Selected research on the learning and performance of physical skills from a knowledge-based perspective provides the introduction for a discussion of the importance of practice in the developmental skill learning process. Recent evidence on the activity deficit hypothesis as well as knowledge-base differences as they relate to children with movement difficulties in physical activity settings provides the basis from which to present the developmental skill-learning gap hypothesis, which contends that as children with movement difficulties grow older, the skill-learning gap between them and their more physically proficient peers widens across instructional, practice, and competitive settings. Implications and suggestions for the learning and instruction of children with movement difficulties conclude the paper.
Our major purpose is to develop a more holistic model of the development of skilled action that can guide our research and practical efforts to help physically awkward persons enjoy the benefits of physical activity. Based on recent research in the areas of cognitive science and cognitive development, we suggest that motor development can be viewed as the acquisition of three major types of knowledge about action: procedural, declarative, and affective. A brief discussion of how each type of knowledge about action might develop is presented. The final section examines the complementary role of knowledge and consciousness in the acquisition of skilled action and the implications of the model for physically awkward children.
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