Issues in Education, Professional Training, and Development in the Sport and Exercise Sciences and Allied Disciplines

As a mechanism to facilitate experiential learning, reflective practice has been widely integrated into many education and training programmes in the Sport and Exercise Sciences (SES) and Allied Disciplines (AD). However, the extent of this integration, and the value placed on learners and trainees developing the skills and attitudes required to reflect on their practice in a way that elicits personal and professional growth, is, in some cases, questionable. In this chapter, we attempt to raise into consciousness several issues that could arguably be affecting trainee practitioners’ reflective practices and thus potentially impeding their development as safe, competent, and effective professionals. First, we locate the importance of reflective practice for learners and trainees, irrespective of SES and AD pathway, by discussing the complexity that is inherent within applied service delivery. Further, we discuss issues associated with the quality of learners’/trainees’ engagement with reflective practice, the use of reflection as a form of assessment on education and training pathways, and the need to support the development of individual’s abilities to engage in critical reflective practice. Finally, we present a series of opportunities for all stakeholders in the education and training process for encouraging the development of reflective practitioners.