Exercise Science Research Articles

A Pilot Case-Study of Using Instructional and Demonstration Videos as a Supplementary Tool for Learning in an Exercise Science Course at a Minority-Serving Institution

A Pilot Case-Study of Using Instructional and Demonstration Videos as a Supplementary Tool for Learning in an Exercise Science Course at a Minority-Serving Institution

Where Are All the Female Participants in Sports and Exercise Medicine Research? A Decade Later.

In 2014, Costello and colleagues published a sentinel paper spotlighting the large disparity of female versus male representation within sports science and sports medicine (SSSM) research. To (1) revisit the method published by Costello et al a decade later to evaluate female representation and (2) ascertain whether study designs account for menstrual status. Systematic Review; Level of evidence, 4. All original and epidemiologic research of live human participants from the journals Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, British Journal of Sports Medicine, and the American Journal of Sports Medicine were included from January 2021 to August 2023. Number of male and female participants for each study was analyzed. A menstrual-status tiering system published by Smith et al was used to classify the consideration of female participants' menstrual status in study design. A total of 1441 studies and 40,152,860 participants were included in this analysis. This included 17,648,509 (43.95%) female participants. The mean proportion of female participants per study was 40.22%, and 103 (7.15%) studies included only female participants compared with 268 (18.6%) male-only studies. A total of 66 (5.6%) studies included menstrual-status considerations in their study design with 7.7 (0.7%) and 5.5 (0.5%) receiving a silver or gold classification, respectively, for design considerations. Our investigation into the representation of female athletes in SSSM research found an increase in female participation from 39% to 43.95% of total participants over the past decade. While the overall number of female participants rose in the years 2021 to 2023, there remains a significant disparity in female representation in SSSM research compared with male participants. Additionally, we found that the inclusion of menstrual status in study designs has been limited, with few studies considering this crucial variable.

Challenges and perspectives with understanding the concept of mental fatigue.

Mental fatigue is referred to as a psychophysiological or neurobiological state caused by prolonged periods of demanding cognitive activity. Sports and exercise science research have investigated the effects of experimentally induced mental fatigue on cognitive performance, with mixed results. It has been suggested that negative effects of mental fatigue on cognition performance in laboratory studies could translate to impaired sport performance. However, it remains unclear if impairments in sport performance are due to mental fatigue and how mental fatigue may differ from physical fatigue. Fatigue is well understood as a complex multifactorial construct involving interactions between physiological and neuropsychological responses across brain regions. It may be prudent for researchers to return to the origins of fatigue and cognition before attempting to connect mental fatigue and sport cognition. This article reviews the concept of mental fatigue, its mechanisms and neuroanatomical basis, models of cognition relevant to sports science, how mental fatigue may influence cognition, and suggests future research directions. Mental fatigue as a construct separate from fatigue could be an oversight that has hindered the development of our understanding of mental fatigue. Future sports science research could work to enhance our knowledge of our definitions of fatigue.

What do Canadian universities suggest on their webpages as future career and educational pathways following completion of a kinesiology or exercise science undergraduate program?

Kinesiology undergraduate programs are multidisciplinary, and graduates may navigate several post-graduate education and career pathways. This study summarized the pathways currently listed online by Canadian undergraduate programs following completion of a kinesiology or 'exercise science' degree. An environmental scan was completed by reviewing Canadian undergraduate program (n= 59) webpages and their list of future pathways (n=845). A content analysis summarized pathways into 46 common categories. The most mentioned pathway was education (n=60), with coaching, health promotion and physiotherapy next (n=46-48). Additional pathways included medical, allied health professions, business and exercise training (n=24-44). Most listed pathways likely require further training post-graduation.

Becoming Future Health Professionals: The Role of Experiential Learning on Exercise Science Students’ Pre-Professional Identity

Pre-Professional Identity (PPI) forms by internalizing professional skills, knowledge, and values of the intended future profession into one’s identity. This process enables individuals to act, think, and feel like professionals. Upon graduation, the majority of students in exercise science pursue careers in various health professions, and their undergraduate experiences significantly influence the formation of PPI. Future health professionals who develop a strong PPI are better equipped to navigate their professional careers with purpose and meaning, contributing to both stability and longevity in their profession. This study explores the impact of an experiential learning course on PPI formation among exercise science major students. Eleven students participated in this study and the data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews and reflection papers. Four key themes were identified in this study: Experiencing and Reflecting, Acting and Thinking Like a Professional, Feeling Like a Professional, and Constructing a Pre-Professional Identity as a Health Professional. Through experiential learning, followed by guided reflection, exercise science students were able to apply their knowledge and skills in real-world situations and embody professional values, influencing the development of PPI as future health professionals. This study provides insights into how experiential learning can shape the PPI of future health professionals. Also, this study highlights the importance of intentionally integrating various strategies that contribute to the formation of PPI among exercise science students.

