Pedagogical behaviors, feedback, and gaze patterns in novice and expert group fitness instructors.

Abstract

Visual attention is a fundamental component of instructional decision-making in group fitness contexts, as it supports instructors’ ongoing monitoring of participants’ performance and informs pedagogical intervention during class. Although previous research has independently examined fitness instructors’ pedagogical behavior, pedagogical feedback, and gaze patterns, little is known about how these dimensions interact in instructional settings. This study aimed to examine the associations between instructors’ gaze patterns, pedagogical behaviors, and pedagogical feedback during Aerobics classes, while comparing novice and expert group fitness instructors. Eight instructors aged between 21 and 42 years were classified according to professional experience as novice or expert. Pedagogical behavior was assessed using the Observation System of the Fitness Instructors Behavior – Group Activities (SOCIF-AG), and pedagogical feedback was analyzed through the Fitness Instructors Feedback Observation System (SOFIF). Gaze patterns were recorded with mobile eye-tracking technology, considering fixation count and fixation duration across total and specific areas of interest. The results showed that instructors’ visual attention profiles were associated with distinct patterns of pedagogical intervention. Novice instructors tended to adopt more reactive and execution-focused strategies, characterized by more localized gaze behavior and greater use of questioning and corrective forms of feedback. In contrast, expert instructors displayed broader and more strategically distributed visual attention, which was associated with demonstration, anticipatory instructional regulation, and more structured pedagogical feedback. These findings suggest that professional experience is reflected not only in observable instructional behavior, but also in how instructors visually explore, interpret, and respond to participants’ performance. From an applied perspective, the study highlights the integrative role of visual perception in pedagogical regulation during Aerobics instruction and reinforces the importance of perceptual-cognitive processes in the development of teaching expertise in group fitness settings.