Wei-Chieh Fang

Embodied play to learn: Exploring Kinect‐facilitated memory performance

Introduction Body movements, including gestures, provide different learning channels for students, which may help them to more easily understand learning materials (Hostetter & Alibali, 2008; Tellier, 2008; Wilson, 2002). From this perspective, the purpose of using gestures is to help learners improve their comprehension and build connections between the materials and gestures. In addition to supporting comprehension, gestures can be used to develop more elaborate memories related to learning materials (Riseborough, 1981; So, Sim & Low, 2011; Tellier, 2008). For example, people applying actions during learning events (eg, exercising while saying, “Let’s do exercise.”) have been found to perform better on recall tasks. Previous research has highlighted the effectiveness of using gestures and cognitive tasks together (Goldin-Meadow, McNeil & Singleton, 1996; Ratner, Foley & McCaskill, 2001; Stevanoni & Salmon, 2005).

Learning with the Body: An Embodiment-Based Learning Strategy Enhances Performance of Comprehending Fundamental Optics

Theories of embodied cognition argue that mental modal simulations in the brain, body, environment and situated actions are composed of central representations in cognition. Based on embodied cognition, body movements of performing natural science experiments can provide learners with external perceptions for better knowledge construction. At present, the way of using a keyboard/mouse to conduct simulation exercises just reproduces physical experimental procedures on a computer. However, it lacks for utilizing environmental factors and bodily states as external information to help brain constructing knowledge during the experiment simulation processes. For example, learners interact with the multimedia content of fundamental optics simulation exercises by using conventional controller-based methods such as moving a mouse or pressing a hot key. Using a controller as a routine interaction device while learners associate their external bodily perceptions with internal knowledge schema does not benefit cognitive processing. To cope with this problem, an embodiment-based learning strategy is designed to provide simulated practices by learners’ gestures so that they can interact with the digital content directly. Through the learning system, fundamental optics knowledge can be constructed using holistic schematization of mental modal simulations in the brain, body, environment and situated actions. A total of 51 fifth-year students were divided into ‘embodiment-based learning group’and ‘keyboard–mouse learning group’ for a quasi-experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.This study designed an embodiment-based learning strategy to help learners perform optics simulation exercises and improve their learning performance. The result shows that the embodiment-based learning group outperformed the keyboard–mouse learning group on learning performance. Besides, learners usually need to invest additional mental effort before they overcome the run-in period to getting used to a new technology. No significant difference in cognitive load between the two groups was found, which implies the embodiment-based learning strategy is an effective learning design.

Interactive Physical Games: Improving Balance in Older Adults

As part of an ongoing project, we developed a motion-based Evergreen Fitness System (EFS) intending to train balance in older adults. A participatory design approach was applied where health experts were consulted for designing exercises appropriate for balance training, and thirteen older adults (average 68 years old) were invited to use the system for providing feedback. Aspects being evaluated included suitability of the exercises that were integrated into EFS, their enjoyment during the use of EFS and the user experience of the gameplay, system operation, game design, and intent to use. The questionnaire interview shows that our senior participants found the exercises suitable and beneficial and the interactive physical games enjoyable. We also observed that our participants have varying capabilities in performing body motions. They paid more attention on the exercise itself during gameplay than the game results/progress report but would discuss their performance while watching others play afterward. Based on these findings, we proposed that an adaptive mechanism, socially interactive functions and more informative progress report should be included in the system, in hope to promote the optimal physical outcomes.

Using Smartphone to Facilitate English Communication and Willingness to Communicate in a Communicative Language Teaching Classroom

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of using a smartphone application in a Communicative Language Teaching context. Specifically, a web-based application called Lets Talk was designed to facilitate an Information Gap activity in an English language class. Participants were assigned to an experiment group using Lets Talk or a control group using textbooks to practice English conversation. Communication performance, including vocabulary, sentence structure and comprehension, was measured. Their Willingness to Communicate, including self-perceived Language Learning Anxiety and Communicative Competence, was also collected through questionnaires. Results showed that Lets Talk-facilitated Information Gap activities led to better performance in vocabulary and structure but not comprehension. Also, a lower level of state anxiety was reported when mobile devices were used. There was no significant difference in Willingness to Communicate and Communicative Competence between the two groups. Implications for the use of smartphones in Communicative Language Teaching are also discussed.