Racial and Gender Differences in Factors Associated with Research Engagement and Research Mistrust in a Gait Analysis Study

ABSTRACT Introduction There is a history of research mistrust and lack of engagement in clinical research among Black people due to centuries of racism and medical neglect. However, it is critical that Black people are included in research, especially in gait analysis research, because we know there are racial differences in gait. Thus, the purpose of this study is to determine if Black research participants have the same attitudes toward research engagement and research mistrust as their White counterparts while participating in gait analysis research. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted. This work focuses on one portion of a larger study in which individuals were asked to complete two surveys related to research participation and mistrust and complete a gait assessment. Data were collected from 106 participants, 44 of whom identified as Black or African American. Wilcoxon rank sum and Kruskal–Wallis tests were used to determine if significant differences existed in responses by racial and racial–gender groups. Results Wilcoxon rank sum tests found that factors associated with research engagement and feelings of research mistrust differed significantly between Black and White research participants. Additionally, Kruskal–Wallis tests and Dunn tests found significant differences among the racial–gender groups, especially when comparing White men and Black women. Conclusion The findings show that in a gait analysis study, Black people have higher feelings of mistrust in medical research than White people and will likely be less willing to participate. These results could improve our understanding of why Black people are less likely to participate in research than White people, even in a gait analysis study. This work can provide insights into how to modify recruitment practices to increase participation of underrepresented groups in exercise science and biomechanics, such as racial concordance and promoting transparency.

Physiology Sport Approaches: The Role of Walking in Dopamine Stimulation for Transforming Habits and Mental Health

This study investigates the connection between dopamine stimulation, negative habit management, and mental health improvements through walking. Dopamine, a key neurotransmitter in the brain's reward system, plays a crucial role in motivation, self-control, and emotional regulation. This study aims to evaluate whether walking, as a form of altruistic behavior and social commitment, can stimulate dopamine release that promotes positive emotions, better self-regulation, and the reduction of negative habits. This descriptive quantitative study involved 250 respondents aged 20–50 who regularly walked 3 to 5 times per week. This study measured mental health parameters, including stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as negative habits, including overthinking and poor sleep patterns. The findings demonstrated significant improvements, including reductions in stress (-58%), anxiety (-53%), and depression (-54%), along with increases in happiness (+24%) and calmness (+20%). Behavioral changes were also observed, such as decreased overthinking (-45%) and poor sleep patterns (-46%), alongside enhancements in positive thinking (+27%), social awareness (+28%), and optimism (+29%). These changes suggest an increase in dopamine production associated with regular walking activities. This study highlights that walking is an accessible physical intervention that can enhance psychological well-being, reduce destructive behaviors, and strengthen dopamine-related neurobiological pathways. Additionally, this study contributes to positive psychology and exercise science by providing insights into the role of walking in supporting mental health and building personal resilience.

Effects of neuromuscular exercise plus Pain Science Education on Resting-state EEG, clinical, and psychosocial outcomes in knee osteoarthritis: a randomised controlled trial protocol

Objective To compare the effect of Neuromuscular Exercise (NME) plus Pain Science Education (PSE), Isolated NME, and usual care on brain function measured by electroencephalography (EEG), clinical, and psychosocial outcomes in patients with chronic pain due to knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Methods A three-arm randomised controlled trial will be conducted. Fifty-seven participants with KOA will be recruited in a 1:1:1 ratio. Outcome assessor, and statistician will be blinded to group allocation. One experimental group (n = 19) will receive NME plus PSE (24 sessions, 60-90 min each), the other experimental group (n = 19) will receive isolated NME (24 sessions, 60-90 min each) and the control group (n = 19) will continue with usual care. The PSE will be adapted to the context of the participants. Primary outcome measures will be brain activity, and secondary outcomes will be pressure pain threshold, pain intensity, disability, fear-avoidance beliefs, self-efficacy, and pain catastrophizing. Outcome measures will be evaluated pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, and four-month post-intervention. Conclusion The NME plus PSE intervention approach proposed in this trial could expand multimodal intervention strategies for patients with KOA. Impact NME plus PSE applied by a physical therapist could be essential in improving brain function, clinical, and psychosocial outcomes of patients with KOA. This could have a positive impact on the use of these therapeutic modalities from a multidimensional approach, and this combined protocol could potentially be a guide for health professionals.

