Cogent Education

Embodiment: for whom it works and how? A Bridging Dialogue

Embodied learning, which emphasizes the role of the body in supporting cognition through enactment, observation, or mental simulation of actions, has become an increasingly influential area of educational research. Scholars across areas have explored how diverse bodily interactions and representations contribute to knowledge construction and meaning-making across settings ranging from laboratory studies and formal classrooms to informal and technology-enhanced environments, including extended reality. Researchers draw from diverse theoretical perspectives, including cognitive, developmental, and sociocultural frameworks, to understand how embodied interactions support learning in children, adolescents, and adults. This expanding body of work illustrates both the richness and complexity of the field and underscores the need to build connections and coherence across diverse strands of embodied learning research.

Despite its promise, research on embodied learning remains fragmented. Many studies are confined to specific environments, anchored in particular theoretical accounts, or focused on narrow populations, making it difficult to synthesize findings and generate actionable insights for educators and designers. The absence of shared frameworks and cross-contextual dialogue has constrained our ability to determine when, how, and for whom embodied approaches are most effective. This challenge is especially pressing as recent work reveals heterogeneous effects of different embodied pedagogies, while educational technologies such as multimedia instructional videos and extended and mixed reality offer richer opportunities to design and investigate embodied interactions across diverse learners and settings. Advancing conversations around individual differences, collective experiences, and technology-mediated embodiment will allow the field to develop a more coherent understanding of the mechanisms, outcomes, and implications of embodied learning. Such dialogue is essential not only for advancing theory but also for informing pedagogical practice and guiding the design of equitable, inclusive educational environments.

This article collection seeks to bring together cutting-edge scholarship that advances the study of embodied learning in diverse contexts. Submissions may include, but are not limited to, systematic reviews that synthesize empirical findings across different frameworks, pedagogical approaches and environments, theoretical papers that extend or challenge existing frameworks, and empirical studies that explore the role of embodiment in supporting cognition and learning. We especially welcome contributions that address individual differences in embodied learning (e.g., working memory, prior knowledge, and gestural intuitions), examine collective or social dimensions of embodied activity, and investigate the potential of technology-enhanced settings such as extended reality and mixed reality. Comparative or cross-cultural studies are encouraged, as are studies that integrate cognitive and sociocultural approaches to embodiment. The goal of this collection is to create a platform for dialogue across theoretical perspectives, methodologies, and contexts in order to identify patterns, clarify mechanisms, and articulate forward-looking research agendas. By fostering exchange across these diverse strands of work, we aim to support the development of a more cohesive and impactful field of embodied learning research.

All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo a full peer-review; the Guest Advisor for this collection will not be handling the manuscripts (unless they are an Editorial Board member). Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.

The deadline for submitting manuscripts is 31 August 2026.

Please contact Kristen Brida at [email protected] with any queries and discount codes regarding this Article Collection.

Please be sure to select the appropriate Article Collection from the drop-down menu in the submission system.

Please select Educational Psychology & Counseling from the list of available sections during submission. Failure to select the appropriate Article Collection or Section name can result in delays.

About the Guest Advisors

Xintian Tu-Shea, Ph.D., is a Postdoctoral Associate at the University at Buffalo’s Institute for Learning Sciences. Her research focuses on embodied learning, technology-enhanced environments, and AI-driven literacy tools, with extensive experience leading multi-institutional projects funded by NSF and IES.

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Dr. Icy Zhang is an Assistant Professor of Learning Sciences in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her research examines the cognitive and developmental processes that support learning in complex STEM domains such as statistics and data science, with particular emphasis on translating learning theories into effective instructional practice. She also has an established record of investigating the cognitive foundations of embodied learning and advancing understanding of how—and for whom—embodied pedagogies are most effective.

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Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Dr. Tu-Shea and Dr. Zhang do not have any Conflicts of Interest to disclose.