Exploring Sound Use in Embodied Interaction to Facilitate Learning in a Digital Environment

Sound has been intensively used to facilitate learning in education since the expansion of computer technology in the 1970s. Yet the primary focus of sound has been paid to using audio to replace text or to supplement graphics in multimedia instructions. Nonverbal sound, as one of the critical information sources in daily life, is largely overlooked in learning environments. This experimental study investigated how integrating nonverbal sound in embodied interaction affected learning in a digital environment. A language learning website was designed to host the interactive learning activity where nonverbal sound was used to guide learners’ actions during the character writing activity. A total of 140 undergraduate students participated in the experiment. The finding suggested that using nonverbal sound to facilitate embodied interactions led to a better interactive experience and higher intrinsic motivation.