The segmental-based approach during anatomy coursework presents better results than the systems-based approach.

Traditionally, there are two pedagogical approaches to teaching human anatomy. The first is the systems-based approach (study of body systems - bones, muscles, organs - separately) gross anatomy courses and the second is the segmental-based approach (study of body segments - upper and lower limbs and trunk - separately); both are highly recommended. However, to the best of our knowledge, less is known about academic performance comparing the two approaches. Thus, in this study, we evaluate undergraduate students' academic performance in human anatomy courses using systems- or segmental approaches, also, evaluate attendance, the impact of missing class on performance, the course evaluations (specific to the professor) and the student perceptions of the different coursework. The final grade and class attendance of 141 undergraduate students, from the sports and exercise science program, undertaking the anatomy course, were evaluated. Seventy students participated in the systems-based gross human anatomy approach (SYS), and 71 students participated in the segmental-based gross human anatomy approach (SEG). Students in SEG (median [interquartile range (IQR]: 7.3 [2.0]) performed better academically, with higher final grades (U = 1,804.5, p = 0.005; rB = 0.274 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.09-0.44]; medium effect) than SYS (median [IQR]: 6.6 [1.6]). SEG had higher class attendance (median [IQR]: 60 [8]) than SYS (median [IQR]: 60 [7]; U = 1,919.5, p = 0.015; rB = 0.228 [95%CI: 0.040-0.399]; small effect). Students in SEG rated the professor's performance more highly than SYS (U = 78.0, p = 0.001; rB = 0.616 [95%CI: 0.332-0.797]; large effect). The segmental-based gross human anatomy approach leads to better academic performance and higher attendance in the gross anatomy course than SYS.

Comment on: “Explosive is not a Term Defined in the International System of Units and Should not be Used to Describe Neuromuscular Performance”

We read with great interest the article “Explosive is not a Term Defined in the International System of Units and Should not be Used to Describe Neuromuscular Performance”, which aims to discuss the potential misuse of the term “explosive” in the sports science literature to describe neuromuscular performance. We would like to thank the authors for initiating this important discussion on the appropriate use of terminologies to describe human movement, particularly in the field of strength and conditioning. In fact, disagreement and debate are common to all scientific disciplines, including sport and exercise science, and serve to improve our understanding. This debate also provides an opportunity to clarify and specify the use of the term “explosive” in the scientific literature.

Wait a Minute? Uniting Physical Exercise and Data Science in Higher Learning

Purpose: This study explores the design and implementation of a novel Data Science course that integrates physical activity and physiological data collection. The course, scheduled twice weekly, combines a 30-minute physical exercise session with data collection activities focusing on metrics such as temperature, three separate heart rates, blood pressure, Functional Movement Screening (FMS), nutritional assessment using MyPlate.gov categories, urinalysis, and other metrics. The primary objective was to provide students with practical experience in data science by engaging them in real-time physiological data collection and analysis. Methods: This study involved a structured course format where students engaged in physical activities and recorded physiological data using standardized measurement tools and techniques. The course structure included instructional sessions on data science principles, data collection procedures, and statistical analysis. Students then applied their knowledge by undertaking a project that involved analyzing the collected data to address specific research questions or hypotheses related to physical health and performance. Each student presented their findings through a PowerPoint presentation, fostering peer review and collaborative learning. Results: Findings indicated that students successfully developed data science skills while gaining insights into the relationship between physical activity and physiological metrics. The projects revealed varied patterns and correlations, demonstrating the practical applicability of data science in health and fitness contexts. Discussion/Conclusions: The study highlights the effectiveness of integrating physical activity with data science education, enhancing both engagement and learning outcomes. The course equips students with technical skills while emphasizing the importance of holistic health data analysis.

