From body to language: the 4Ps-R model as an embodied framework fornregulatory readiness in early L2 pedagogy

Second language (L2) teaching in primary education often relies on instructional frameworks such as Presentation–Practice–Production (PPP), which implicitly assume that young learners already possess the cognitive and self-regulatory capacities required to process linguistic input effectively. However, developmental and neuroscientific research highlights substantial variability in executive functions, including attentional control and working memory, thereby challenging this assumption. This article proposes the 4Ps-R model (Prep- aration, Presentation, Practice, and Production) as a theoretical extension of PPP. The model introduces an explicit preparation phase grounded in regulatory embodiment and structured uses of rhythm, posture, and attentional scaffolding, aimed at establishing the necessary conditions for language processing. It distinguishes between representational embodiment, in which the body supports semantic encoding, and regulatory embodiment, in which bodily activity stabilizes the attentional and executive conditions that precede learning. Learner readiness is therefore reconceptualized not as a fixed prerequisite, but as a pedagogically constructed state. The 4Ps-R model currently informs the didactic intervention developed within the ongoing mixed-method pilot study Lingua e movimento nella scuola primaria, which explores the integration of L2 learning and ballet training in primary education. The article discusses the theoretical foundations of the model and its implications for instructional design, teacher education, and future empirical research in early L2 pedagogy.