Three Perspectives on Embodied Learning in Virtual Reality: Opportunities for Interaction Design

With the fast evolution of Virtual Reality (vr) technology, new prospects opened for embodied learning. Learners can now manipulate digital representations of abstract concepts and make sense of them through sensorimotor stimulation. However, in research, embodiment is explored from several perspectives, which, we argue, should be considered within a same framework. In this paper, we describe three major perspectives relevant for embodied learning in Virtual Reality (vr): embodied cognition, embodied interaction, and avatar embodiment. We organize these perspectives within one common interdisciplinary framework, and discuss resulting design opportunities for vr embodied learning interactions. Specifically, we show that embodied interaction does not necessarily support embodied cognition, and that breaking recommendations of avatar embodiment can actually support meaning-making. We believe our work offers novel avenues for future research and will foster interesting conversations in the hci community.