“I Wish My Educational Program Gave Me More”: The Need for Inclusion and Social Justice in Kinesiology Curriculum

ABSTRACT

More than two-thirds of U.S. adults fall below recommended guidelines for physical activity (PA). One possible explanation for this is decreased feelings of self-efficacy and heightened discomfort in exercise settings among persons in special populations. Increasing social justice-based education and experiences is important for creating an inclusive and welcoming PA environment; however, pre-professional training rarely focuses on social justice, diversity, and inclusion within the PA realm. The purpose of this study was to explore the current competencies and deficiencies of students in kinesiology-related disciplines when working with individuals in special populations. Through mixed-methods survey data collection, 145 current Kinesiology/Exercise Science students across three institutions participated in this study. Students rated self-efficacy for working with special populations, identified frequency of use of culturally competent terminology, and responded to three qualitative case studies focusing on special populations (identified as weight-stigmatized individuals, mobility-limited individuals, and older adults). Results revealed students feel moderately confident working with special populations in PA settings, and that the majority of participants were familiar with cultural terms. Qualitatively, case study responses indicated that students are unable to identify implicit biases or critically analyze conflict-centric situations, and do not feel they possess the knowledge to intervene as a future provider working with special populations. Students also indicated much of the knowledge they have to feel comfortable working with special populations in PA settings did not come from Kinesiology courses. Future research aims to develop tangible social justice-based curriculum changes for kinesiology-related disciplines to enhance skills when working in special populations.

KEYWORDS:

• Kinesiology
• future providers
• physical activity
• social justice education
• cultural competence

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the students who participated in this study, as this information provides valuable insight for improving our curriculum.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

Data associated with this study may be made available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/24711616.2023.2168222

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Research Scholarship & Creative Activity Competition grant #000751-00001 from the California State University, Office of the Chancellor