suggest that the video question-answering framework accurately analyzes student collaborative problem solving in classrooms.

Augmented Reality (AR) has emerged as a promising tool for enhancing engagement and interactivity in second language learning. Yet, empirical evidence on how learners actually engage with AR-based tasks and how such engagement fosters meaningful language development remains limited. This qualitative case study explores university students’ experiences with an AR-enhanced English learning environment, focusing on the mechanisms that promote sustained engagement and self-directed learning. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and classroom observations during a twelve-week course integrating AR activities for vocabulary, pronunciation, and communicative practice. Thematic analysis revealed three key engagement patterns: (1) contextualized interaction, where students connected linguistic input to real-world contexts through multimodal prompts; (2) iterative self-correction, as learners used visual and auditory feedback to refine pronunciation and meaning; and (3) motivational persistence, with gamified and immersive elements that maintained interest beyond traditional task completion. However, learners also highlighted cognitive overload and technical barriers as potential drawbacks. Overall, AR served not as a novelty but as a scaffold that supported deeper cognitive engagement and autonomy when pedagogically integrated. The study concludes with recommendations for designing balanced AR-supported environments that align technological features with language learning outcomes and calls for longitudinal research to examine the durability of such engagement effects.

A key goal in world language education is decentering learners' assumptions about cultures. However, many teaching models, including virtual exchange (VE), equate culture with nation‐states and promote target‐language‐only policies, which can reinforce stereotypes and limit culture exploration for beginners. The study investigates the transformative learning (TL) impact of a critical VE that connected learners from two novice Mandarin courses in the United States with individuals from diverse Chinese communities. Participants engaged in hometown conversations using full linguistic repertoires and a multimodal map. Data from 16 participants—including surveys, journals, meetings, digital stories, and interviews with 5 focal participants—were analyzed. Findings revealed key TL outcome of critical assessment of assumptions. Multimodal conversation analysis of meeting episodes showed that learners strategically drew on a wide range of linguistic and multimodal resources for meaning negotiation, interaction management, and co‐construction of local culture knowledge. Translanguaging served as both a scaffold and a decolonizing act, fostering equitable transcultural learning. A pedagogical model is proposed, highlighting multiperspective dialogues, guided reflections, and translanguaging.

Abstract. This study aims to analyze the model of Arabic language learning through poetry musicalization, drama, and shalawat in fostering religious Muslim intellectuals at UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang and UII Dalwa Pasuruan. The research background is based on the challenges of the Industrial Revolution 4.0, which has led to moral and cultural degradation, thus requiring a more humanistic, religious, and contextual educational format. Using a qualitative approach and a multiple-case study design, this research involved students, lecturers, santri, and pesantren leaders as participants. Data were collected through observations, interviews, and document analysis, then analyzed using thematic techniques. The findings reveal that at UIN Maliki, musicalization functions as a medium for enhancing linguistic competence, digital creativity, and soft skills development. At UII Dalwa, however, musicalization emphasizes the strengthening of religious identity, the preservation of pesantren traditions, and the formation of collective spirituality. These differences illustrate the pedagogical flexibility of musicalization, which can be adapted to both modern and traditional contexts. Theoretically, this study contributes to holistic learning discourse by incorporating religious and cultural dimensions. Practically, it offers an alternative model that integrates cognitive, affective, psychomotor, religious, and digital domains within Arabic language learning.

This study aimed to explore students’ perspectives on the use of drama in English language learning and to identify the challenges encountered during its implementation. Employing a qualitative research design, the study was carried out in the English Education Department at Universitas Muhammadiyah Aceh. Five students who had participated in drama-based English classes were purposively selected as participants. Data were gathered through interviews, classroom observations, and reflective journals. Thematic analysis was utilized to interpret the data. The results indicate that students generally view drama activities positively, highlighting their contribution to improving speaking proficiency, enhancing motivation, promoting active participation, and offering a contextual and enjoyable learning environment. Despite these benefits, several challenges were reported, including performance anxiety, insufficient rehearsal time, and difficulties in memorizing scripts. These issues were addressed through collaborative learning, peer discussions, extended practice, and self-reflection. The study concludes that drama-based learning is an effective pedagogical strategy for promoting communicative and meaningful English learning. Therefore, its integration into foreign language education, particularly in higher education is strongly encouraged. 

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As VTubers rapidly grow, learning through virtual character role-play in language learning can integrate more deeply into educational contexts, offering a more effective alternative to traditional drama performances. To develop a more effortless and convenient system for multiplayer online virtual character role-play, this research aims to facilitate ubiquitous learning. This study has designed a virtual role-playing-based language conversation learning method and developed a Multiplayer Online Virtual Drama System (MOVDS). This system features four key functionalities: 1) a Cloud Data Module, 2) a Motion Capture Module, 3) Voice Recognition, and 4) a Synchronization Module with Networking. The system provides real-time role-playing capabilities by synchronizing the facial expressions of virtual characters with live actors. It realizes the creative presentation of dramatic scenarios through voice chat, text prompts, and animations. This innovative approach boosts performers' confidence and reduces the learners' anxiety and cognitive load associated with spoken expression, thereby enhancing users' foreign language conversation skills.

The positive effects of using drama in ELT have long been recognized, however this has often been explored from the context of the classroom. The article retroactively examines the activities of an English language youth theatre club for Polish teenagers as a social event organized in addition to their academic studies of the language. Special attention is paid to the use of classic texts (albeit adapted) by authors such as Shakespeare, and particularly the World War One poetry of Wilfred Owen. The article examines the techniques of using and performing the texts, the importance of gesture and intonation, as well as the necessity to explore cultural and historical aspects of the material. The students’ opinions of the work and the effect on their language learning were submitted in a questionnaire and are presented towards the end of the article.

