Traces of embodied teaching and learning: a review of empirical studies in higher education

Abstract

This systematic literature review provides an overview of existing empirical research on embodied teaching and learning in higher education. The review is based on a literature search in eleven databases resulting in 247 articles being included. These articles span a wide range of disciplines in higher education, with 66 articles situated in teacher education representing a significant proportion. By exploring the research shared in these articles and how the articles describe embodiment and the aspects of embodiment that they foreground, we are approaching research on embodied teaching and learning as a potential new research field. Our findings indicate that existing research primarily foregrounds cognitive and discursive aspects of embodiment, leaving its sensory, bodily and intersubjective aspects in the background. Research into embodied teaching and learning shows that it has the potential to become an interdisciplinary research field. However, this emerging field appears fragmented, with limited discussion and knowledge-building across publications.