Eco-Embodied Pedagogy for Inclusive Learning In Elementary School – A Systematic Literature Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31851/hon.v9i2.22463Abstract
Achieving quality, inclusive education for elementary students with special needs remains constrained in practice, despite longstanding international commitments such as the 1994 Salamanca Statement. Physical education (PE) may be uniquely positioned to advance this goal because it is organized around bodily movement rather than verbal-symbolic instruction, offering a natural, comparatively equal setting for students with differing sensory, motor, and behavioral profiles. Yet the pedagogical function of movement itself is often treated as incidental to nature-based or technology-based interventions rather than as their central mechanism. This study addresses that gap by systematically reviewing eco-embodied pedagogy, the integration of movement-based (embodied) learning with nature-based (eco) learning, with explicit attention to how bodily movement functions as the core pedagogical mechanism supporting learning for students with special needs (SSN) in elementary school. A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was conducted following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, searching Scopus, ERIC, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Google Scholar, Garuda, and SINTA using three layers of search terms spanning general embodiment/nature-based concepts, disability- and intervention-specific terms, and physical-education-specific terms. Seventeen studies published between 2015 and 2025, spanning eight countries including Indonesia, met the inclusion criteria and were thematically synthesized. The findings show that movement functions as the core mechanism through which eco-embodied pedagogy supports sensorimotor and behavioral regulation, autism-specific engagement and well-being, and adapted physical education practice, while its benefits remain conditional on teacher preparedness rather than environmental access alone; Indonesian adapted physical education studies corroborate this pattern, identifying teacher competency, not infrastructure, as the primary implementation barrier. This review concludes that fundamental movement skills theory and embodied cognition theory converge to position eco-embodied pedagogy as a natural extension of adapted physical education, and recommends that PE curricula and teacher training in Indonesia explicitly adopt movement-centered, nature-integrated pedagogical strategies to strengthen inclusive elementary education.
References
Bradley, K., & Male, D. (2017). "Forest School is muddy and I like it": Perspectives of young children with autism spectrum disorders, their parents and educational professionals. Educational and Child Psychology, 34(2), 80–96. https://doi.org/10.53841/bpsecp.2017.34.2.80
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Di Palma, D., Gravino, G., Scala, G., Castellano, A., & Tafuri, G. (2023). Embodied education: Promoting school well-being through sports activities. Journal of Inclusive Methodology and Technology in Learning and Teaching, 3(4). https://doi.org/10.32043/jimtlt.v3i4.117
Forestry, S., Kristiyanto, A., & Legowo, E. (2019). Adaptive physical education for children with special needs at Lazuardi Kamila Elementary School. Journal of ICSAR, 3(2), 35–37. https://journal2.um.ac.id/index.php/icsar/article/view/6430
Friedman, S., Gibson, J., Jones, C., & Hughes, C. (2022). "A new adventure": A case study of autistic children at Forest School. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/14729679.2022.2115522
Gallahue, D. L., Ozmun, J. C., & Goodway, J. D. (2012). Understanding motor development: Infants, children, adolescents, adults (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Godwin, E., Jarvis, L., & Gattis, M. (2025). Making outdoor learning accessible and inclusive for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND): A case study. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/14729679.2025.2601844
Hussein, H. (2020). Design of sensory gardens for children with disabilities in the context of the United Kingdom. In M. Khan, S. Bell, & J. Woods (Eds.), Place, pedagogy and play: Participation, design and research with children. Routledge.
Johnson, M., & Lakoff, G. (2002). Why cognitive linguistics requires embodied realism. Cognitive Linguistics, 13(3), 245–263. https://doi.org/10.1515/cogl.2002.016
Johnson-Glenberg, M. C., Birchfield, D. A., Tolentino, L., & Koziupa, T. (2014). Collaborative embodied learning in mixed reality motion-capture environments: Two science studies. Journal of Educational Psychology, 106(1), 86–104. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034008
Kompas.com. (2024, April 2). Kemendikbud: 40.164 sekolah di Indonesia punya siswa disabilitas [Ministry of Education: 40,164 schools in Indonesia have students with disabilities]. https://www.kompas.com/edu/read/2024/04/02/160427971/kemendikbud-40164-sekolah-di-indonesia-punya-siswa-disabilitas
Kosmas, P., Ioannou, A., & Retalis, S. (2018). Moving bodies to moving minds: A study of the use of motion-based games in special education. TechTrends, 62(6), 594–601. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-018-0294-5
Kourakli, M., Altanis, I., Retalis, S., Boloudakis, M., Zbainos, D., & Antonopoulou, K. (2017). Towards the improvement of the cognitive, motoric and academic skills of students with special educational needs using Kinect learning games. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction, 11, 28–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcci.2016.10.009
Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1999). Philosophy in the flesh: The embodied mind and its challenge to Western thought. Basic Books.
