MOTOR LEARNING AND LAWN BOWLS
Emma Davis - Year 12 Physical Education
FACTORS AFFECTING SKILL ACQUISITION
The learning process is affected by many variables, each affecting the learner in different ways. Consequently, the individual performer progresses through the stages of learning at different rates (Kiss, 2010). To reach my motor potential, it is imperative to understand what variables affect my learning. Common factors that affect motor learning process are ability to process information, gender, heredity, previous experience, physical characteristics, personality, motivation, confidence, self-esteem, fatigue, feedback, environment, age, maturity and type of practice (Amezdroz, 2010). Factors that have directly affected my learning this term are motivation, previous experience and feedback.
Motivation will directly impact the level of success that you ultimately achieve. If you are highly motivated to improve your performances, then you will put in the time and effort necessary to raise your game (Taylor, 2015). Motivation influenced my stage of skill learning and how I developed and progressed to the associative stage. In lawn bowls, when motivated I was able to easily focus on the accuracy of the delivery and perform at a higher standard. Previous experiences influenced my stage of skill learning dramatically. In 2015, the Year 11 Physical Education class studied lawn bowls and during that time I was a cognitive learner. Due to my prior knowledge in the sport I was able to focus on developing my skills rather than acquiring knowledge. This helped me to progress to the associative stage from the cognitive stage. Feedback has a major affect on how I developed as a lawn bowls player. The quality of instruction received from the teacher and coaches really influenced the way I progressed from the cognitive stage to the associative stage. The feedback received was a positive influence that encouraged and motivated me to continue to strive for better results in my game.