Cumulative Evidence Synthesis and Consideration of “Research Waste” Using Bayesian Methods

In the present paper we demonstrate the application of methods for cumulative evidence synthesis including Bayesian meta-analysis, and exploration of questionable research practices such as publication bias or p-hacking, in the sport and exercise sciences for the evaluation of experimental interventions. The use of such methods can aid in study planning and avoid “research waste”. In demonstrating and discussing these methods we use the example of self-talk interventions and their effects upon sport/motor performance given a quantitative evidence synthesis has not been conducted on this topic, to the best of our knowledge, since 2011 when Hatzigeorgiadis et al. (2011) conducted their systematic review and meta-analysis. As such, this topic is ripe to use in demonstrating cumulative methods such as Bayesian updating. Therefore, our aim was to conduct an updated systematic review and Bayesian meta-analysis replicating the search, inclusion, and models of Hatzigeorgiadis et al. (2011) and demonstrate the application of cumulative evidence synthesis methods including; consideration of the initial probability that a new study of the effects of self-talk interventions would shift our prior belief in their effectiveness, the application of priors taken from the previous meta-analysis to be updated by new studies identified to a new posterior estimate of effect, and consideration of other possible sources of research waste from questionable research practices such as publication bias and p-hacking. Such methods as those demonstrated here, when used prospectively, can aid researchers in determining whether further research of a particular experimental intervention is in fact warranted. Considering the limited resources and time for conducting research we hope that highlighting the application of these methods might help researchers in the field to avoid research waste and more productively direct their research efforts.

Operative Treatment of Nonprimary Osteochondral Lesions of the Talus: A Systematic Review.

Nonprimary osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT) pose a significant challenge in orthopaedics, with no definitive consensus on optimal surgical treatment. To consolidate the most recent evidence on operative treatments for nonprimary OLT by assessing patient-reported outcomes (PROs), postoperative complications, and clinical failures. Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4. This review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 and PRISMA in Exercise, Rehabilitation, Sport medicine and Sports science guidelines. Searches were conducted in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases through June 2023. Eligible studies evaluated operative outcomes in skeletally mature patients with nonprimary OLT after failed previous surgeries. Primary outcomes included clinical and functional PROs. Secondary outcomes included postoperative complications and clinical failures. Quantitative analyses involved weighted means, mean differences, minimal clinically important differences, success rates (95% binomial proportion confidence interval), and a pre-to-postoperative meta-analysis. Out of 3992 identified records, 50 studies involving 806 ankles from 794 patients were included. All operative treatments significantly improved PROs (P < .05), except osteochondral allograft transplantation (OCA) for American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society and pain (visual analog scale/numeric rating scale [VAS/NRS]) scores and HemiCAP for pain (VAS/NRS) scores. Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) and osteochondral autologous transplantation (OAT) demonstrated the greatest PRO success rates, exceeding 80%. Postoperative complications occurred in 4% of cases, most frequently with HemiCAP. Clinical failures affected 22% of cases, particularly with autologous matrix-induced chondrogenesis, OAT, OCA, and HemiCAP. Our systematic review demonstrated that ACI and OAT are promising treatments for nonprimary OLT, with ACI showing fewer clinical failures than OAT. Conversely, OCA and HemiCAP exhibited lower effectiveness and higher clinical failure rates, suggesting a need for reassessment.

A016: Effects of HIIT Combined with IET on Cardiac Structure and Function in Women with NOW