Martínez-Monés, A., Villagrá-Sobrino, S., Fernández Faundez, E. M., & Jiménez Ruiz, M. (2020). Teachers' adoption of embodied learning digital games with an inclusive education approach: Lessons learnt from the INTELed project in Spain. In P. Zaphiris & A. Ioannou (Eds.), Learning and collaboration technologies. Human and technology ecosystems (HCII 2020, LNCS Vol. 12206, pp. 241–253). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50506-6_18
Meyer, A., Rose, D. H., & Gordon, D. (2014). Universal design for learning: Theory and practice. CAST Professional Publishing.
Natalini, A. (2024). Outdoor education, processes of inclusion of children with ADHD and learning disabilities. European Journal of Special Education Research, 10(1). https://oapub.org/edu/index.php/ejse/article/view/5385
Odame-Asante, E., Ani, C., & Mura, S. (2025). Nature-based learning and autism: A systematic review of autistic children's emotional health and behavioural outcomes. BJPsych Open. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2025.10207
Oktaviane, R. (2026). Readiness of inclusive elementary schools for the implementation of adaptive physical education learning. TEGAR: Journal of Teaching Physical Education in Elementary School, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.17509/tegar.v9i2.98954
Özdemir Sarıalioğlu, R., & Karal, Y. (2025). Embodied learning enhanced with technology in special education: A systematic literature review. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Buca Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, (63), 924–947. https://doi.org/10.53444/deubefd.1576072
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., … Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372, Article n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
Perla, L., Amati, I., Agrati, L. S., & Ascione, A. (2023). Technologies, sports and motor activities for an inclusive school. In M. Antona & C. Stephanidis (Eds.), Universal access in human-computer interaction (HCII 2023, LNCS Vol. 14021). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-35897-5_25
Pouya, S., Bayındır, E., & Pouya, S. (2024). Sensory garden design proposal for children with autism spectrum disorder. Support for Learning, 39(1), 44–57. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9604.12466
Saputra, S. Y., Fantiro, F. A., Herviani, V. K., Muzakki, A., & Akbar, R. F. (2024). Creative and adaptive sports learning model to increase participation of students with special needs. Research and Development in Education, 4(2), 1326–1335. https://doi.org/10.22219/raden.v4i2.36746
Szczytko, R., Carrier, S. J., & Stevenson, K. T. (2018). Impacts of outdoor environmental education on teacher reports of attention, behavior, and learning outcomes for students with emotional, cognitive, and behavioral disabilities. Frontiers in Education, 3, Article 46. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2018.00046
UNESCO. (1994). The Salamanca statement and framework for action on special needs education. UNESCO.
Varela, F. J., Thompson, E., & Rosch, E. (1991). The embodied mind: Cognitive science and human experience. MIT Press.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.
World Bank. (2024, February 8). How Indonesia is including students with disabilities in school in rural Indonesia. https://www.worldbank.org/in/news/feature/2024/02/08/how-indonesia-is-including-students-with-disabilities-in-school-in-rural-indonesia
Downloads
Additional Files
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Ayubi Cakradiwati, Erwin Rahmandita
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
1. License
Use of articles will be governed by the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike license as currently displayed on Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA)
The author warrants that the article is original, written by stated author(s), has not been published before, contains no unlawful statements, does not infringe the rights of others, is subject to copyright that is vested exclusively in the author and free of any third party rights, and that any necessary written permissions to quote from other sources have been obtained by the author(s).
Halaman Olahraga Nusantara's spirit is to disseminate articles published are as free as possible. Under the Creative Commons license, Halaman Olahraga Nusantara permits users to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work. Users will also need to attribute authors and Halaman Olahraga Nusantara on distributing works in the journal and other media of publications.
4. Rights of Authors
Authors retain all their rights to the published works, such as (but not limited to) the following rights;
1. Copyright and other proprietary rights relating to the article, such as patent rights,
2. The right to use the substance of the article in own future works, including lectures and books,
3. The right to reproduce the article for own purposes,
4. The right to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the article's published version (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal Halaman Olahraga Nusantara.
5. Co-Authorship
If the article was jointly prepared by more than one author, any authors submitting the manuscript warrants that he/she has been authorized by all co-authors to be agreed on this copyright and license notice (agreement) on their behalf, and agrees to inform his/her co-authors of the terms of this policy. Halaman Olahraga Nusantara will not be held liable for anything that may arise due to the author(s) internal dispute. Halaman Olahraga Nusantara will only communicate with the corresponding author.
6. Royalties
Being an open accessed journal and disseminating articles for free under the Creative Commons license term mentioned, author(s) aware that Halaman Olahraga Nusantara entitles the author(s) to no royalties or other fees.
