Practical tips for teachers on integrating movement into instruction across language and multimedia learning¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 4 claims (1 for, 2 mixed, 1 against) · 1 study (1 review), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 4 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The article distills four practical tips from the collection's empirical studies for teachers and instructional design. These include using VR environments to support vocabulary learning "especially for students with lower language proficiency," using emotionally engaging stories while being cautious with instructed gesturing during reading, encouraging students to point to key elements in video-based materials rather than just looking or tracing, and not instructing learners to trace on a touchscreen during timed multimedia lessons with animated hands.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Tips are tied to the specific conditions of the underlying studies, e.g., timed multimedia lessons that include animated hands for the tracing caution.

Constraints¶

• The gesturing caution is scoped to reading short written narratives, and the tracing prohibition to timed multimedia lessons on a touchscreen; the review notes tailoring based on how individual students respond.

Target Learners¶

• school and university students, including adolescents and adult language learners

Target Learning Goals¶

• foreign language vocabulary learning
• narrative recall
• multimedia comprehension
• geometry learning

Claims¶

• Emotional valence consistently influences narrative recall, with negative narratives most memorable, while instructed gesturing shows mixed effectiveness [~W]
• Pointing during multimedia learning leads to superior comprehension and increased attentional focus compared with tracing or no hand movements [+W]
• Mimicking tracing and pointing gestures on a touchscreen during timed multimedia worked examples hindered adolescent learners' geometry learning [-W]
• Grasping virtual objects in VR improves foreign language vocabulary retention for learners with low language aptitude, but not for those with high aptitude [~W]

Related Strategies¶

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• de Koning, B., Zhang, S., & Sepp, S. (2025). Integrating Human Movement in Learning: Advancements in Language Instruction, Multimedia, and Theory. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-10027-1