Abstract
Despite the prominence of swimming in Australia and the large numbers of children participating in it, no previous research has been conducted on what the implications of this might be for their social development. Indeed, there is a lack of empirical research conducted on the personal, moral, and social learning that arises from children’s participation in sport. Building on research conducted on learning and the formation of identity in an Australian surf club (Light, 2006), this article contributes toward redressing this oversight by drawing on a 3-month ethnographic study conducted on a swimming club in Sydney, Australia. Focused on children aged 9 to 12 years of age, it explores the range of social, personal, and cultural development that occurs through their participation in the practices of the club. Drawing on Lave and Wenger’s (1991) analytic concepts of situated learning and communities of practice, it suggests that a range of important social learning, enculturation, and the development of identity arises from participation in the practices of the swimming club.
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