Purpose: The development of a society with increasing unhealthy lifestyles and dietary habits leads to a rise in the population suffering from obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD). NWO individuals, who are hidden obese individuals, are also at a similar risk. This study aimed to compare the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and HIIT combined with intermittent energy restriction (IET) on cardiac structure and function and to explore more effective exercise intensities and methods to provide scientific exercise guidance to enhance vascular health and reduce CVD risk factors in NWO women. Method: Forty-five NWO women were randomly divided into a HIIT group, a HIIT combined IET group, and a control group. They completed a maximal oxygen uptake test and an isometric wall squat test to determine exercise intensity. The two-exercise group underwent an 8-week exercise intervention, with three sessions per week. The HIIT group alternated between exercise intensities at 85% and 50% of VO2max, with each intensity lasting for 1 minute, totaling 20 sets with a duration of 40 minutes. The HIIT combined with IET group performed 20 minutes of HIIT followed by 20 minutes of IET. The IET intensity was at 95% of maximal heart rate, each IET set involved 2 minutes of exercise with a 2-minute rest interval in between. Cardiac structure and function were measured before and after intervention and subjected to statistical analysis. Results: After the 8-week exercise intervention of HIIT or HIIT combined with IET, compared to before the intervention, significant improvements in interventricular septal thickness at diastole (IVSd) occurred in the HIIT group (P &lt; 0.01), while the HIIT combined with IET group showed significant improvements in interventricular septal thickness at shrink (IVSs, P &lt; 0.05). Moreover, the changes in IVSd and IVSs before and after the intervention were significantly greater in both exercise groups than in the control group (P &lt; 0.05). The improvement in SV in the HIIT combined with IET group was significantly greater than in the control group (P &lt; 0.05). Conclusion: After an 8-week exercise intervention, HIIT significantly improved IVSd in NWO women, while HIIT combined with IET significantly improved IVSs. Furthermore, the improvement in SV in the HIIT combined with IET group was greater. These results suggest that both HIIT and HIIT combined with IET can improve cardiac structure in NWO women after an 8-week intervention, and HIIT combined with IET is a more effective exercise modality for improving cardiac function.

Analysis of Research Trends in Exercise Science Using LDA Algorithm: Focusing on the Period from 2015 to 2024

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the research trends in exercise physiology over the past decade, ultimately providing new prospectives on the fields.METHODS: We targeted the titles of papers published on the official website of the Korean Society of Exercise Physiology between January 2015 and August 2024. In total, 367 articles were included. Among them, 98 articles had English titles and were analyzed after translation into Korean. The “Tokenization” process, which extracts noun words and “Stopwords” to eliminate unnecessary particles of articles, was executed. Subsequently, a common language was integrated, and terminology was standardized. The Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) model was used to determine the optimal number of topics.RESULTS: The 367 articles analyzed were named Topics 1 to 8 (Topic 1: Exercise performance, Topic 2: Exercise rehabilitation, Topic 3: Resistance exercise, Topic 4: Covid/Exercise, Topic 5: Elderly/Exercise, Topic 6: Elite/Exercise, Topic 7: Physical assessment, and Topic 8: Metabolic syndrome). After dividing the years into four phases, the proportions of each topic were determined by phase. Among Topics 1-8, the topics that indicated a significant change were Topic 3 (rho=-0.104, &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt;&lt;.038), Topic 7 (rho=-0.507, &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt;&lt;.000), and Topic 8 (rho=0.461, &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt;&lt;.000).CONCLUSIONS: Research trends over the last 10 years have shown that research topics have changed over time. The trend changes indicated a decrease in interest in physical assessments and a rapid increase in metabolic syndromes. This study highlights the need for health management studies in accordance with changes in the societal context, along with digital healthcare and wearable technology.

British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences abstracts

British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences abstracts

Self-Powered, Flexible, Wireless and Intelligent Human Health Management System Based on Natural Recyclable Materials.

Combining wearable sensors with modern technologies such as internet of things and big data to monitor or intervene in obesity-induced chronic diseases, such as obstructive sleep apnea, type II diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and Alzheimer's disease, is of great significance to the self-health management of human beings. This study designed a loofah-conducting graphite four friction layer enhanced triboelectric nanogenerator (LG-TENG) and developed a health management system for human motion recognition and early warning of sleep breathing abnormalities. By uniformly spraying and depositing conductive graphite on the surface of the loofah and the elastic film cross-interlocking bending structure design, the signal strength of the LG-TENG has been improved by 390%. The stable output signal is still maintained after 1500 s of continuous operation at a frequency of 2 Hz. LG-TENG can realize accurate motion analysis by muscle contraction state. Combining different deep learning models resulted in 98.1% accuracy in recognizing seven categories of displacement speeds for an individual and 96.46% accuracy in recognizing seven categories of displacement speeds for three individuals. In addition, the sleep breathing monitoring early warning system was developed by integrating Bluetooth wireless transmission and upper computer analysis technology. This system aims to analyze and provide real-time warnings for sleep-breathing abnormalities. This research promotes an innovation of TENG technology based on the advantages of natural materials, recyclability and low cost. It offers new ideas for self-health management and scientific exercise for obese people, showing a broad application prospect.