This paper explores the relationship between additional language (L2) literacy development and drama plays based on the experiences of adult refugees from Ukraine in Iceland. This inquiry is guided by the following questions: What are the learners' experiences and perceptions of drama classes in relation to their literacy development in Icelandic as an L2? What role might engaging in drama classes have when it comes to learners' sense of well‐being? We employ a multiliteracies perspective, which has pluralised the traditional view of literacy and offered new insight into literacy teaching and learning by integrating multimodal, multi‐sensorial, and critical practices into literacy education. The findings originate from a qualitative, interview‐based study with five Ukrainian learners of a refugee background in Iceland. Findings suggest that learning Icelandic through drama afforded the learners an opportunity to learn Icelandic in creative, engaging, and meaningful ways. Furthermore, learning Icelandic through drama supported the enactment and development of essential capacities for personal and professional growth, such as open‐mindedness, tolerance, respect, and collaboration. Many of the learners felt positively challenged to try out something new. This paper concludes with a discussion on the importance of critical, experiential L2 education that acknowledges learners' diverse lived experiences.

This study examines the usefulness of a Process Drama approach for supporting the development of linguistic and communication skills of preservice teachers learning French as a world language in an Early Childhood Education licensure program. Process Drama is an interactive approach to teaching language in which the teacher and students carry out a series of improvisations in the classroom, in which students perform in different types of situations while working on different subjects of the curriculum (Bowell & Heap, 2017; Glass et al., 2013) Through a pretest–posttest design and a qualitative analysis of a questionnaire, findings indicated that preservice teachers improved their pronunciation, intonation, fluency, and nonverbal language in the target language. In addition, they had positive perceptions regarding the experience and the gains they made. Finally, preservice teachers believed that this approach could be implemented with Early Childhood Education students.

The article explores the integration of innovative pedagogical methods in teaching English as a sec-ond language, focusing on the implementation of script-based and improvisational drama techniques. Developed by Muhammet Çağrı Güzel at the University of California, the USA these methods aim to enhance learners’ oral proficiency, motivation, and creativity. The study outlines techniques such as the “Hotline”, “Yes, and”, “Object + Yes, and”, and the “PechaKucha” presentation format, which foster active participation, critical thinking, and spontaneous communication. By incorporating these dynamic strategies, students engage in real-life conversational scenarios, develop their language fluency, and strengthen their non-verbal communication skills. Additionally, the use of customized tongue twisters helps to improve pronunciation, addressing specific phonetic challenges faced by learners from differ-ent linguistic backgrounds. The findings suggest that these drama-based approaches create a supportive and stimulating environment, leading to significant improvements in students’ confidence, collaborative skills, and language proficiency. This study highlights the importance of creativity and interaction in language learning, proposing these innovative techniques as effective tools for modern English language education.

This paper aims to analyze the role of drama in context of learning a language, particularly in context of learning English through plays and dramatic movements such as Shakespeare’s plays, Theatre of the Absurd and Modern and Post-modern American Drama, and the practical use of these plays in learning process according to different age and language level groups. The style of dialogue in Shakespeare’s plays is analyzed and compared to the style in absurdist plays by authors such as Beckett and Ionesco. When talking about the works of Shakespeare, the process of adaptation and appropriation is mentioned as well as telling the famous tales and narratives through different media. Previous research will be taken in consideration, such as the pioneering work of drama educators who first introduced theatre as a learning tool in education or the Communicative Language Teaching approach focused on fluency and interaction in everyday situations. Specifics of drama in language learning in comparison to other literary genres such as poetry or prose will be briefly mentioned along with the history of Western drama. This paper discusses theatre and drama in the context of education with mention of similarities and differences to staged professional theatre plays. In few chapters, theatre is analyzed as a learning tool in various fields of study, but the main focus of the paper is language learning through drama with the purpose of improving students’ linguistic and cultural knowledge. The discussion can be of concern to all those wishing to improve their language skills, and to drama educators and other theatre and education practitioners.

This action research study explores the use of role play as a dynamic pedagogical tool in tertiary English language classrooms, bridging the gap between drama as performance and language pedagogy. Conducted with Polytechnic students, the study investigates how structured role play activities enhance learners’ verbal and non-verbal communication, collaboration, and confidence. Drawing on observations, learner reflections, and performance assessments, the research highlights the transformative potential of integrating drama techniques into language teaching. Findings reveal that role play not only improves speaking fluency and pragmatic competence but also fosters learner autonomy and motivation. The study advocates for greater incorporation of drama and theatre practices in tertiary language education, emphasizing their capacity to enrich both the learning experience and pedagogical strategies in contemporary classrooms.

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This study explores the uncharted territory of integrating drama into literature and language teaching, aiming to unveil its untapped potential for English language learning. Titled "Toward Literature and Language Teaching: Uncovering the Potential of Drama for English Learning," this research embarks on a systematic examination of the benefits derived from the symbiotic relationship between drama and language acquisition. The investigation delves into existing literature on the subject, acknowledging drama as a powerful pedagogical tool. Drawing inspiration from Budiarto's assertion that "Drama is a powerful teaching tool," the study positions itself within the broader discourse on innovative language teaching methodologies. The primary focus lies in unraveling the multifaceted advantages of incorporating drama in language instruction, emphasizing its relevance in literature-based language learning. The geographical emphasis of the study aligns with the prevalence of current research in Asian countries, primarily those where English is taught as a foreign language. This geographical lens aims to uncover unique challenges and opportunities influenced by socio-cultural backgrounds. Furthermore, the study examines participant diversity, encompassing English education majors, students from various educational levels, and teachers, providing a comprehensive understanding of the varied impacts of drama on different stakeholders. As the study navigates through the benefits accrued by students, teachers, and the broader educational landscape, it contributes to the ongoing discourse on effective language teaching methodologies. The abstract encapsulates the essence of the research, offering a preview of the journey toward unraveling the latent potential of drama for English learning within the context of literature and language teaching

