From Clicking to Moving: Embodied Micro-Movements as a New Modality for Data Literacy Learning

TL;DR

This paper introduces Kinetiq, a system that uses full-body micro-movements to teach data literacy, making learning more engaging and physically active, with preliminary evidence of increased enjoyment and motivation.

Contribution

It presents a novel embodied movement paradigm for data literacy education, including a cross-platform app and initial empirical results showing enhanced affective engagement.

Findings

Participants reported higher enjoyment and motivation with Kinetiq.

Learning gains were comparable to traditional methods.

Embodied micro-movements enriched the affective experience of data learning.

Abstract

Widespread digital learning has expanded access to education but has resulted in highly sedentary, click-based interaction, contributing to digital fatigue, reduced cognitive flexibility, and health risks associated with prolonged passive screen time. Meanwhile, data literacy has become an essential competency in a data-driven society, yet it is typically taught through passive, disembodied interfaces that offer little physical engagement. We present Kinetiq (Kinetic+IQ), a novel system that integrates fun, full-body micro-movements directly into data and numeracy problem solving. Instead of selecting answers with a mouse, learners interact through natural gestures such as reaching, dodging, heading, elbowing, or knee-raising, thus turning abstract data problem-solving into embodied experiences that integrate thinking with movement. In a preliminary within-subjects study comparing Kinetiq with conventional platforms, participants reported significantly higher affective valence, enjoyment, engagement, and motivation, while maintaining comparable learning gains. We contribute: (1) a task-integrated movement paradigm for data learning, (2) a cross-platform web and mobile app system enabling full-body learning in constrained everyday spaces, and (3) preliminary empirical evidence that embodied micro-movements can enrich the affective experience of data literacy learning.