Community-Based Physical Fitness Service Learning: Student and Volunteer Perspectives

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article compares the post-activity perceptions of both the volunteer clients and student service providers in a community-based service learning project. Students served as either personal trainers or nutrition coaches for recruited clients during the final month of their respective classes. The clients were asked to rank different factors based on their relative impact on their motivation to adhere to their programs. The students were asked to rank the same factors based on how they thought their clients were impacted. Mann-Whitney U tests were run to determine if there were statistically significant differences (0.05 level) in the perceptions of students and clients regarding the relative impact of the factors. While the tests revealed no significant differences between the rankings of nutrition coaches and clients, personal trainers and clients differed significantly in the way they ranked certain factors. Implications for undergraduate professional preparation and/or certification of fitness professionals are discussed.