This collection of research papers investigates the various uses of drama and cooperative learning strategies in teaching English. These studies highlight these pedagogical approaches’ many advantages and difficulties, ranging from qualitative analyses of drama’s effect on preservice teachers to examining the benefits of cooperative learning in EFL classrooms. The results point to gains in speaking proficiency, capacity for group work, and general language proficiency. The studies also stress the significance of providing teachers with systematic training and integrating these techniques into instructional practices to improve the quality of the learning process.

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated rapid adaptation to digital and remote learning, fundamentally altering traditional pedagogical practices. For English Education students, especially those engaged in literature courses, drama performance has long been a valuable tool for exploring and expressing literary understanding. However, the sudden shift to online learning environments presented unique challenges, pushing students to reconceptualize drama performance in a virtual setting. This study investigates how English Education students creatively adapted to these changes by producing virtual drama performances through the Zoom platform. The integration of virtual backgrounds, designed using Canva, allowed students to construct imaginative settings that supported narrative immersion, despite the physical separation. This research highlights the ways students utilized digital tools to convey dramatic elements and literary interpretation, transforming conventional stagecraft into an innovative, digital form of storytelling. Through in-depth analysis, this article explores how these virtual performances not only maintained the integrity of drama as a medium for literary education but also fostered critical technological skills that are increasingly relevant in the digital era. The findings demonstrate that virtual drama projects encouraged students to combine creativity with technical proficiency, enhancing their adaptability, digital literacy, and ability to collaborate in a remote context. This study underscores the evolving role of literature-based performance in English Language Teaching (ELT), suggesting that the integration of digital tools in creative projects may serve as a sustainable model for literature education in the post-pandemic future.

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This paper illustrates how integral drama-based pedagogy can be effective in two areas of learning for primary aged children, namely in language development and moral thinking. The activities that demonstrate how the theory can be put into practice are based upon a picture book and show how storytelling and aesthetic playfulness lie at the heart of the process. I argue that the processes used in the pedagogy as much as the content of the lesson itself contribute to children's ethical cultivation, while the story around which the activities are framed draw out from children vocabulary that builds upon and extends what they intrinsically know about how humans ought to treat one another. Each of the activities is thoroughly described so that teachers who are unused to the demands of this pedagogy can see exactly how it can be managed and made to work in the classroom.

Art-based learning in English is able to integrate different forms of art into learning process to enhance language acquisition and creativity, such as visual arts, drama, etc. This approach not only engages students but also supports their cultural and interactive development. Learning a foreign language is a complex and multifaceted process that requires more than memorization and repetition. Recently, researchers have realized the potential of education through the use of arts to create a dynamic and engaging environment that promotes deep understanding and connection between the learner and the language, thus enhancing language skills and nurturing creativity, cultural awareness, and cognitive intelligence. Various arts have accompanied people's lives since ancient times, consciously and unconsciously, and stimulate their interaction, whether through a book, music, a painting, a drama, etc. For this reason the study focus on applying this methodology practically on second level students at translation department in conversation course to investigate the development of their speaking skills and courage to use the foreign language. Students expressed noticeable interest in this way of taking the course and encouraged to suggest more ideas for engaging art pedagogy in other courses. 

ABSTRACT Motion-sensing technology (MST) is an emerging educational technology with great potential. However, the effects of MST on language learning are still controversial. This is the first meta-analysis to examine the effectiveness of MST-assisted language learning. This research integrates 31 effect sizes from 21 independent studies (2013-2022). The results suggest that MST has an upper-medium effect on language learning (SMD = 0.740, p < 0.000). Moreover, moderator analyses reveal that MST-assisted language learning has better effects (1) on affective and cognitive outcomes; (2) for 31–50 students; (3) on secondary school students; (4) for 1–3 months duration; (5) on sign language, Malay, and English; (6) with drama-based, activity-based, and game-based learning; (7) using mixed learning and group learning; (8) at middle or high embodiment level; (9) in the classroom; (10) using quasi-experimental design; (11) on Asian and European students; and (12) with increasing publication years. Lastly, discussion, implications, limitations, and future directions are provided.

Limola is one of Indonesia’s endangered languages, makingit imperative to pass on Limola culture and language to a younger generation. The Limolalanguage revitalization program in Sassa Village, Baebunta District, North Luwu Regency, South Sulawesi Province seeks to preserve the Limola language and culture by teaching the younger generation Limola drama, songs, and poetry. Therefore, this study evaluates the key performance indicators of Limola culture and language learning in the revitalization program to identify the identity of the To Limola society after learning Limola culture and language, and (2) evaluate the implementation of the Limola language community-based revitalization. This study used a descriptive qualitative approach that involved desk study data collection techniques and in-depth interviews with the participants and instructors from the Limola language revitalization program. A sociolinguistic in termsof language and identity research approach was taken to analyzethe data and explore the local content in the language learning materials. The data analysis was also based on the CIPP (Context, Input, Process, and Product) evaluation model and language progress indicators to evaluate the implementation success. The results revealed that the Limola revitalization language learning materials have local content that strongly reflects the identity of the To Limola society. While the Limola language revitalization participants learned both the Limola language and culture, the implementation did not appear to have had a significant impact on increasing the interest of the younger generation in using the Limola language.

