Kinaesthetic methodology as a tool for fostering embodied conceptual understanding of physics

The problem of overreliance of contemporary physical education on visual methods leads to a neglect of critically important kinaesthetic mental images necessary for deep learning of the natural sciences, in particular physics. The study was grounded in Embodied Cognition Theory and the tenet that core physical concepts are rooted in the primary sensory schema of “effort- resistance-motion”. The purpose of the study was to develop and experimentally verify a kinaesthetic methodology (grounded in embodied cognition) to enhance embodied understanding and bridge the phenomenological gap in students during physics instruction. The research was conducted as a two-year quasi-experimental project in a specialised high school. An experimental group (n = 18) instructed using the kinaesthetic methodology and a control group (n = 22) following the conventional curriculum were established. Methodology integrated three types of kinaesthetic exercises (tactile-motor, spatial-locomotive, and role-play simulations) with the use of the mobile application Phyphox for the immediate objectification of subjective bodily sensations into objective physical data. Effectiveness was assessed using the embodied conceptual understanding assessment scale. The results of the statistical analysis (Student’s t-test) convincingly confirmed the hypothesis: the mean gain score in the experimental group ( X̅ 1 = 7.17) was statistically significantly higher compared to the control group ( X̅ 2 = 5.00), with the calculated t ≈ 7.89 indicating a strong effect size. This disparity was particularly evident in the embodied-kinesthetic component of the embodied conceptual understanding assessment scale. The study demonstrated that the purposeful use of kinaesthetic activity enabled the establishment of resilient mental images that help students consciously modify their intuitive schemas, thereby creating a conceptual ecological system compatible with the scientific worldview. The findings confirmed that the student’s body can serve as an effective “sensor” and a powerful tool for cognition