Research suggests that integrating human movement into a cognitive learning task can be effective for learning due to its cognitive and physiological effects. In this study, the learning effects of ...enacting words through whole-body movements (i.e., physical exercise) and part-body movements (i.e., gestures) were investigated in a foreign language vocabulary task. Participants were 111 preschool children of 15 childcare centers, who were randomly assigned to one of four conditions. Participants had to learn 14 Italian words in a 4-week teaching program. They were tested on their memory for the words during, directly after, and 6 weeks after the program. In the integrated physical exercise condition, children enacted the actions indicated by the words to be learned in physical exercises. In the non-integrated physical exercise condition children performed physical exercises at the same intensity, but unrelated to the learning task. In the gesturing condition, children enacted the actions indicated by the words to be learned by gesturing while remaining seated. In the conventional condition, children verbally repeated the words while remaining seated. Results confirmed the main hypothesis, indicating that children in the integrated physical exercise condition achieved the highest learning outcomes. Implications of integrated physical exercise programs for preschool children's cognition and health are discussed.
Human movement has been found to have positive effects on learning performance. This study examined the effects of using Dynamic Geometry Software (DGS) CABRI to manipulate geometric properties of ...triangles or observing those manipulations made by an instructor on learning geometric properties with DGS-CABRI. Participants were 60 year 5 students, who received instructions on geometric problems and were randomly assigned to three conditions: A condition in which they performed mouse movements to manipulate geometric properties of triangles, a condition in which they observed the teacher performing those manipulations, and a conventional condition in which they studied a static format of the learning materials without any manipulations. We hypothesized that learning conditions involving manipulations of geometric properties of triangles would result in lower cognitive load and higher performance on a retention and transfer test than the conventional condition. Moreover, we hypothesized that making manipulations of the geometric properties of triangles through mouse movements would be superior to observing those manipulations being made by an instructor in terms of cognitive load, retention- and transfer test performance. Whereas the first hypothesis was confirmed, the latter hypothesis was only confirmed for retention test performance. Possible implications for educational practice are discussed.
•Learning of cognitive tasks can be supported by observing or making manipulations.•Manipulations are evolutionarily salient skills that require low working memory load.•Low memory load enable new information to be processed within the limited capacity of WM.
ABSTRACT
In this intervention study, we investigated the effects of physical activities that were integrated into a geography task on preschool children's learning performance and enjoyment. Eight ...childcare centers with 87 four‐to‐five‐year‐old children were randomly assigned across an integrated physical activity condition, an unintegrated physical activity condition, and a control condition without physical activity. Children learned the names and a typical animal from each of the six continents using a floor‐mounted world map with soft toy animals. Both learning conditions with physical activities showed higher performance than the learning condition without physical activities on an immediate retention test, and on a delayed retention test administered five weeks later. In addition, children in the physical activity conditions (integrated and nonintegrated) enjoyed their learning method the most. Infusing task‐relevant physical activities into the classroom and the learning task is discussed as a promising way to improve children's learning, enjoyment, and health.
A cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted to examine the effects of a 4-week program that integrated movements into cognitive tasks related to numerical skills. Participants (N = 120, ...Mage = 4.70 years, SD = 0.49; 57 girls) were assigned to one of the following four conditions: performing integrated physical activity (task relevant), performing nonintegrated physical activity (task nonrelevant), observing integrated physical activity, or conventional sedentary teaching (without performing or observing physical activity). Results showed that children who performed task-relevant integrated physical activity performed better than children in all other conditions. In addition, children who performed physical activity, either integrated or nonintegrated, reported higher scores for enjoyment of the instructional method than the two sedentary learning conditions. Implications for educational theory and practice are discussed.
Research has demonstrated that physical activity involving gross motor activities can lead to better cognitive functioning and higher academic achievement scores. In addition, research within the ...theoretical framework of embodied cognition has shown that embodying knowledge through the use of more subtle motor activities, such as task-relevant gestures, has a positive effect on learning. In this study, we investigated whether combining both physical activities and gestures could improve learning even more in a 4-week intervention program on foreign language vocabulary learning in preschool children. The main hypothesis that learning by embodying words through task-relevant enactment gestures and physical activities would be perceived as the preferred teaching method and lead to higher learning outcomes than learning by embodying words through task-relevant enactment gestures only, and learning without physical activities or gestures was confirmed by the results. The results of this study hold great promise for instructional methods combining physical activities and gestures as enhancers of children's learning.