<p>Learning is a constant process, hence striving for new knowledge and new skills should be amongst&nbsp;<br />the highest &nbsp;priorities in people&rsquo;s professional and personal lives. To speak, at least, one of the&nbsp;<br />foreign languages has, nowadays, become one of those essential skills for every person striving&nbsp;<br />for their improvement. Being aware of the constant growth and urgent need for new language&nbsp;<br />learning &nbsp;methods, language teachers &nbsp;need &nbsp;to &nbsp;be &nbsp;able &nbsp;to &nbsp;improve and implement them in &nbsp;their&nbsp;<br />teaching. This paper aims to introduce two innovative approaches that have recently been getting&nbsp;<br />significant attention based on their effectiveness.<br />Drama Based Pedagogy (DBP) and Content and Language Learning (CLIL) are two approaches&nbsp;<br />to learning whose main aim is to increase the quality of the very teaching-learning process where&nbsp;<br />the central focus is on a student. How to effectively engage students in learning while raising their&nbsp;<br />motivation, and developing learner autonomy is what these approaches strive to achieve. This&nbsp;<br />paper aims to present both approaches in terms of the advantages, structure, and techniques they&nbsp;<br />use. &nbsp;Based &nbsp;on &nbsp;this &nbsp;overview, &nbsp;the &nbsp;very &nbsp;shared &nbsp;characteristics &nbsp;these &nbsp;approaches &nbsp;have &nbsp;will &nbsp;be&nbsp;<br />presented. The final part of this paper presents a practical example of the lesson plan adjusted by&nbsp;<br />implementing the powerful connection of DBP and CLIL.</p>

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  The dynamic Kelantanese prioritise their dialect over anything else. It encourages regional traditions, mythologies, and historical narratives through song, dance, and drama. The dialect significantly influences Kelantanese social life, customs, and religion, providing speakers with a profound sense of identification and belonging. This distinctive cultural asset confronts significant difficulties. The Kelantanese dialect is under threat due to the younger generations’ transition to standard Malay and the absence of formal educational resources. The extensive use of media and communication technology generates apprehensions regarding linguistic uniformity, potentially undermining the Kelantanese dialect. To address these issues, this study focuses on the development and implementation of DialectMaster, a gamified web application designed to facilitate the learning of the Kelantanese dialect. By integrating engaging elements such as quizzes, progress tracking, and leaderboards, the application enhances user experience and learning outcomes. Technically, PostgreSQL was chosen for its reliability, with Drizzle ORM ensuring seamless database interactions and Next.js optimising server-side functionalities. Security was prioritised, resulting in the adoption of Clerk for authentication and encryption, thereby safeguarding data and enhancing user trust. Incentives such as points, badges, leaderboards, and quests were essential for prolonged engagement, while culturally pertinent content enhanced the relatability of the learning experience. The iterative development process employed agile methods incorporating AI-driven features, gamification aspects, and an intuitive user interface (UI), resulting in a dynamic tool for learning the Kelantanese dialect. The research highlights the advantages of gamification in education, illustrating how interactive components can enhance learner motivation and retention. DialectMaster emerges as a promising instrument for dialect acquisition, underscoring the significance of user-centred designs and gamified learning environments, with effective implementation and favourable user feedback accentuating its capacity to render the Kelantanese dialect enjoyable and accessible to learners.

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The second-language motivational self system has not only served to explain language learning motivation in a wide range of contexts; it has also offered the potential for guiding motivational interventions in institutional learning contexts in particular. Although multiple studies have trialed interventions designed to train learners in creating powerful visions of their ideal second-language self, such approaches have not only shown varied success, but have either ignored the second-language learning experience component or limited its construct to attitudes to the second-language learning process. In contrast, the current study, adopting a broader conception of the second-language learning experience as second-language autobiographical memory, explored the utility of an English-through-drama program not only as a lens for exploring second-language identity and motivation from a holistic second-language narrative identity perspective, but also as a tool for developing it through self-awareness promotion. Thematic analysis was conducted on the participants’ reflective journal data in response to the program’s three main drama-based task sequences, triangulated by a parallel analysis of the instructor’s reflective journal entries. The program was found to be effective in terms of: (a) clarifying, transforming, and reinforcing the participants’ sense of second-language self; (b) fostering near-peer relatedness and inspiration; and (c) enhancing language learning motivation through (a) and (b), as well as through experiences of novelty and agency.

The arts enhance learning by providing a creative, pressure-free context that fosters self-expression beyond rote memorization methods. Drama pedagogy, applied here to language learning, draws on Macao’s unique history — a Portuguese enclave in China from 1557 to 1999, blending cultures through centuries of trade and cultural exchange. This hybrid society emerged from deep Portuguese–Chinese interaction, shaped by socio-economic change, Jesuit influence, heritage sites, and even casino culture, making Macao a model of intercultural dialogue and resilient identity. The paper links this cultural richness to language education through three drama-based activities: one reenacts the 16th-century creation of the first Portuguese–Chinese dictionary by Jesuits Matteo Ricci and Ruggieri with their pioneering Romanization system; the second activity uses sound painting to explore ten historic heritage sites. In the third activity, students roleplay solving a theft at Casino Lisboa, practicing Chinese grammar structures through drama-based observation, communication, and collaboration. These drama activities provide opportunities to learn about the Chinese language and culture and can be adapted to different languages, including English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian, and others.

