Mindful movements matter: differentiating active body movements in underprivileged students’ learning of physics concepts

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background The theory of embodied cognition claims that body interaction with the environment change how we think and constitute cognition. Accordingly, active learning enriches learning experiences which in turn lead to better learning. Purpose Although learning by moving one’s body is often regarded as active learning, not all body movements lead to better learning. To investigate the influence of different levels of body movements on learning, we developed embodied learning activities and implemented in elementary afterschool program. Sample Twenty-seven fifth graders (12 girls, 15 boys) for Study 1 and forty-eight fifth graders (28 girls, 20 boys) for Study 2 were recruited from afterschool programs from two public elementary schools. Design and methods Through two quasi-experimental studies, we compared student learning and their attitude about physics concepts. Study 1 compared learning and attitude between two groups of students depending on whether body movements correspond to knowledge representation embedded in a to-be-learned concept (congruent condition) or not (incongruent condition). In Study 2, a control group that did not engage in body movement-related learning activities, was added to observe the impact of body movement itself. Therefore, students in three groups (congruent, incongruent, no body movement group) were compared in their learning and attitude. Results The results from Study 1 showed that the students in the congruent group showed better learning and higher attitude in science learning than those in the incongruent groups. Study 2 showed that the congruent group showed better learning and higher attitude than other groups. Also, there was no learning difference between the incongruent group and the control group. Conclusion The studies showed that the students could benefit from the embodied lesson plan and the findings imply that a student’s movements are to be elaborated and mindful considering knowledge representations embedded in a concept.