Exploring Problem Solving Performance through Natural User Interfaces

Insight problems are the problems that require discoveries of novel solutions. To come up with novel solutions, the correct mental representations will need to be activated. Spatial insight problems, for example, require activation of spatial representations. To explore the potential use of a motion-sensing technology for facilitating spatial insight problem solving, a Body-based system using natural user interfaces (NUIs) and a Mouse-based system using graphical user interfaces (GUIs) were developed. An experiment was conducted using these two systems for seeking possible solutions to a hands-on problem and then solving that problem in physical environment using real objects. Results showed that there was no difference in the completion rate between the two conditions. However, there was a tendency of more uses of spatial strategies by the Body-based group. Those in the Body-based condition did not significantly lose their confidence in solving the problem during the solution-seeking stage.

Examining the Relationships between Foreign Language Anxiety and Attention during Conversation Tasks

This study explored the association between Foreign Language Anxiety and sustained attention during two conversation tasks. Participants were twenty-nine EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners who completed a role play task in a classroom practice condition and a real-world situated condition. Attention levels were measured using Neurosky’s EEG headset during the task. Self-perceived language anxiety was measured using questionnaire after the task. Correlation analyzes show there was a negative correlation between attention levels and states of language anxiety in the classroom practice condition but there was a positive correlation between attention levels and states of language anxiety in the real-world situated condition. Findings suggest that students who experience low anxiety tend to sustain better attention during the language task; however, their attention can be enhanced when they feel more anxiety resulting from a more challenging task. Implications for language instructors and system developers are discussed.

Gesture-Facilitated Learning of English Word Stress Patterns

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of using a gesture-based learning system to learn word stress patterns of English. A visual-based and a gesture-based system were designed to compare the effects of gestures or bar graphs on the word stress patterns in a series of learning activities. Based on the theory of embodied metaphor, it is hoped that the word stress patterns can be realized through the extension of embodied schema. Two tests using target words and transfer words were used to measure the learning outcomes and perception of stress patterns respectively. Results showed that the effect of gesture-based system was comparable to that of the gesture-based learning system on the learning of word stress patterns in the learned words. However, further analysis found that the use of gesture-based learning system can lead to enhanced performance on stress patterns in new words for learners with low initial word-perception as measured by the transfer test, while the use of visual learning system led to regressed performance.

Augmentation Strategies for Paper-Based Content Integrated with Digital Learning Supports Using Smartphones

Up to the twenty-first century, paper is still widely adopted for recording and reading. However, paper-based materials are fully capable of presenting abstract concepts and complicated knowledge with static text and figures. Learners usually need timely and adequate supports when encountering difficulties during learning. With a consideration of applying technologies, the learning tool must have a certain mobility and accessibility for acquiring facilitative resources. Using the networking capability of smartphone to access digital content from the Internet to enrich conventional paper-based learning activities is worth investigating. This chapter introduces an augmentation-enhanced learning context with an integration of digital content into paper-based materials in order to facilitate learning. Constructive feedback, scaffolding questioning, and procedural scaffolding are three strategies applied into the instructional designs and learning system. Quasi-experiments for personal learning and collaborative learning were also conducted to evaluate the effects on learning performance. The results suggest that the three instructional designs had significantly positive effects on individual’s learning performance. Team’s learning performance and team’s discourse levels were promoted as well. This chapter lays out a strong foundation for researchers to further explore how to better design different learning strategies for different learning subjects in the augmentation-enhanced learning context using smartphones. It is hoped that educational practitioners are able to obtain concrete ideas and solutions on how to better leverage the benefits of both paper-based content and digital learning materials in a real blended learning environment.

Embodied Cognition and Gesture-Based Learning: ICALT2014: Closing Ceremony Invited Speech

Gesture-based computing has recently received great attention in educational technology. Increasing studies have attempted to integrate its major features-gestures and body motions-into learning activities ranging from physical-related domain to cognitive domain. Despite the rise of gesture-based computing, studies in psychology have long shown that gestures influence the way we learn, think and perceive the world, suggesting learning can be less sedentary. Theories of embodied cognition have been the basis to explain the effect of body on our mind. Thus, this talk attempts to explore the relationship between these theories and technologies by presenting: (1) the overview of the findings from psychology and education and the implementation of gestures/body motions in our own study cases, and (2) potential research frameworks for future studies. It is hoped that this talk could promote more researchers to do study on making learning kinesthetic and designing pedagogically meaningful gesture-based learning systems.