Sport teams have been studied in many different ways, however very little research has focused on how learning to become an athlete takes place in a team. Recent research in the fields of business and education have examined the learning process among naturally forming groups called "communities of practice" (Lave & Wenger, 1991). The notion of communities of practice constitutes the major element of Wenger's (1998b) social theory of learning. Some authors have described sport teams as a good example of a community of practice. Based on these comments, this study employed a qualitative methodology to look at the learning process that takes place through the interaction of the members of a team. Twenty-four female varsity athletes were interviewed regarding their participation in varsity level sports. The athletes were asked about their progression from being a newcomer (rookie) to their present status on the team. In particular, participants were asked how they learned to fit into the team and how they interacted with other players and the coach during this process. The results of the study are presented through two articles examining individual aspects of the athlete community of practice. Article #1 examines the role of tacit knowledge in becoming a varsity athlete. Article #2 looks at how newcomers to a varsity sports team move from the status of newcomer or legitimate peripheral participant, toward full participation (old-timer) in their community of practice.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uottawa.ca/oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/6145 |
| Date | January 2002 |
| Creators | Galipeau, James L. |
| Contributors | Trudel, Pierre, |
| Publisher | University of Ottawa (Canada) |
| Source Sets | Université d’Ottawa |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 87 p. |
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