The Importance Of Learning In Physical Education

Physical education class provides a unique experience for students. It enables them to think, act and feel simultaneously while learning. In the course of learning, students are able to simulate movement patterns that are important in the process of skill acquisition and motor competence. While motor and sport skill competence is an important aspect of learning in physical education, the pervasive public health message reinforcing the necessity of enhanced physical activity for health has generally induced a curriculum based on fitness and health ideology in physical education (Liukkonen, Aweele, Vereijken, Alfermann, & Theodorakis, 2007). This has been done at the expense of developing movement abilities (Kirk & Tinning, 1994 in Liukkonen

Self-regulated learning is an active, self-directive process whereby students monitor, regulate, and control their cognition, motivation, affect, behavior, and environment to achieve their goals (Efklides, Niemivirta, & Yamauchi, 2002 in Kolovelonis et al, 2012). Self-regulated learners are meta-cognitively, motivationally, behaviorally active in their own learning process (Efklides, 2005; Zimmerman, 1989 in Kolovelonis et al, 2012). These are learners that focus on the learning process in order to achieve their personal goals. It has been proposed that the development of motor skills in physical education requires not only innate talent and a high level of instruction, but also the development of self-regulatory skills (Ommundsen & Lemyre, 2007 in Kolovelonis et al, 2012). The development of self-regulated learning of sport skills can be beneficial for students’ performance, as students who reach the self-regulation level can use and adopt the skill effectively in the changing conditions of a game (Zimmerman, 2000 in Kolovelonis et al,

At the self-regulation level students’ enjoyment of participating in a task for the sake of learning is a critical factor for maintaining an activity (Goudas, Dermitzaki, & Bagiatis, 2000 in Kolovelonis et al, 2012) and students’ motivational beliefs play a key role in the development of self-regulated learning (Zimmerman & Kitsantas, 2005 in Kolovelonis et al, 2012). Self-regulated learners set goals and track their own performance and outcomes. Outcome and performance goals are distinguishable because outcome goals are normatively referenced, whereas performance goals are self-referenced (Kingston & Wilson, 2009, p. 105 in Kolovelonis, Goudas & Dermitzaki, 2011) while process goals focus on skills and strategies that are integral to effective task