Ecological Dynamics, Physical Literacy, And Game-Based Learning: An Integrated Theoretical Framework For Movement, Cognition, And Decision-Making Across Educational And Sport Contexts

Abstract

The study of human learning, movement, and decision-making has increasingly shifted toward ecological, systems-oriented perspectives that emphasize interaction, adaptation, and context sensitivity. Across domains as diverse as physical education, sport pedagogy, motor development, cognitive psychology, and game-based learning, scholars have challenged reductionist and linear models of skill acquisition in favor of approaches that conceptualize learners as embedded within dynamic environments. Drawing exclusively on the theoretical and empirical foundations provided by the referenced literature, this article develops a comprehensive, integrative framework that unites ecological dynamics, physical literacy, motor coordination theory, and game-based learning into a coherent model of embodied learning. The central argument advanced is that movement competence, cognitive regulation, motivation, and decision-making emerge from reciprocal interactions among individual, task, and environmental constraints, and that these interactions can be deliberately designed through pedagogical and game-based interventions to promote adaptive learning outcomes.

The article synthesizes seminal constraint-based theories of coordination (Newell, 1986), contemporary ecological dynamics research in sport and physical education (Davids and colleagues; Renshaw & Chow, 2019), and the growing physical literacy discourse (Rudd, 2021; O’Sullivan et al., 2020). It further integrates research on executive function, self-regulation, and early academic achievement linked to movement-based tasks (McClelland et al., 2014; Rudd et al., 2019), demonstrating how embodied activity serves as a critical substrate for cognitive development. Complementing this perspective, literature on game-based and problem-based learning (Malone, 1981; Kiili, 2007; Lawson, 2003) is examined to show how well-designed games function as ecological learning environments that afford exploration, intrinsic motivation, and systems thinking.

Methodologically, the article adopts a conceptual synthesis and theory-building approach, drawing descriptive and analytical insights from validated assessment tools such as the Game Performance Assessment Instrument (Oslin et al., 1998), network analysis in team sports (Passos et al., 2011), and landscape-based decision-support gaming models (Jankowski et al., 2006). The results of this synthesis are presented as a detailed explanatory account of how learning emerges across physical, cognitive, and social domains when constraints are strategically manipulated. The discussion critically examines implications for pedagogy, curriculum design, assessment, and future interdisciplinary research, while also addressing theoretical tensions and practical limitations. The article concludes by arguing that ecological dynamics and game-based learning together provide a powerful, unifying paradigm for understanding and enhancing human learning across the lifespan.