Characteristics of instructors who promote exercise adherence:

a qualitative analysis of pilates instructors

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the interactions of students with instructors who are successful in maintaining exercise adherence and those who are not, and to characterize the factors required for achieving successful exercise adherence. Three top-ranked pilates instructors (expert instructors) – in terms of the number of students who maintained exercise adherence – and 3 low-ranking instructors (novice instructors) in the same pilates studio were selected. Their interactions with the students were compared through detailed description using the conversation analysis method. It was found that the expert instructors differed from the novice instructors in that they demonstrated a pattern of correcting the students’ incorrect movements by exploring and changing the styles and types of instructions given at significant moments, and by providing positive feedback when students performed the correct movements. It was suggested that novice instructors might improve their students’ exercise adherence by increasing their knowledge of synonyms for technical terms and manipulation, and by developing the ability to give spontaneous, effective instructions using both speech and manipulation, even when teaching continuous movements.