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The Different Benefits from Different Gestures in Understanding a Concept

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Abstract

Explanations are typically accompanied by hand gestures. While research has shown that gestures can help learners understand a particular concept, different learning effects in different types of gesture have been less understood. To address the issues above, the current study focused on whether different types of gestures lead to different levels of improvement in understanding. Two types of gestures were investigated, and thus, three instructional videos (two gesture videos plus a no gesture control) of the subject of mitosis—all identical except for the types of gesture used—were created. After watching one of the three videos, participants were tested on their level of understanding of mitosis. The results showed that (1) differences in comprehension were obtained across the three groups, and (2) representational (semantic) gestures led to a deeper level of comprehension than both beat gestures and the no gesture control. Finally, a language proficiency effect is discussed as a moderator that may affect understanding of a concept. Our findings suggest that a teacher is encouraged to use representational gestures even to adult learners, but more work is needed to prove the benefit of using gestures for adult learners in many subject areas.

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Notes

  1. In the current study, participants who did not complete their secondary schooling taught in English were regarded as non-native English speakers.

  2. None of the participants had trouble with the instructions given during the experiment.

  3. For the drawing test scores, an interrater reliability for the raters was found to be κ = 0.74 (p < 0.01), which is a substantial agreement.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Learning Technologies, Columbia University, New York City, NY, USA

    Seokmin Kang, Gregory L. Hallman & John B. Black

  2. Barnard College, Columbia University, New York City, NY, USA

    Lisa K. Son

Authors
  1. Seokmin Kang
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  2. Gregory L. Hallman
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  3. Lisa K. Son
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  4. John B. Black
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Seokmin Kang.

Appendices

Appendix 1

A script used in the representational gesture video

Letters in parentheses are a gesture type that represents following words.

  • d: deictic gesture

  • i: iconic gesture

  • m: metaphoric

  • on: on-diagram gesture

  • off: off-diagram gesture

  • for example, “… (d-on) chromatin…” was presented with a speaker’s sweeping a word “chromatin” with his index finger on the diagram.

I am going to explain about nuclear division, known as (d-on) “mitosis”.

Cell division is a process that enables organisms to grow and reproduce. Dividing cells go through an ordered series of events called the cell cycle.

Mitosis is a phase of the cell cycle in which the genetic material from a parent cell is divided equally between two daughter cells. Before a dividing cell enters mitosis, it undergoes a period of growth called (d-on) interphase. Some 90 % of a cell’s time in the normal cellular cycle may be spent in interphase. The cell still has (d-on) nucleoli present during interphase. It is also important to note that the nucleus is bounded by a (i-on) nuclear envelope and the cell’s chromosomes have duplicated but are in the form of (d-on) chromatin. In (d-on) prophase, the chromatin condenses into discrete chromosomes. The (i-on) nuclear envelope (i-on) breaks down and spindles form at (i-off) opposite “poles” of the cell. During prophase, the (d-on) nucleoli (m-off) disappear and the chromatid structure of the (d-on) chromosomes becomes apparent.

Many consider (d-on) prophase, as opposed to interphase, to be the first true step of the mitotic process. A change that occurs in a cell during prophase is that (d-on) chromatin fibers (i-on) become coiled into chromosomes with each chromosome having two chromatids joined at a (d-on, i-off) centromere. Also, two (d-on) centrosomes appears, formed from the replication of one pair in interphase (d-on). Also, the two pairs of centrioles within the (d-on) centrosome move away from one another toward (i-off) opposite ends of the cell due to the lengthening of the microtubules that form between them. In late prophase, the (d-on) nuclear envelope (i-off) breaks up. Polar fibers, c, travel from each cell pole to the (i-on) cell’s equator. The chromosomes begin to migrate (i-on) toward the cell center. In (d-on) metaphase, the spindle (i-off) fully develops and the chromosomes align at the (i-on) metaphase plate—a plane that is equally distant from the (d-on) two spindle poles. A change that takes occurs in a cell during metaphase is that the (d-on) nuclear envelope (m-off) disappears completely. Polar fibers, which, as we said are microtubules that make up the spindle fibers, continue to (d-on) extend from (i-off) opposite poles to the center of the cell (d-on). Chromosomes move randomly until they attach to polar fibers from both sides of their (d-on) centromeres. Chromosomes are held at the metaphase plate by the equal forces of the polar fibers pushing on the centromeres of the chromosomes. In (d-on) anaphase, the paired chromosomes or sister chromatids (d-on, i-off) separate and begin moving to opposite ends of the cell. Spindle fibers not connected to chromatids (i-off) lengthen and elongate the cell. In preparation for telophase, the two cell poles (i-off) move further apart during the course of anaphase. At the end of anaphase, each pole contains a complete compilation of chromosomes. In (d-on) telophase, the (d-on) chromosomes are (i-off) cordoned off into new distinct nuclei in the emerging daughter cells. The following are changes that occur in a cell during telophase. The polar fibers continue to lengthen. The (d-on) pair of nucleoli reappears. Also, chromatin fibers of (d-on) chromosomes uncoil. After these changes, mitosis cycle is largely complete and the genetic “contents” of one cell have been divided (i-off) equally into two. Finally, we return to the (d-on) interphase stage. A new, separate nucleus is produced.

Appendix 2

Example questions of each test

  • Retention question

Example 1

When the chromatids are separated and move to the opposite poles, what is the chromatids called?

Example 2

Some 90 % of a cell’s time in the normal cellular cycle may be spent in this phase.

A. interphase B. prophase C. metaphase D. telophase

  • Immediate transfer question

Example

When the DNA in a cell is uncoiled and spread throughout the nucleus, it is called

A. chromosomes B. chromatids C. centromeres D. chromatin

  • What-if question

Example

If microtubules were eliminated from prophase, what would be the direct influence on the mitosis process?

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Kang, S., Hallman, G.L., Son, L.K. et al. The Different Benefits from Different Gestures in Understanding a Concept. J Sci Educ Technol 22, 825–837 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-012-9433-5

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