Skip to main content

An evaluation-driven design approach to develop learning environments based on full-body interaction

Educational Technology Research and Development volume 64, pages 1337–1360 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

The development of learning environments based on full-body interaction has become an increasingly important field of research in recent years. However, the design and evaluation strategies currently used present some significant limitations. Two major shortcomings are: the inadequate involvement of children in the design process and a lack of research into what meanings children construct within these learning environments. To tackle these shortcomings we present an evaluation-driven design approach, which aims at analyzing situated interpretations made by children. These interpretations are then used to guide and optimize design in an iterative process of design and assessment. This evaluation-driven design method was applied in the development of the EcoSystem Project, a full-body interaction learning environment for children aimed at supporting learning about environmental relationships. The application of this iterative approach proved to be highly effective both in facilitating continuous improvements in the proposed design and in reducing misconceptions by children using the environment. Moreover, experimental evaluation reported significant learning gains in children. This suggests both the potential of using full-body interaction to support learning and the effectiveness of our evaluation-driven approach in optimizing design solutions through the analysis of children’s interpretations.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

References

  • Ackermann, E. K. (2004). Constructing knowledge and transforming the world. In M. Tokoro & L. Steels (Eds.), A learning zone of one’s own: Sharing representations and flow in collaborative learning environments. Amsterdam: IOS Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ackermann, E. K. (2007). Experience of artifacts: People’s appropriations/object’s affordances. In M. Larochelle (Ed.), Ernst von Glasersfeld, Key works on radical constructivism. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Adachi, T., Goseki, M., Muratsu, K., Mizoguchi, H., Namatame, M., & Sugimoto, M. (2013). Human SUGOROKU: Full-body interaction system for students to learn vegetation succession. In Proceeding of the 2013 conference on interaction design and children—IDC’13 (pp. 364–367).

  • Anastopoulou, S., Sharples, M., & Baber, C. (2011). An evaluation of multimodal interactions with technology while learning science concepts. British Journal of Educational Technology, 42(2), 266–290. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2009.01017.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Antle, A. N. (2013). Research opportunities: Embodied child–computer interaction. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction, 1(1), 30–36. doi:10.1016/j.ijcci.2012.08.001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Antle, A. N., Corness, G., & Bevans, A. (2013). Balancing justice: Comparing whole body and controller-based interaction for an abstract domain. Internation Journal of Arts and Technology, 6(4), 1–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Antle, A. N., Droumeva, M., & Corness, G. (2008). Playing with the sound maker: Do embodied metaphors help children learn? In Proceeding of the 2008 international conference on interaction design and children—IDC’08 (pp. 178–185).

  • Barab, S., & Squire, K. (2004). Design-based research: Putting a stake in the ground. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 13(1), 1–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barsalou, L. W. (2008). Grounded cognition. Annual Review of Psychology, 59, 617–645.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berg, C., & Smith, P. (1994). Assessing students’ abilities to construct and interpret line graphs: Disparities between multiple-choice and free response instruments. Science Education, 78(6), 527–554.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruner, J. (1962). On knowing: Essays for the left hand. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carreras, A., & Parés, N. (2004). Designing an interactive installation for children to experience abstract concepts. In New trends on human–computer interaction (pp. 33–42).

  • Charoenying, T., Gaysinsky, A., & Ryokai, K. (2012). The choreography of conceptual development in computer supported instructional environments. In Proceeding of the 2012 international conference on interaction design and children—IDC’13 (Vol. 4, pp. 162–167).

  • Clearfield, M. W. (2004). The role of crawling and walking experience in infant spatial memory. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 89(3), 214–241. doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2004.07.003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Corbin, J. M., & Strauss, A. (1990). Grounded theory research: Procedures canons and evaluative criteria. Qualitative Sociology, 13(1), 3–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dindler, C., & Iversen, O. S. (2007). Fictional inquiry—Design collaboration in a shared narrative space. CoDesign, 3(4), 213–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Druin, A. (2002). The Role of children in the design of new technology. Behaviour and Information Technology, 21(1), 1–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eco, U. (1975). Trattato di semiotica generale. Milano: Bompiani.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edge, D., Cheng, K., & Whitney, M. (2013). SpatialEase: Learning language through body motion (c). In Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on human factors in computing systems (CHI’13) (pp. 469–472).

