More than a Black Belt: Embodied learning in Taekwondo women
Open Access
- Author:
- Cholet, Valerie
- Graduate Program:
- Adult Education
- Degree:
- Doctor of Education
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- August 27, 2020
- Committee Members:
- Elizabeth Jean Tisdell, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Elizabeth Jean Tisdell, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Robin Redmon Wright, Committee Member
Karin M Sprow-Forte, Committee Member
Glen Alan Mazis, Outside Member
Elizabeth Jean Tisdell, Program Head/Chair - Keywords:
- Embodied learning
kinesiology
physical feminism
Taekwondo
critical feminism - Abstract:
- The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine how women make meaning of the embodied learning experience of earning a Black Belt in Taekwondo. The study is grounded in two-intersecting theoretical frameworks: embodied learning (in light of Merleau-Ponty’s philosophy of the body); and critical feminist theory, highlighting the participants’ experiences as women participating in the martial arts sport of Taekwondo. Like the six participants in the study, the researcher also has earned a black belt in Taekwondo. Hence the design of the study combined an autoethnographic approach, integrating the researcher’s experience earning a black belt in conjunction with narrative inquiry to examine the six participants’ stories. Data collection for narrative analysis was collected through semi-structured individual interviews, focus groups, a video elicitation exercise, and researcher field notes. Additionally, participants were encouraged to share personal artifacts in the form of symbols representing their Black Belt journey including an essay written just prior to testing for their black belt. Participant stories were written from these data. In addition a modified constant comparative analysis of data analysis across participants’ stories revealed three themes of findings: a shift in an embodied identity that translated to a new way of being in the world; greater consciousness of embodied learning through reflection and the significance of accessing embodied learning through physical activity; and the sense of feeling powerful as a woman. The study concludes with a discussion of the findings as they relate to the research questions, utilizing embodied learning theory and a critical feminist analysis.