Hand gestures may help students in certain school subjects, psychologists say

By Staff Writer

Millions of American teens drop out of high school every year, leaving parents and educators with a perplexing question: What can be done to help these students succeed?

Although many advocates have emphasized the need for drastic education reform and stronger dropout prevention initiatives, a new study reveals that students' physical behaviors may help them thrive in certain subjects such as physics and art. A team of psychologists found that individuals who talk with their hands - or use hand gestures when trying to solve complex spacial visualization problems - improve their chances of performing well on assignments.

The study, which appears in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, is based on three experiments that measured student achievement. The researchers found that scholars who were encouraged to use hand gestures to solve a problem were more likely to succeed than those who were not given instructions or who were prohibited from using their hand movements to solve a problem.

The psychologists determined that hand gestures may improve students' ability to grasp spacial visualization, which is an important part of many fields of science, math, engineering and art.

Problem teens who do underachieve academically may benefit from the structure and discipline that are enforced at boarding schools.