What it Means to be a Learner and What it Means to Learn and Know in Movement Skill Learning

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to suggest perspectives on movement capability and movement skill learning that take into account the intrinsic, meaningful value of moving in terms of the experience of the mover as a learner and a knower. Two perspectives on movement capability and movement skill learning will be presented and discussed here: phenomenology and phenomenography, with a focus on phenomenography. Since some similarities between these two perspectives has raised questions and caused some confusion, this paper attempts to clarify, mainly through empirical examples, some significant similarities and differences. An overall difference is that phenomenology is concerned with the question “what does it mean to be a learner”?, while a central question for phenomenographic oriented research is instead: “what does it mean for learners to learn and know what is expected to be known?” Both approaches share an interest in acknowledging the perspective of the learner.