A reflective practice learning experience with higher education exercise physiology students

Abstract

Accredited exercise physiologists are higher education qualified health professionals who prescribe exercise as a preventative and treatment modality for individuals diagnosed with chronic conditions. Reflective practice is integral to the exercise physiology discipline, however its integration into curriculum requires further development and research. Utilising clinically based scenarios, final year students (N = 21), participated in a three-week reflective learning experience using the 6 step SPROUT acronym, represented as Situation, Past experiences, Read and refer, Other influences, Understanding and Taking it forward. Students completed the Reflection in Learning Scale (RLS) and responded to questions about confidence. Reflective scripts were reviewed, and clinical supervisors were interviewed. For the RLS, students scored higher on planning, knowledge integration and mental processing and lower for topic interactions, mindful summarising and coping with negative feelings. Students (75%) indicated that they were mostly or very confident in the use of reflective practice. Qualitative responses showed that using SPROUT did reinforce clinical learning. Time constraints and the separateness of higher education from the ‘real world’ were also points of view. Analysis of student scripts revealed a range of developing reflective ability. Supervisors focused on the importance of reflective practice and the contribution, that SPROUT had made to the overall experience.