Body Language in the Classroom: Effects of Gesturing

Body Language in the Classroom: Effects of GesturingThis study was designed to give some insights into how body language could interact with teaching. This study tested if active gesturing (pointing) had an effect on the amount of a story that was remembered and on how likable someone who is presenting the story was perceived as being. Male and female participants watched a female presenter read a short story projected on a screen while either pointing to key words or not pointing. Then they wrote down as much of the story as they could remember and rated the likeability of the presenter. There were no significant effects for memory but there was a significant interaction between sex and condition on likeability. Males liked the presenter more when she pointed than when she did not, but females liked her less when she pointed than when she did not