Examining Professional Behaviors Assessment in Exercise Science Practicums: Student and Supervisor Perceptions

Background Exercise Science education traditionally emphasizes both technical ( hard skills ) and professional behaviors ( soft skills ), but assessing the latter consistently remains challenging. This project explored the implementation of a novel professional behaviors assessment process and examined how students and their practicum supervisors assessed students\u27 professional behaviors. Methods Data were collected from both students (n=22) and their site supervisors (n=22) using surveys consisting of 54 questions each, covering 12 professional behavior categories. Surveys were administered at mid-term and the end of the semester in Spring 2023, employing a 5-point Likert scale. Wilcoxon Signed Ranked tests were used to compare scores from students mid-term and final surveys and supervisors mid-term and final surveys, respectively. Results Students received consistently high ratings across all 12 professional behavior categories from both self-assessment and supervisor assessments, with no significant differences between mid-term and final survey results. All mean scores for each professional behavior category were between 1 (always exhibits the behavior) and 2 (mostly exhibits the behavior) for each category. Conclusions Exercise Science students consistently demonstrated exceptional proficiency across all 12 assessed professional behavior categories. There were no discernible improvements in these already high scores between the mid-term and final assessments, highlighting their impressive performance in these behaviors. This project yields valuable insights into exercise science students\u27 perceptions of an innovative assessment process for professional behaviors, as well as the feedback received from their supervisors. It significantly enriches the ongoing pedagogical endeavors aimed at students’ development of essential professional behaviors, often referred to as “soft skills”