Evaluating Anatomy Learning of First-year University Students: A Pilot Study

Many students find anatomy concepts overwhelming and difficult to grasp, therefore, understanding how anatomy is learned, and the influences thereon is important to ensure academic performance. To evaluate student diversity and anatomy learning, this study presents a pilot study on how first-year students at the University of the Western Cape (South Africa) learn anatomy. A mixed-methods approach was implemented using a Google Form questionnaire. Data was obtained from 20 first-year anatomy undergraduate students in 2022. The findings revealed participants preferred face-to-face practicals (60%) and specimens (55%). Face-to-face practicals, teaching slides and 3D models were identified as effective learning measures, with 3D models showing significant differences across academic degrees. Students perceived greater benefits from face-to-face practicals, 3D models and specimens. Students strongly preferred the visual modality and spaced practice strategy. Differences in aural and writing modalities were observed across degrees, where BSc in Medical Bioscience and BSc in Sports and Exercise Science had higher scores, respectively. Learning barriers included content overload, loadshedding, and less student-lecturer interaction. Overall, face-to-face teaching with teaching slides remains important, with online methods playing a supplementary role. Further research on anatomy learning in different degrees and the impact thereof on academic performance is needed.

The landscape of undergraduate introduction to exercise science courses.

Introductory classes are often a student's first exposure to foundational knowledge, careers, and faculty in an academic major. The characteristics of introductory exercise science courses, as well as faculty impressions of course benefits and areas for improvement, were explored in this study. Electronic survey data from 181 universities around the United States were analyzed. A wide range of course content was reported. Institution type was related to the status of the faculty teaching the course, method of course delivery, class size, and class availability. The number of majors was related to faculty status, class availability, and class size. Specifically, private 4-year institutions were more likely to teach smaller, face-to-face classes. Introduction courses at R1, R2, and doctoral/professional institutions and programs with 300 or more majors were less likely to be taught by only tenured/tenure track faculty. Classes were more likely to be offered in various modalities as opposed to only face-to-face at community colleges, and programs with 300 or more majors were more likely to have classes with 50 or more students. Enrollment in the introductory course was more likely restricted to majors and minors at public 4-year schools and programs with 300 or more majors. Faculty perceived knowledge acquisition and relationship building as benefits of introductory classes for students and programs. The overarching themes for course improvement were modifying course content and characteristics of course delivery. Considering the varied course characteristics, we encourage faculty and administrators to be intentional when designing and implementing introductory exercise science courses.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Although introductory courses are important gateways to the exercise science major, there is a lack of consensus on content and delivery. Among institutions across the United States, introductory class size and mode of delivery varied, as well as who could enroll in and who taught the course. Course characteristics were related to institution type and major size. Relationship building and knowledge acquisition were perceived by faculty as key benefits of introductory classes for students and programs.

Exploring the value of PGRs who teach (PGWT) in supporting undergraduate students’ sense of belonging: A Student Staff Partnership Project

The aim of this research was to explore the impact of interactions between undergraduate students (‘students’) and the postgraduate researchers (‘PGWT’) who teach them, on students’ sense of belonging. Meaningful interactions between staff and students have been identified as a key aspect of students’ sense of belonging. The unique space that postgraduates who teach occupy- both student and teacher- is widely recognized in the literature and through this dual role PGWT can provide a valuable bridge between students and academic staff. Due to the nature of their teaching - which is typically small group teaching characterised by proximity and informality - opportunities can arise for discussion of matters from the wider student experience beyond the curriculum. Activity-oriented focus groups were conducted with module leaders, PGWT and their students in the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Hull to explore each groups’ perspectives, and the results were thematically analysed. Findings show that whilst students didn’t explicitly recognize or use the term ‘belonging’, through resonance, rapport and academic enrichment PGWT created environments which aligned with definitions of belonging, including building meaningful relationships, contributing to the student experience, and creating informal spaces where students discussed both learning and personal matters. PGWT were relatable, providing authentic examples and being role models. Our findings suggest that being a teacher enables PGWT themselves to feel part of, and that they belong in, the University community. This research adds to the literature on students’ perceptions of PGWT and provides recommendations for future practice.