This study examined the effectiveness of Suggestopedia as a language teaching technique in enhancing English language learning in secondary schools, with a case study of GS Kamabare in Bugesera District, Rwanda, as a case study. The study aimed to investigate the application of Suggestopedia in English instruction, its impact on students’ speaking and writing skills, and its influence on learner engagement and comprehension. A descriptive research design was applied, targeting a population of 300 school administrators, teachers, and students. Using purposive and simple random sampling techniques, a sample of 74 participants was selected. Data were collected using questionnaires, structured interviews, and analysed through descriptive statistics. The findings indicated that Suggestopedia was implemented through positive suggestion, motivation, drama, and role play, which contributed to a relaxed and supportive classroom environment. The results further revealed that the use of Suggestopedia positively influenced students’ English performance, particularly in speaking and writing skills, while also improving listening abilities and overall classroom engagement. Both teachers and students reported increased enjoyment and reduced anxiety during English lessons. The study concluded that Suggestopedia is an effective teaching technique for improving English language learning outcomes in secondary schools. It recommended professional development programs, including workshops and seminars, to enhance teachers’ competence in applying Suggestopedia and to promote learner-centered method and motivating classroom environments

This is a theoretical paper which presents a Distributed Cognition (DCog) perspective on reading that supplements existing approaches to account for phenomena that appear contradictory. The DCog approach moves understandings of reading beyond the individualistic, mental processing of text to a consideration of reading as situated, embodied material engagement that draws on multiple timescales. Drawing on the field of cognitive anthropology, the DCog framework situates reading within an ecology of three closely connected dimensions: 1) mind-body-material environment coordination, 2) distribution across a social group, and 3) distribution across time. By integrating cognitive, affective, sensory-motor, and cultural dimensions, this framework provides a robust approach to understanding contemporary reading practices in complex multimedia environments. The resulting conceptualisation of reading accounts for seeming disparities in existing empirical research without the need for ad hoc adjustments as new reading ecologies emerge, for instance with digitisation. It is also sufficiently simple to promote communication of research findings to practitioners in the field.

ABSTRACT This study investigates the use of the chat interface in video-mediated learning activities. Drawing on screen-recorded data from an online crisis management course and using multimodal conversation analysis (CA), the aim is to show how written turns posted in the publicly available channel become included in spoken interaction. The analysis illustrates maintaining sequential order across the spoken and written modality as a practical problem, which the participants address via careful coordination of verbal, embodied, and screen-based resources. The sequential environment and timing of chat posts’ appearance are shown to have special relevance in the interactional work needed to make written turns intelligible in the moment. The study sheds light on the complexities of deploying text-based channels of communication in video-mediated activities, highlighting the chat interface as an important resource for other-than-current speakers to adjust their participant status in situ. The data of the study are in English.

Social and cultural concepts are often problematic to teach to students academically. These concepts often seem abstract, dry, detached, and counter-intuitive to students' experiences. This is particularly the case in teaching concepts related to Diversity (DEIB), including issues related to Colonialism, Slavery, Ethnicity, Social Class, Gender, Marginalization, etc.). Teaching these difficult social concepts through the embodied, cultural practices, such as Music and Hispanic Dance, makes these concepts more approachable, less threatening, non-confrontational, more relevant, and more tangible to students. Theory and research continues to point to the richness of embodied learning (English, Johnson, Mead, Minton, Sloat & Faber). Evidence indicates that embodied learning makes academic content more "absorbable", as well as making information more resilient, more memorable, and more meaningful to students. Embodied activities (such as Dance) stimulate the entire brain, create new neurons, and make connections between previously learned material and new material (Hannah, Minton). Relating content to the human body makes information more meaningful and relevant (English, Johnson). Additionally, approaching difficult social concepts through the lens/focus of Dance and Music, makes them more neutral and more enjoyable to learn about, increasing students' enjoyment, interest, focus, concentration, and understanding. Similarly, Dance can be used to teach language and cultural concepts. We are currently in the process of doing preliminary survey research to give us more feedback about what students remember learning in the Hispanic Dance Sessions. This poster is a preview of that survey data. All surveys indicated that some learning occurred.

No abstract available

A growing number of children in the United States are exposed to multiple languages at home from birth. However, relatively little is known about the early process of word learning—how words are mapped to the referent in their child-centered learning experiences. The present study defined parental input operationally as the integrated and multimodal learning experiences as an infant engages with his/her parent in an interactive play session with objects. By using a head-mounted eye tracking device, we recorded visual scenes from the infant’s point of view, along with the parent’s social input with respect to gaze, labeling, and actions of object handling. Fifty-one infants and toddlers (aged 6–18 months) from an English monolingual or a diverse bilingual household were recruited to observe the early multimodal learning experiences in an object play session. Despite that monolingual parents spoke more and labeled more frequently relative to bilingual parents, infants from both language groups benefit from a comparable amount of socially coordinated experiences where parents name the object while the object is looked at by the infant. Also, a sequential path analysis reveals multiple social coordinated pathways that facilitate infant object looking. Specifically, young children’s attention to the referent objects is directly influenced by parent’s object handling. These findings point to the new approach to early language input and how multimodal learning experiences are coordinated socially for young children growing up with monolingual and bilingual learning contexts.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relations between functional hearing, language, social, bilateral coordination and manual dexterity skills in children with early cochlear implants (CIs). Thirty children with CIs were included in this study. The manual dexterity and bilateral coordination development of the participants were evaluated with Manual Dexterity and Bilateral Coordination subtests of Bruininks-Oseretsky Motor Proficiency-2 (BOT-2). Their language skills were assessed by the Test of Early language Development-3. To assess the functional hearing of participants the Functioning After Pediatric Cochlear Implantation scale (FAPCI) was administered their caregivers. Also, the Social Skills Evaluation Scale was administered to participants’ teachers to asses their social skills. There were significant correlations between participants’ receptive and expressive language skills, Manual Dexterity, and FAPCI scores (p < 0.05). There were also significant relationships between the SSES and FAPCI scores of the participants (p < 0.05). However, the Bilateral Coordination subtest did not show any significant correlation with any of the measurements (p > 0.05). The results suggest that the language, manual dexterity and functional hearing abilities of children with CIs are closely related. Although, there were no significant correlations between all of the measurement, it is important to look beyond hearing and speech evaluations to assess the whole child.