  • Enyedy, N., Danish, J. A., Delacruz, G., & Kumar, M. (2012). Learning physics through play in an augmented reality environment. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 7(3), 347–378.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forsythe, D. E. (1993). Engineering knowledge: The construction of knowledge in artificial intelligence. Social Studies of Science, 23(3), 445–477.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glenberg, A. M. (2010). Embodiment as a unifying perspective for psychology. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science, 1(4), 586–596. doi:10.1002/wcs.55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glenberg, A. M., Brown, M., & Levin, J. R. (2007). Enhancing comprehension in small reading groups using a manipulation strategy. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 32(3), 389–399. doi:10.1016/j.cedpsych.2006.03.001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goldin-Meadow, S. (2011). Learning through gesture. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science, 2(6), 595–607.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grønbæk, K., Iversen, O. S., Kortbek, K. J., Nielsen, K. R., & Aagaard, L. (2007). Interactive floor support for kinesthetic interaction in children learning environments. In INTERACT 2007 (pp. 361–375).

  • Hanna, L., Risden, K., & Alexander, K. (1997). Guidelines for usability testing with children. Interactions, 4(5), 9–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrison, S., Sengers, P., & Tatar, D. (2011). Making epistemological trouble: Third-paradigm HCI as successor science. Interacting with Computers, 23(5), 385–392. doi:10.1016/j.intcom.2011.03.005.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iversen, O. S., & Dindler, C. (2013). A Utopian agenda in child–computer interaction. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction, 1(1), 24–29. doi:10.1016/j.ijcci.2012.08.002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iverson, J. M. (2010). Developing language in a developing body: The relationship between motor development and language development. Journal of Child Language, 37(2), 1–25. doi:10.1017/S0305000909990432.Developing.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jewitt, C. (2013). Multimodal methods for researching digital technologies. In S. Price & C. Jewitt (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of digital technology research (pp. 250–265). Los Angeles: SAGE Publications Ltd.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson-glenberg, M. C., Birchfield, D., & Megowan-romanowicz, C. (2010). Semi-virtual embodied learning-real world stem assessment. In L. Annetta & S. Bronack (Eds.), Serious educational game assessment: Practical methods and models for educational games, simulations and virtual worlds (pp. 225–241). Rotterdam: Sense Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson-glenberg, M. C., Koziupa, T., & Birchfield, D. (2011a). Games for learning in embodied mixed-reality environments: Principles and results (pp. 129–137).

  • Johnson-glenberg, M. C., Koziupa, T., & Birchfield, D. (2011b). Games for learning in embodied mixed-reality environments: Principles and results. In Proceedings of the 7th international conference on Games + Learning + Society Conference (GLS’11) (pp. 129–137).

  • Jonassen, D. H., & Rohrer-Murphy, L. (1999). Activity theory as a framework for designing constructivist learning environments. Educational Technology Research and Development, 47(1), 61–79. doi:10.1007/BF02299477.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, M. J., & Maher, M. L. (2008). The impact of tangible user interfaces on spatial cognition during collaborative design. Design Studies, 29(3), 222–253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kolb, D. A., Boyatzis, R. E., & Charalampos, M. (2001). Experiential learning theory: Previous research and new direction. Perspectives on thinking, learning, and cognitive styles (p. 216).

  • Kontra, C., Goldin-Meadow, S., & Beilock, S. L. (2012). Embodied learning across the life span. Topics in Cognitive Science, 4(4), 731–739. doi:10.1111/j.1756-8765.2012.01221.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kozma, R. B. (1994). Will media influence learning? Reframing the debate. Educational Technology Research and Development, 42(2), 7–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kress, G. (2010). Multimodality. A social semiotic approach to contemporary communication. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kynigos, C., Smyrnaiou, Z., & Roussou, M. (2010). Exploring rules and underlying concepts while engaged with collaborative full-body games. In Proceedings of the 9th international conference on interaction design and children—IDC’10 (p. 222). New York: ACM Press. doi:10.1145/1810543.1810576.

  • Lucht, M., & Steffi, H. (2013). Applying HOPSCOTCH as an exer-learning game in english lessons: Two exploratory studies. Educational Technology Research and Development, 61, 767–792. Retrieved from http://download.springer.com/static/pdf/736/art%253A10.1007%252Fs11423-013-9308-3.pdf?auth66=1385030919_d2e250cf1098acb01a5d6addac9dffca&ext=.pdf.

  • Lucignano, L., Cuendet, S., Schwendimann, B. A., Shirvani Boroujeni, M., Dehler, J., & Dillenbourg, P. (2014). My hands or my mouse: Comparing a tangible and graphical user interface using eye-tracking data. In Fablearn 2014 (No. EPFL-CONF-204226).

  • Malinverni, L., Lopez Silva, B., & Pares, N. (2012). Impact of embodied interaction on learning processes: Design and analysis of an educational application based on physical activity. In Proceedings of the 11th international conference on interaction design and children (IDC’12) (pp. 60–69).

