Exploring the meaning of movement according to pre-service teachers’ acquisition of exercise skills

Purpose: This study focused on exploring the meaning of movement by analyzing the experienceof how pre-service teachers accept and understand movement in the process of learning exercise skills. In addition, the purpose was to rediscover the essential value of Physical Education based on the understanding of movement. Methods: To achieve this, three elementary pre-service teachers who participated in Physical Education and practical classes were selected as research participants. Data were collected through reflective journals submitted by the research participants after performing exercise skills for 15 weeks, individualin-depth interviews, and personal research journals of the researchers. The collected data were analyzed through inductive category analysis. Results: As a result, the research participants experienced the “perceived body”, the “controlled body”, “physical movement”, and “physical emotion” during the process of learning exercise skills. Conclusion: These experiences were divided into the “body as an object” and the “body as a subject”, which were not opposing but coexisting concepts with common denominators. These research resultswill be useful as a reference for expanding the discussion on the essential value of Physical Educationin understanding movement.