University training of the basic kinesiologist

Abstract

Background: For the title of basic kinesiologist, a bachelor's degree in Exercise and sports science (L-22) is necessary, as stated the recent legislative innovations. This legislative innovation required an academic study of training programs to analyze the state of the art and eventually suggest changes regarding this new professional profile. Specifically, the problem was that the criteria that determined the distribution of European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) in the three areas of the essential scientific-disciplinary fields, such as physical activity-sports, biomedical and psycho-pedagogical, were unknown. Purpose: The aim was to verify the presence of a relationship between the distribution of ECTS in the three essential fields in L-22 courses. Method: The survey was document-based, using the Universitaly portal, a platform that allows for all the data of undergraduate and higher education courses in Italy. Data were collected on the ECTS present in the three essential fields in L-22 courses in the year 2023, for a total of 43 study courses. A multiple linear regression was performed to predict the value of a variable based on the value of two or more independent variables. Results: The result was statistically significant (P<.05) when the dependent variable was the ECTS related to the biomedical field. The psycho-educational and physical activity-sports fields significantly predicted the ECTS of the biomedical one. Therefore, the training courses seemed to be established based on a criterion. Conclusions: In designing the L-22 curriculum, the distribution of ECTS was not due to chance, but was dependent on the biomedical field, inconsistent with the professional figure of the basic kinesiologist. Therefore, there is a need to redesign the L-22 curricula to make the training more focused on physical activity-sports field.