Embodied Pedagogy in the EFL Classroom: The Impact of Gesture Use on Grammar Learning and Metacognitive Awareness

Abstract

Despite growing evidence supporting embodied approaches to language learning, little is known about how gesture-enhanced instruction influences EFL learners’ grammar mastery and metacognitive awareness. Grounded in Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory (1978), this study examined the impact of gesture-supported grammar instruction on learners’ grammatical performance and their metacognitive processes across planning, monitoring, evaluating, and gesture awareness. Thirty-six EFL learners participated in a pretest–posttest design, completing a grammar test and the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI) before and after a four-week intervention incorporating systematic teacher gestures. Paired-samples t-test results revealed a significant improvement in grammar performance from pretest to posttest, indicating that gesture-enhanced instruction effectively supported learners’ acquisition of targeted structures. Complementary Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Tests showed significant gains in key MAI subscales, demonstrating that gestures facilitated metacognitive development by helping learners externalize understanding, engage in self-regulation, and recognize gesture as a meaningful cognitive tool. These findings suggest that gesture-enhanced instruction not only improved linguistic outcomes but also promoted learners’ ability to reflect on and regulate their grammar learning processes.