In the surging field of chronic physical activity (PA) and cognition research, problems arise that prevent us from 'seeing the forest for the trees'. The first aim was to identify them and propose ...solutions. Moreover, inconsistencies in conclusions of a rising amount of systematic reviews render necessary 'an umbrella for a rain of evidence'. The second aim was to obtain a differentiated picture of moderators that may explain inconsistencies using the wide-angle lens of a systematic meta-review. We especially addressed the role of the PA context in causation mechanisms, complementing the meta-review with a realist approach that is best suited to identify context-mechanism-outcome (CMO) configurations. Main review outcomes are: (1) inconsistent grading of methodological quality and low consideration of external validity; (2) role of multiple moderators at participant-, intervention-, study-level but relative neglect of context-level moderators; (3) explanatory potential of CMO configurations, in which specific conditions of the context may trigger different mechanisms that generate PA effects on cognition. The majority of the proposed mechanisms converge on the concept of enrichment. Conclusions highlight the need for future research, in which PA interventions and their contexts are designed to mobilize the different mechanisms underpinning their individual and joint effects on cognition.
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of specifically designed physical activities on primary school children’s foreign language vocabulary learning and attentional performance.
...A total of 104 children aged between 8 and 10 years were assigned to either (a) an embodied learning condition consisting of task-relevant physical activities, (b) a physical activity condition involving task-irrelevant physical activities, or (c) a control condition consisting of a sedentary teaching style. Within a 2-week teaching program, consisting of four learning sessions, children had to learn 20 foreign language words.
Children were tested on their memory performance (cued recall test) after completion of the program and on their focused attention (d2-R test of attention) immediately after one learning session.
Linear mixed model analyses revealed both the embodied learning (d = 1.12) and the physical activity condition (d = 0.51) as being more effective in teaching children new words than the control condition. Children’s focused attention, however, did not differ between the three conditions.
The results are discussed in the light of embodied cognition and cognitive load theory. Implications for the inclusion of specific physical activities during the school day are proposed.
•Two physically active learning scenarios were compared to a sedentary one.•Children enjoyed both physically active learning scenarios more than the sedentary.•Both physically active learning scenarios improved children’s memory performance.•No differences between the three conditions were found for children’s attention.
Engaging in regular physical activity can have substantial cognitive and academic benefits for children, and is generally promoted for its beneficial effects on children's physical and mental health. ...Although embodied cognition research has convincingly shown the integral relationship of the human body and mind, in schools physical activity and cognitive activity are typically treated as unrelated processes. Consequently, most physical activities used are neither sufficiently relevant for nor fully integrated into the learning tasks. In reviewing the literature regarding the integration of physical activity into education to promote cognition and learning, two main lines of research emerged: exercise and cognition research vs. embodied cognition research. In this narrative review, we describe these two separately evolved schools of thought, highlighting their differences and commonalities. In categorising the existing studies on a 2 × 2 matrix, concerning the two main categories of relevance for and integration into the learning task, it becomes clear where the different foci lie, and how both lines of research could profit from learning from each other. Finally, a new instructional model that integrates task-relevant physical activities into the cognitive/learning task is proposed to inform both further research and educational practice.
Research suggests that physical activity can be used as an intervention to increase cognitive function. Yet, there are competing views on the cognitive effects of physical activity and it is not ...clear what level of consensus exists among researchers in the field. The purpose of this study was two-fold: Firstly, to quantify the scientific consensus by focusing on the relationship between physical activity and cognitive function. Secondly, to investigate if there is a gap between the public's and scientists' interpretations of scientific texts on this topic. A two-phase study was performed by including 75 scientists in the first phase and 15 non-scientists in the second phase. Participants were asked to categorize article abstracts in terms of endorsement of the effect of physical activity on cognitive function. Results indicated that there was a 76.1% consensus that physical activity has positive cognitive effects. There was a consistent association between scientists' and non-scientists' categorizations, suggesting that both groups perceived abstracts in a similar fashion. Taken together, this study provides the first analysis of its kind to evaluate the level of consensus in almost two decades of research. The present data can be used to inform further research and practice.
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