  • Malinverni, L., & Pares, N. (2014). Learning of abstract concepts through full-body interaction: A systematic review. Educational Technology & Society, 17(4), 100–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malinverni, L., & Pares, N. (2015). The medium matters: The impact of full-body interaction on the socio-affective aspects of collaboration. In IDC’15 Proceedings of the 2015 conference on interaction design and children. ACM. doi:10.1145/2771839.2771849.

  • Markopoulos, P., Read, J., MacFarlane, S., & Höysniemi, J. (2008). Evaluating children’s interactive products. San Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muller, M. J., & Druin, A. (2003). Participatory design: The third space in HCI. In Human–computer interaction: Development process (Vol. 4235, pp. 1–70).

  • Nathan, M., & Robinson, C. (2001). Considerations of learning and learning research: Revisiting the “media effects” debate. Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 12(1), 69–88.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nesset, V., & Large, A. (2004). Children in the information technology design process: A review of theories and their applications. Library & Information Science Research, 26(2), 140–161. doi:10.1016/j.lisr.2003.12.002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nicol, D. J., & Macfarlane-Dick, D. (2006). Formative assessment and self-regulated learning: A model and seven principles of good feedback practice. Studies in Higher Education, 31(2), 199–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norman, D. (1988). The psychology of everyday things. Basic Books, Inc.

  • Overton, W. F. (2004). Embodied development: Ending the nativsim-empiricism debate. In C. Garcia Coll, E. Bearer, & R. Lerner (Eds.), Nature and nurture: The complex interplay of genetic and environmental influences on human behavior and development (pp. 201–223). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

  • Papert, S. (1980). Mindstorms: Children, computers, and powerful ideas. New York: Basic Books Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Price, S., & Jewitt, C. (2013). A multimodal approach to examining “embodiment” in tangible learning environments. In Proceedings of the 7th international conference on tangible, embedded and embodied interaction (TEI’13) (pp. 43–50).

  • Reeves, T. C., Herrington, J., & Oliver, R. (2005). Design research: A socially responsible approach to instructional technology research in higher education. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 16(2), 97–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reeves, T., & Okey, J. (1996). Alternative assessment for constructivist learning environments. Constructivist learning environments: Case studies in instructional design (pp. 191–202).

  • Revelle, G. (2013). Applying developmental theory and research to the creation of educational games. In Digital games: A context for cognitive development. New directions for child and adolescent development (pp. 31–40). doi:10.1002/cad.

  • Rogoff, B. (1990). Apprenticeship in thinking: Cognitive development in social context. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paolo, E. A. Di, Rohde, M., & Jaegher, H. De. (2007). Horizons for the enactive mind: Values, social interaction, and play horizons for the enactive mind: Values, social. Horizons (April).

  • Schaper, M., Malinverni, L., & Pares, N. (2014). Participatory design methods to define educational goals for full-body interaction. In Proceedings of the 11th conference on advances in computer entertainment technology (ACE’14) (p. 4). ACM. doi:10.1145/2663806.2663867.

  • Streeck, J., Goodwin, C., & LeBaron, C. (2011). Embodied interaction in the material world: An introduction. In Embodied interaction (pp. 1–26).

  • Wang, F., & Hannafin, M. J. (2005). Design-based research and technology-enhanced learning environments. Educational Technology Research and Development, 53(4), 5–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, M. (2002). Six views of embodied cognition. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 9(4), 625–36. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12613670.

  • Zuckerman, O., & Resnick, M. (2003). A physical interface for system dynamics simulation. In CHI’03 extended abstracts on human factors in computing systems (pp. 810–811). New York: ACM. doi:10.1145/765891.766005.

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Grant TIN2014-60599-P) to support the project. We also thank all the participants from local schools for their time and motivation during the participatory design workshop. We are also very grateful for the valuable information and materials on environmental education provided by experts from Fàbrica del Sol, Ecoserveis, Aula Ambiental de la Sagrada Família, Societat Catalana d‘Educació Ambiental (SCED) and Centre de Suport a la Innovació i la Recerca Educativa (CESIRE).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universitat Pompeu Fabra, c. Roc Boronat 138, 08018, Barcelona, Spain

    Laura Malinverni, Marie-Monique Schaper & Narcís Pares

Authors
  1. Laura Malinverni
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Marie-Monique Schaper
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Narcís Pares
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Laura Malinverni.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Malinverni, L., Schaper, MM. & Pares, N. An evaluation-driven design approach to develop learning environments based on full-body interaction. Education Tech Research Dev 64, 1337–1360 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-016-9468-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-016-9468-z

Keywords

  • Full-body interaction
  • Learning environments
  • Design-based research
  • Participatory design
  • Evaluation
  • Assessment