New digital technologies such as social robots are embodied computers with human-like features and conversational capabilities that can socially interact with people. Social robots have been used in education as a learning tool to support second language learning. This essay discusses current research literature that has explored how social robots could be utilized to support second language (L2) international students studying at English-speaking universities. Insights into the potential application and limitations of using social robots to support L2 students outside their home countries to promote their social and academic well-being will also be discussed. Based on a synthesis of current and relevant research gathered from the literature, the affordances of using social robots for L2 students included learning L2 through human-robot interactions, enhanced motivation, and engagement in their learning environments. However, the limitations of the use of this technology included attitudes towards robot-assisted learning (e.g., unfamiliarity with learning with a social robot) and the novelty effect of social robots. Further research is needed to deepen our understanding of not only the role of social robots for supporting language learning, but also how they could aid L2 students in their successful transition to a foreign university, culture, and social context.

Across Europe, the need for teaching practices that foster collaborative pedagogy involving creativity, active student engagement and culturally responsive learning is seen as critical. Effective social-emotional communication and language skills enhance positive life outcomes and educational attainment.  However, language ideologies in English education policy often advocate deficit thinking in monolingual and monocultural classrooms.  This case study shares the practice and research findings of a two-year 'Story Exchange ‘project by employing co-participatory research with teachers, artists, and young people. Seven primary schools worked with five artist-educators in the North of England to bring the Humanities curriculum to life through an oral storytelling and inquiry approach called Drama Worldbuilding. Dismantling deficit models of oracy, the project aimed to promote imaginative, culturally relevant learning by building on the linguistic strengths of all children, especially Black and Global Majority children—seeing these assets as rich affordances of learning.  Teachers were paired with one of five artist-educators and given time and space to co-plan, co-deliver, and co-reflect on curriculum learning, engaging them in systematic action research. Employing a translanguaging approach, the research evidences the impacts of the pedagogical approach on children's social-emotional literacy, presenting a new co-designed Framework of Dispositional Learning through Embodied-Dialogic Oracy.

Social robots for children have focused mainly on conventional education domains such as teaching language, science, and math, while applications focusing on the enhancement of cultural competency are quite scarce. In this paper, we present a prototype of a robot-mediation framework for cross-cultural communication. This framework paves the way for a social robot to act as a mediator between groups of schoolchildren from different countries. First, we conducted a participatory design activity by an interdisciplinary team, resulting in the extraction of the design, robot’s roles, and technical requirements. Based on these requirements, we built the robot-mediation system prototype. We conducted a pilot study using the system with groups of high school children in Japan and Australia and our results show the potential of the system to drive children’s interest in communicating, sharing, and discussing cultural themes with their remote peers through the social robot.

This study examines the use of spatial resources in instructional practices during virtual reality (VR) tandem interactions between pre-service teachers of German as a foreign language and learners with A2 language proficiency. These interactions take place within the highly immersive virtual environment Wander, designed to facilitate (inter)cultural learning. The linguistic, perceptual, epistemological, and technical asymmetries within this setting necessitate scaffolding the co-participant through the virtual environment, guiding them in spatial exploration, orienting them to usability cues, leveraging spatial resources to support interactive and learning processes, developing embodied practices, and fostering mutual alignment. The analysis focuses on pre-service teachers’ use of spatial resources and their practices of embodied spatial scaffolding to support learning in three key areas: instructing on app functionality, developing new embodied action patterns, and fostering a functional understanding of virtual objects. Prior to this, the study examines the instructional grounding for upcoming actions, such as directing instructions, by focusing on two key aspects: the co-construction of shared focus and the alignment of perspectives. This is achieved through eliciting, monitoring, and adjusting according to the position of the co-participant’s avatar in situations of dynamic spatial perception. These situations are characterized by the interplay between changing position, orientation, and floating attention in the context of exploratory spatial navigation, the presence of distractors, or transitions. Methodologically, this study is grounded in conversation analysis and interactional linguistics. Video recordings capture participants’ perspectives in a split-screen format, documenting parallel perspectivization in action flow and revealing shifts in interactional coordination. The results indicate, among other things, that participants prefer using pointing gestures accompanied by local adverbs, which are semantically subsequently extended, specified, varied, or reduced in a scaffolded way. Over time, synchronized co-referencing practices involving joint and matched pointing become central to negotiating a blended origo. The sequential analysis identifies meta-regulatory practices for perspective alignment by eliciting the other’s perspective and monitoring the co-participants’ avatar orientation and spatial relation to align for goal-directed action before co-constructing the focus. This study contributes to the understanding of immersive instruction in virtual learning environments by highlighting key aspects such as pre-instructional spatial self-and other-monitoring activities designed to support spatial self-alignment. Embodied spatial scaffolding involves some of the following supporting aspects: the adjustment of the internal spatial interface, the transition from static to dynamic interaction within the virtual environment, the management of spatial relations (explorative vs. concrete references), the control of spatial interaction and coherence, the orientation to calls for alignment, the bridging of spatial transformations in the action flow, and the monitoring of the co-participants’ avatar. The interactions tend to emphasize spatial engagement, with participants sometimes “overdoing” spatial elements rather than using spatial cues to develop more complex interactions.

