Vibration Tactile Foreign Language Learning: The Possibility of Embodied Instructional Media

On the basis of two premises and embodied cognition theory, the vibration tactile learning is proposed as an effective method for foreign language learning. The premises are: the real nature of language is sound and the source of sound is vibration. According to embodied cognition theory, cognition is inherently connected to bodily sensation rather than metaphysical and independent. As a result, the vibration tactile learning is: people are able to learn foreign language better by listening to sound and experiencing its vibration through touch rather than solely listening to sound. The effectiveness of vibration tactile learning is tested with two instructional media theories: media comparison and media attribute. For the comparison, an experiment is conducted with control and experimental groups. The attributes of vibration tactile media are investigated in points of relationships with the learning process. The experiment results indicate a small effect on the increased mean score. Three kinds of relationships are found between the media attribute and learning process: enforced stimulus, facilitated pronunciation, and assimilation of resonance to sound patterns through touch. Finally, this paper proposes a new theoretical development for instructional media research: an embodied cognition based media research and development.