Enhancing English spatial prepositions acquisition among Spanish learners of English as L2 through an embodied approach

Abstract

Abstract English spatial prepositions posit a great challenge to Spanish learners of English as an L2 due to the broad cross-linguistic differences in how languages structure space. Furthermore, a teaching methodology that could assist these learners in understanding these differences is absent because the pedagogical treatment of spatial language draws on the longstanding assumption that the relation between this kind of language and its meaning is rather arbitrary. Yet, research within the embodiment approach to language and cognition has attested that the use of spatial prepositions is motivated by geometric and functional properties of figure and ground and how these interact in space. This study examines whether instructing Spanish learners on these properties will enhance their performance. 74 participants at a B1 level were randomized to either receive an embodied approach-based training on spatial prepositions (n = 37) or to the control group (n = 37) without this training. Both groups were presented with a cloze test (60 sentences) on six spatial prepositions, in, on, at, to, into, and onto on pre- and post-test conditions. Scores for both groups were analyzed using ANCOVA with pre-test scores as covariate. Data analysis yields statistically significant results attesting the effectiveness of the Embodiment Approach.