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HMS, BM 2013 HSC 26

Describe THREE characteristics of a learner that can influence his/her ability to learn a new skill.   (4 marks)

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Any THREE of the following:

  • Confidence refers to a learner’s belief in their ability to successfully perform a skill. High confidence encourages risk-taking and persistent practice, whilst low confidence may limit skill attempts and slow progression through learning stages.
  • Heredity involves inherited physical characteristics that influence performance potential. Factors like muscle fibre composition, somatotype, height and gender determine natural advantages for specific sports and create unchangeable performance ceilings that cannot be exceeded through training.
  • Ability encompasses how easily an individual learns, processes and implements new skills. This includes sense acuity, perception, reaction time and intelligence, which combine to enable rapid skill acquisition and successful refinement of movement patterns.
  • Personality develops from social interactions and learning experiences throughout life. Positive traits like motivation, dedication, cooperativeness and receptiveness to instruction create favourable learning environments that accelerate skill development and performance improvement in chosen activities.
  • Prior experience involves previous exposure to similar movement patterns or sports participation. Athletes with related experience can transfer existing skills to new situations, accelerating learning through familiar movement foundations and reducing time required for skill acquisition.
Show Worked Solution

Any THREE of the following:

  • Confidence refers to a learner’s belief in their ability to successfully perform a skill. High confidence encourages risk-taking and persistent practice, whilst low confidence may limit skill attempts and slow progression through learning stages.
  • Heredity involves inherited physical characteristics that influence performance potential. Factors like muscle fibre composition, somatotype, height and gender determine natural advantages for specific sports and create unchangeable performance ceilings that cannot be exceeded through training.
  • Ability encompasses how easily an individual learns, processes and implements new skills. This includes sense acuity, perception, reaction time and intelligence, which combine to enable rapid skill acquisition and successful refinement of movement patterns.
  • Personality develops from social interactions and learning experiences throughout life. Positive traits like motivation, dedication, cooperativeness and receptiveness to instruction create favourable learning environments that accelerate skill development and performance improvement in chosen activities.
  • Prior experience involves previous exposure to similar movement patterns or sports participation. Athletes with related experience can transfer existing skills to new situations, accelerating learning through familiar movement foundations and reducing time required for skill acquisition.

HMS, BM 2019 HSC 24

How can characteristics of the learner influence skill acquisition? Use examples to support your answer.   (5 marks)

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  • Prior experience accelerates skill acquisition through transfer of existing movement patterns. This occurs because familiar skills provide a foundation for learning new movements. For example, a netball player learning basketball benefits from existing passing and catching abilities.
  • Confidence levels determine learning progression rates. When athletes have high self-confidence, they attempt new skills more readily. This leads to faster movement through cognitive and associative learning stages. Conversely, low confidence results in hesitation and slower skill development.
  • Physical characteristics influence learning capacity and skill execution. For instance, height advantages in basketball enable easier shot blocking and rebounding acquisition. Natural flexibility allows gymnasts to master complex movements more rapidly than less flexible athletes.
  • Motivation drives practice intensity and persistence during challenging learning phases. Highly motivated learners maintain effort when facing difficulties. This creates more practice opportunities, resulting in accelerated skill development and technique refinement.
  • Age affects learning speed and retention capacity. Younger learners typically acquire motor skills faster due to neuroplasticity. However, older athletes compensate through experience and tactical understanding.

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  • Prior experience accelerates skill acquisition through transfer of existing movement patterns. This occurs because familiar skills provide a foundation for learning new movements. For example, a netball player learning basketball benefits from existing passing and catching abilities.
  • Confidence levels determine learning progression rates. When athletes have high self-confidence, they attempt new skills more readily. This leads to faster movement through cognitive and associative learning stages. Conversely, low confidence results in hesitation and slower skill development.
  • Physical characteristics influence learning capacity and skill execution. For instance, height advantages in basketball enable easier shot blocking and rebounding acquisition. Natural flexibility allows gymnasts to master complex movements more rapidly than less flexible athletes.
  • Motivation drives practice intensity and persistence during challenging learning phases. Highly motivated learners maintain effort when facing difficulties. This creates more practice opportunities, resulting in accelerated skill development and technique refinement.
  • Age affects learning speed and retention capacity. Younger learners typically acquire motor skills faster due to neuroplasticity. However, older athletes compensate through experience and tactical understanding.

♦♦ Mean mark 50%.

HMS, BM EQ-Bank 535

Describe how a coach should modify teaching approaches to accommodate learners with different levels of confidence in volleyball.   (5 marks)

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Sample Answer

  • For low-confidence learners, the coach should implement gradual skill progressions with modified equipment such as lighter balls or lower nets to ensure early success experiences that build self-belief.
  • The coach should adjust feedback styles, providing more frequent positive reinforcement for less confident athletes while offering more direct technical feedback to highly confident learners.
  • Practice activities should be structured to ensure appropriate challenge levels, with less confident learners facing achievable challenges before progressing to more complex situations.
  • Teaching approaches should emphasise process goals rather than outcome goals for less confident learners, focusing on technique execution rather than competitive success.
  • The coach should create supportive learning environments where mistakes are framed as learning opportunities, particularly important for developing confidence in hesitant learners.
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Sample Answer 

  • For low-confidence learners, the coach should implement gradual skill progressions with modified equipment such as lighter balls or lower nets to ensure early success experiences that build self-belief.
  • The coach should adjust feedback styles, providing more frequent positive reinforcement for less confident athletes while offering more direct technical feedback to highly confident learners.
  • Practice activities should be structured to ensure appropriate challenge levels, with less confident learners facing achievable challenges before progressing to more complex situations.
  • Teaching approaches should emphasise process goals rather than outcome goals for less confident learners, focusing on technique execution rather than competitive success.
  • The coach should create supportive learning environments where mistakes are framed as learning opportunities, particularly important for developing confidence in hesitant learners.

HMS, BM EQ-Bank 532

Describe how confidence influences skill acquisition in a novice swimmer.   (3 marks)

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Sample Answer

  • A confident novice swimmer is more likely to attempt new skills like submersion or floating without fear, creating more learning opportunities and practice repetitions.
  • Confidence enables the swimmer to focus on technique rather than anxiety, allowing them to process coaching instructions more effectively and make technical corrections.
  • Early success builds a positive self-image, creating a cycle where confidence leads to greater effort and persistence through challenges, accelerating the learning process when difficulties are encountered.
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Sample Answer 

  • A confident novice swimmer is more likely to attempt new skills like submersion or floating without fear, creating more learning opportunities and practice repetitions.
  • Confidence enables the swimmer to focus on technique rather than anxiety, allowing them to process coaching instructions more effectively and make technical corrections.
  • Early success builds a positive self-image, creating a cycle where confidence leads to greater effort and persistence through challenges, accelerating the learning process when difficulties are encountered.