Cultural Capital Skill Development in Undergraduate Kinesiology Curriculum

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology Volume 6: Issue 1, Article 2, 2025. Specialization within Kinesiology and related fields over the past 20 years has led to the prioritization of technical skill development. This specialization leaves limited availability of resources for the development of Cultural Capital (CC) skills in undergraduate kinesiology and kinesiology-related curricula. The purpose of this study was to examine how seven Experiential Learning Activities (ELAs) influence CC skill development in an undergraduate kinesiology practicum course. An interpretive qualitative action research design was applied to investigate five senior undergraduate kinesiology students’ experiences. The study concluded: (a) six of the seven ELAs improved CC skills specific to kinesiology-related professions (KRPs) including adaptable communication, active listening, interpersonal relationship skills, confidence, and self-awareness in all five participants; (b) reviewed literature confirms said skills are regarded as valuable CC skills in KRPs. Therefore, the use of ELAs should be considered as a tool to help prepare students for professional opportunities and success; (c) due to the value placed on CC skills in KRPs, the ELAs have utility in kinesiology curriculum. Based on these conclusions, five recommendations are made in the areas of practice, future research, and theory: (a) Courses focusing on kinesiology-related experiences such as internships and practicums may not solely lead to CC skill development and should; therefore consider the inclusion of ELAs to further foster such development; (b) the inclusion of mentors and consistent access to kinesiology-related professionals can provide helpful guidance throughout such activities; (c) future researchers should consider examining the same or similar ELAs in kinesiology-related courses with larger enrollment sizes; (d) kinesiology-related educators may consider only using a select number of the ELAs instead of all seven; (e) this action research should be replicated using the CC framework in different kinesiology-related settings such as physical therapy, and/or athletic training environments