ENHANCING REFLECTIVE CAPACITIES IN EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY: BRIDGING EDUCATION AND LIFELONG PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

Essential to both students and experienced exercise physiology practitioners, reflective practice is a cornerstone of lifelong learning and improved client care. In clinical settings reflection, characterised by awareness, is the critical analysis of experience and requires integration into higher education curriculum. Final-year exercise physiology students (N = 21) and 5 clinical exercise physiology supervisors completed a reflective practice learning activity. The stepped process of SPROUT was utilised, via classroom teaching and 14 weeks of clinical practicum. SPROUT represents the Situation, Past experiences, Read and refer, Other influences, Understanding, and Taking it forward. Teaching modes included group discussion, clinical situations, and student-led practice along with the completion of written reflections. Each student responded to the Reflection in Learning Scale (RLS) and further questions about their confidence. Written scripts were analysed for meaning and each ranked. Supervisors responded to open-ended questions during a focus group. Student scores for the RLS revealed higher scores for planning, knowledge integration and mental processing and lower for interactions with knowledge, mindful summarising and coping with negative emotions. 75% of students indicated that they were confident with reflective practice and that SPROUT, however time-consuming, had been helpful. Written scripts showed a range of developing abilities, from novice requiring more depth to those more advanced who demonstrated meaningful engagement and solution-orientated reflective ability. Clinical supervisors supported the importance of reflective practice and were positive about the application of the stepped approach of SPROUT. The SPROUT framework supported reflective practice learning, benefiting both students and qualified practitioners, facilitating not only increased confidence but also a more profound understanding of clinical encounters. The structured approach of SPROUT proved beneficial in guiding reflective thinking. This research underscores the importance of reflective practice in exercise physiology, endorsing its role in ongoing professional development.