Appreciating the Complexity of Learning in Physical Education: The Utilization of a Metacognitive Ability Conceptual Framework

It is argued that the concept of metacognitive ability may play an important role in appreciating pupils' learning processes in physical education. With this in mind, the authors have presented a metacognitive ability conceptual framework involving metacognitive knowledge, metacognitive strategies and metacognitive experiences. In applying this framework to the development of pupils' metacognitive ability, principles have been offered and examples of infusion or embedded teaching approaches have been considered. Such a framework may explain some of the problems faced by pupils in the learning environment, and may provide a rich area for further exploration.