Embodied Learning as a Catalyst for Developing Learners’ Communicative Competence in the Digital Age

The paper argues that the digital turn in education has led to the gradual disembodiment of learning, which is particularly problematic for developing communicative competence in EFL. While communication is inherently multimodal, embodied, and socially situated, digitally mediated instruction often neglects bodily, spatial, and emotional dimensions of meaning-making. Drawing on the 4E cognition framework (Embodied, Embedded, Extended, Enactive), the author proposes the concept of Embodied Communicative Competence (ECC) — the ability to construct and negotiate meaning through the integrated use of linguistic, bodily, sensory, and emotional resources in contextually situated interaction. The paper outlines key mechanisms through which embodied learning enhances communicative competence (sensorimotor grounding, multimodal meaning construction, interactional authenticity, and affective engagement) and classifies embodied learning activities according to physical engagement, modal composition, and technology-enhanced embodiment (including VR/AR and gamification). It concludes that embodied learning should not replace digital technologies but complement them, creating a more holistic, dynamic, and meaningful educational experience.