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is increasingly adopted globally, including in Taiwan’s educational initiatives, yet challenges remain in implementing effective CLIL practices, such as pedagogy and curriculum design. This study investigated the effectiveness of multimodal task designs, combining hands-on learning with poster presentations, in enhancing oral communicative competence within CLIL contexts. Employing a mixed-methods, quasi-experimental design with a comparative case study framework, the study assessed English oral communicative competence in four intact fourth-grade Taiwanese CLIL Social Studies classes. The hands-on learning group (EG, n = 40) engaged in activities like Chinese Dumpling Making, Bird’s Nest Building, and Succulent Pot Designing, while the non-hands-on learning group (CG, n = 34) used traditional worksheets on the same topics. Both groups proceeded to poster presentations within their multimodal task design, where students’ oral communicative competence was assessed using rubrics developed based on Coyle’s 4Cs dimensions, focusing on Content, Communication, and Cognition. Additionally, students’ cultural knowledge related to the hands-on topics was evaluated through written tests. To complement the quantitative data, qualitative data from self-reported reflections and video recordings documenting interventions were collected for the assessment of oral communicative competence within a CLIL framework. Results demonstrate that integrating hands-on activities significantly enhanced procedural content, communication (i.e., sentence complexity, pronunciation accuracy for target vocabulary, presentation fluency), and cognitive abilities, confirming the efficacy of multimodal learning approaches in fostering linguistic and cognitive engagement. Post-test comparisons show the EG’s superiority in cultural knowledge acquisition across all three hands-on topics. Student reflections endorsed the enrichment of learning experiences through multimodal task design. Video analysis of both groups’ interventions revealed that despite significant engagement and autonomy, EG students commonly utilized general English rather than target vocabulary, a pattern similar to that observed in the CG. These findings highlight the potential of diverse modalities in CLIL to enhance English content learning and oral skills, shaping future pedagogy and language strategies in Taiwan. The study also emphasizes the role of embodied learning, the interplay between physical actions and cognitive processes, to facilitate deeper understanding and engagement with subject matter within CLIL settings.

Embodiment and bodily experiences are vital parts of the development and learning in the early years. Children are believed to develop their thinking processes and language skills through sensory and motor experiences when entering and participating in early childhood education (Sommer, Samuelsson & Hundeide, 2009). The embodiment and kinesthetic experiences in education can be understood as modalities of learning, especially play, and thus the pedagogical scaffolding of those by teachers can be analyzed through translanguaging approach (see Kaihovirta & Furu, 2019). The Finnish early childhood education and care (ECEC) is known for the EduCare approach. Children are considered active agents and the whole child approach is considered the basis of educational activities and interaction (Kangas, Ojala & Venninen, 2015). Recognition of the whole child and viewing the development through social, physical, and mental aspects have been rooted very strongly in pedagogical philosophy and practices in ECEC Finland through the playful learning approach (Kangas & al. 2019). In this paper we emphasize the importance of the visual environment, design learning process, and expression of young children’s embodiment in learning in the early childhood education context. In this study we focus on 2-3 years old toddlers' visual and kinesthetic expressions of bodily learning and embodiment. Bodily learning means active learning experiences that early childhood education should include within everyday interaction and learning environment. Embodiment in learning practices is essential for children in the senso-motor or pre-operational phase of development because children show, touch, mimic and think by doing. In other words, they are learning by doing (Dewey 1916; Leinonen & Sintonen, 2014). The research questions are: 1) How do the learning materials scaffold children’s participation and meaning making? 2) How are the embodiment and active learning used as a tool for communication and interaction between children and teachers? We understand embodiment learning as visual and bodily expressions of agency, participation, and learning. These aspects are understood as modalities of interaction, language, and communication. With young children it has been shown that translanguaging takes place through movement, gestures, expressions, and emotions as well as a spoken language(s) (Leinonen & Sintonen, 2014). The study was conducted as video observation of learning design of two kindergarten groups with one teacher and 6 to 7 children in each. The study takes place in the Playful Learning Center (PLC). The PLC is a learning laboratory in University of Helsinki, that is specially designed to scaffold young children's visual and kinesthetic exploration and expression through play and playful activities (Sefton-Green et al. 2015). The observation data were analysed through content analysis using researchers’ triangulation to discuss the visual communication and embodiment themes.

ABSTRACT This article explores the distinctive qualities of human cognition in comparison to large language models (LLMs), focusing on the implications of each for K-12 education. Drawing on insights from cognitive science and phenomenology, we argue that human cognition — grounded in embodied experience, social interaction, and self-consciousness — cannot be fully replicated by machine models. These unique qualities suggest the need for humanistic education: teaching rooted in action, subjectivity, and self-consciousness, aimed at the cultivation of virtue. This study contributes to the broader discussion on AI in education by emphasizing the irreplaceable aspects of human experience and highlighting what human-centric instruction looks like in the era of AI.

Sustainable Development Goal 4 from the United Nations 2030 Agenda, focus on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. Inclusive education is a key component of sustainable development goal 4, and assistive technology is a critical factor in achieving it. In this context, this paper introduces the development of an immersive virtual reality system with conversational skills for inclusive learning processes. The idea of this work is to provide an assistive technology to motivate, educate, and train students with disabilities in a more inclusive way. In order to improve the user experience, the system was developed to work in a CAVE-like immersive environment using Natural Language Processing through a Semantic Embodied Conversational Agent. This work highlights that assistive technology can promote educational, psychological, and social benefits for students with disabilities. The use of assistive technology can enable academic engagement and social participation and be transformative from a psychological perspective. A case study was conducted on children with autism, which showed encouraging results of the system as an assistive technology for teaching and learning.

