BMC Medical Education (Jan 2024)

Investigating academic performance and perceptions of human physiology and exercise physiology courses among undergraduate students of physical education at a Brazilian public university

  • Mila Alves Matos Rodrigues,
  • Rizia Rocha Silva,
  • Douglas Assis Teles Santos,
  • João Victor Rosa de Freitas,
  • Paulo Gentil,
  • Carlos Alexandre Vieira,
  • Ana Cristina Silva Rebelo,
  • Marília Santos Andrade,
  • Mário Hebling Campos,
  • Gustavo de Conti Teixeira Costa,
  • Beat Knechtle,
  • Rodrigo Luiz Vancini,
  • Claudio Andre Barbosa de Lira

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05058-1
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 24, no. 1
pp. 1 – 6

Abstract

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Abstract Purpose To compare the academic performance of undergraduate students in physical education who studied exercise physiology before and after studying human physiology and investigate students’ perceptions of human physiology and exercise physiology courses. Methods This study included 311 undergraduate students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in physical education. Participants were divided into two groups: those who had previously attended and completed the human physiology course (group 1, n = 212, 68.2%) and those who had not previously attended or had attended but failed the human physiology course (group 2, n = 99, 31.8%). The prevalence ratio (PR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated using a Poisson regression model with a robust variance estimator. The second aim comprised 67 students with bachelor’s degrees in physical education who completed an electronic questionnaire about their perceptions of human physiology and exercise physiology curriculum. Results Compared with those who attended human physiology and passed, those who had not previously attended or had attended but failed the human physiology course have a higher PR of 2.37 (95% CI, 1.68–3.34) for failing exercise physiology. Regarding the students’ perceptions of human physiology and exercise physiology courses, most students reported that they were challenging (58.2% and 64.2%, respectively), but they also recognized the importance of these courses for professional practice (59.7% and 85.1%, respectively). Conclusion Human physiology should be considered a prerequisite for an undergraduate course leading to a bachelor’s degree in physical education. Furthermore, students considered human physiology and exercise physiology courses important yet challenging. Therefore, continuous student assessment is vital for improving the teaching–learning process.

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