No abstract available

This article explores the cognitive and cultural foundations of Vietnamese idioms and their pedagogical implications for teaching Vietnamese as a Foreign Language (VFL). Utilizing conceptual metaphor theory, image schemas, and cultural models from cognitive linguistics, the study analyzed a corpus of 100 high-frequency idioms sourced from textbooks and instructional materials. The findings indicate that Vietnamese idioms are systematically motivated by embodied metaphors and culturally shaped worldviews, which reflect values such as the pursuit of emotional depth, expectations of social hierarchy, moral causality, and a cyclical perception of time. While idioms serve as valuable resources for understanding Vietnamese cognition, VFL learners often struggle to interpret them because the conceptual mappings and cultural assumptions embedded within these idioms are unfamiliar. The article proposes a pedagogical model that groups idioms based on their conceptual metaphors, including visual representations and intercultural comparisons. This approach shifts instruction from rote memorization to metaphor-oriented learning, enabling learners to internalize idioms as part of a broader cultural-linguistic system and to develop both linguistic fluency and intercultural understanding.

Cognitive Linguistic Typology is a theoretical linguistics field through which understanding of the relationship between language and culture across different linguistic communities can be expanded. It can also play an important role in foreign language education and reducing educational disparities. Professor Ken-ichiro Nakano is an expert in this field. He is leading two related research projects: ‘The development, implementation, and demonstration research on an elementary English teaching material applying the language acquisition principles from Cognitive Linguistics’ and ‘A quantitative analysis research on the correlation between the embodiment principles and the development of metalinguistic ability in foreign language acquisition’. Both research projects have been embodied in two computer programs for academic advancement and social relevance. Specifically, principles of the mother tongue acquisition process and metalinguistic competence development have been realised as two computer programs, so that the public dissemination of academic research findings has become close at hand. The acquisition processes of the mother tongue with physical activities have been applied to the first foreign language learning computer program called ‘Teacher Owl’ (Fukurou Sensei in Japanese), and it enables learners to acquire the relationships between foreign language’s meanings and linguistic forms without interference from their native language. Learners’ metalinguistic competence development has been applied to the second foreign language learning computer program called ‘Tutorial System: English Grammar and Speech’, and it enables learners to internalise their English grammatical knowledge through speech activities.

Abstract The integration of technology, including social robots, into classrooms has paved the way for new opportunities in second-language (L2) learning. This emphasises the importance of understanding child–robot interaction (CRI) and its impact on comprehensive language development. This study investigated CRI in a French L2 setting through young learners’ L2 written productions and visual expressions, adopting an embodied digital interaction perspective. It explored the intersection of pedagogy and technology in education, aligned with digital language practices and robot literacy. Over four months, young learners engaged with a social robot in French language learning, using a friendship booklet (carnet d’amitié) task to establish rapport and encourage free interaction. We observed a transition from scripted interactions to a dynamic “imaginary space” within the CRI and the extended interaction that positively influenced engagement and language exploration. The learners exhibited diverse language strategies to convey meaning, reflecting metalinguistic awareness and adaptability within the French language framework. This study provided insights into the integration of social robots in L2 education, highlighting the transformative potential of CRI and the imperative for critical robot literacy.

ABSTRACT ‘Suturing Language’ argues that cut-up poetry enacts a simultaneous practice of close-reading and close-writing. As an embodied and ecological practice of creative writing, cut-up poetry draws together contexts from social, cultural, and academic writing. In turn, the writing process offers a way to open the classroom to the contexts that creative writing students bring with them from communities that intersect with but exist beyond the university space. As such, cut-up poetics model what might be a ramp between the present moment and multiple futures, offering a response to the crisis of inaction implied by the question, ‘well, what can I do now!?’

English language is regarded to be highly significant in all spheres of life. Effective teaching English language not just aim at providing information to the students but also ensuring that they become competent in language skills. It enhances students’ skills by increasing engagement, contextualizing language through embodied learning, improving speaking fluency via practice and raising cognitive and social skill development. This study inves tigates the effect of activity based learning on the development of language skills of primary students. This is an experimental research and objectives of the study were to (1): examine the level of language skills among primary students, to (2): assess the effect of activity based learning on language skills among primary students. A simple random sampling technique is used to select a sample of 36 students of grade 5. Participants were equally divided into experimental and control group. The participants of experimental group were taught using activity based method and control group with traditional method. The treatment was continuous for twelve weeks. A valid and reliable test was taken for the collection of data. The independent sample t test was applied to compare the mean score of both groups. The results showed improvement in the performance of the students taught through the activity based method as compared to the traditional method. It is concluded that Activity Based Learning enhanced the language skills of primary students.

Advances in artificial intelligence and embodied interaction in augmented reality (AR) are creating new opportunities for intelligent instructional systems that dynamically adapt to individual learners. However, sustaining real-time responsiveness while preserving natural, socially meaningful interaction remains a persistent challenge. This work introduces ARIA (Augmented Reality Instructional Agent), a real-time software architecture for embodied AI instruction in augmented reality. ARIA leverages large language models (LLMs) with adaptive prompt engineering to tailor dialogue style, instructional strategy, and persona expression to each user. Its modular pipeline is optimized for robust, low-latency performance, with benchmarks reported for responsiveness and system stability. To complement the technical evaluation, user experience was assessed through standardized questionnaires, offering insights into perceived personalization, trust, and interaction quality. Quantitative and qualitative results demonstrate that ARIA achieves sub-second responsiveness, high pragmatic and hedonic usability, and a strong sense of co-presence and instructional trust. This work contributes a unified framework and reference architecture for developing adaptive embodied agents that combine technical efficiency with human-centered design, highlighting how real-time responsiveness can serve as the foundation for relational engagement in embodied AI instruction.