Blurring boundaries between humans and technology: postdigital, postphenomenology and actor-network theory in qualitative research

This paper provides an introduction to the Special Issue on Digital Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health. The aim is to spur qualitative researchers to new ways of thinking, new ways of doing, and new ways of representing with the ultimate goal of supporting new ways of knowing, through the lens of digital technologies. First, digital qualitative research is defined and articulated as research that engages in qualitative inquiry and meaning making through digital content, digital contexts and/or digital practices. In using this definition, an analysis of the articles published in sport, exercise and health reveal that most research to date has primarily focused on technology as method, the impacts of technologies on participants, technology as an empirical finding, and/or technology as a medium to represent research findings. Accordingly, and with the intent of advancing digital qualitative research in sport, exercise and health, the concept of practice architectures is used as a heuristic device to articulate the cultural, social and material conditions that potentially support or constrain current and potential future research. Embedded in this discussion, is an overview of the papers in this Special Issue. Overall, these papers showcase the most innovative and world-leading digital qualitative research in sport, exercise and health to date, and provide inspiration and direction for moving forward. The papers use established qualitative concepts, theories and methodologies, offer challenges to existing frameworks, and illustrate contemporary understandings of sport, exercise and health through digital mediums.

Despite the rise of digital methodologies in qualitative health and sports research (Goodyear & Bundon, 2020), there remains a gap in the usage of online methods in parasport populations. People with disabilities are often underrepresented in research as they are a traditionally hard-to-reach population due to accessibility limitations, stigmatization, and mistrust of researchers (Banas et al., 2019). The existing role of social media as a space for advocacy and social support in the parasport community (Bundon & Clarke, 2014) makes social platforms a potential tool for qualitative parasport research. Project Echo looks to leverage social media as a participant recruitment tool in parasport populations by informing recruitment strategies with the social model of disability and by placing an emphasis on collaboration to avoid the historical medicalization and marginalization of participants with disabilities in research. This article draws on the experiences of social media recruitment from Project Echo and aims to inform researchers looking to utilize social media as a research tool in parasport populations with key learnings and considerations. Banas, J. R., Magasi, S., The, K., & Victorson, D. E. (2019). Recruiting and Retaining People With Disabilities for Qualitative Health Research: Challenges and Solutions. Qualitative Health Research, 29(7), 1056–1064. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732319833361 Bundon, A., & Hurd Clarke, L. (2014). Unless you go online you are on your own: Blogging as a bridge in para-sport. Disability & Society, 30(2), 185–198. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2014.973477 Goodyear, V., & Bundon, A. (2020). Contemporary digital qualitative research in sport, exercise and health: Introduction. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 13, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2020.1854836

This article explores a key issue that was left mostly unsaid in a recent special edition of Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health that invited predominantly quantitative researchers to share their views on qualitative research with a view to stimulating dialogue. This key issue is that of power. To explore this unsaid, I offer some reflections on the wider social and political climate that is shaping the lived realities of both quantitative and qualitative researchers. I begin by noting the neoconservative backlash to qualitative research in recent years and the rise of methodological fundamentalism. Next, I consider how the work of all researchers in sport, exercise and health, whatever their paradigmatic persuasions is framed within a climate produced by an audit culture, New Public Management practices, and a neoliberal agenda. From this, I move on to argue that the shared somatic crisis faced by scholars in universities provides an opportunity for a coming together across difference and the possible emergence of a new paradigms dialogue based on a collective response to the powerful forces that shape contemporary academic life.

25 years of qualitative research in sport and exercise Psychology: How did it Go? and what now?

This study investigated psychosocial processes associated with avoidance of health- and morality-based deterrents to performance-enhancing drug (PED) use. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 64 English male bodybuilders with experience of doping. Resultant data were content analysed deductively using definitions for the eight mechanisms of moral disengagement (MD; Bandura, A. (1991). Social cognitive theory of moral thought and action. In W. M. Kurtines & J. L. Gewirtz (Eds.), Handbook of moral behavior and development: Theory research and applications (pp. 71–129). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.), and three further themes from Boardley and Grix (2013. Doping in bodybuilders: A qualitative investigation of facilitative psychosocial processes. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise, and Health. Advance online publication, doi 10.1080/2159676X.2013.766809). These analyses evidenced six MD mechanisms, and all three of the themes from Boardley and Grix (2013. Doping in bodybuilders: A qualitative investigation of facilitative psychosocial processes. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise, and Health. Advance online publication). Subsequent frequency analyses revealed six of the eight MD mechanisms, and two of the three additional themes, were common across the sample. Overall, the findings suggest MD may help athletes circumvent health- and morality-based deterrents to doping, describe a process linking supplement and PED use and detail how some athletes may actively avoid social censure for doping by only discussing PED use with other PED users from within their training environment.

Qualitative social scientific research in sport, exercise and other contemporary forms of physical movement has made considerable strides in recent years, such that it is not an unreasonable claim ...

PART ONE: INTRODUCING QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN SPORT Qualitative Research and Its Use in Sport and Physical Activity The Main Characteristics of Qualitative Research Qualitative Research in Sport and Physical Activity Ethical Considerations in Research Recruiting Participants Informed Consent Confidentiality and Anonymity Avoiding Harm Developing the Research Question and Writing the Proposal The topic and Research Question Writing the Proposal The Role of the Literature in Qualitative Research The Literature and the Proposal The Literature Overview The Inductive Approach The Ongoing Dialogue with the Literature Keeping Track of References Sampling Purposive Sampling Sampling Types Sampling Decisions Accessing the Sample Referring to the Sample PART TWO: COLLECTING QUALITATIVE DATA Interviews Types of Interview Variety of Interviews Asking Questions Interviewing Skills The Relationship Between Interviewer and Participants Practical Sspects of Interviewing Potential Problems in Interviewing Focus Groups The Origin and Purpose of Focus Groups Choosing the Sample: Size, Number and Composition Conducting Focus Group Interviews The Involvement of the Interviewer Analysing Focus Group Data Ethical Issues Advantages and Limitations of Focus Groups Participant Observation The research Setting Types of Observation Getting Started Keeping a Record Using Documentary Sources of Data Problematic Issues PART THREE: CHOOSING THE RESEARCH APPROACH Grounded Theory The Origins of Grounded Theory The Main Elements of Grounded Theory The Process of GT: Data Collection and Analysis The Developing Theory Problems in Grounded Theory Ethnography Fieldwork A Focus on Culture Ethnographic Methods Sample and Setting The Ethnographic Record Analysis and Interpretation Problems in Conducting Ethnographic Research Phenomenology Descriptive and Interpretive Phenomenology Eliciting Life-World Descriptions The Use of Bracketing and Sensitising The Findings of Phenomenological Research Sampling Phenomenological Interviews Analysis in Descriptive and Hermeneutic Phenomenology Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) Limitations Narrative Research Stories and Their Structure Types of Story The Functions of People's Stories Collecting Data Narrative Analysis The Distinctive Nature of Narrative Research A Critique of Narrative Research Mixed Methods Research Adopting Mixed Methods Research Designing Mixed Methods Research The problems Inherent in Mixed Methods Research PART FOUR: ANALYSING AND REPORTING QUALITATIVE DATA Data Analysis Managing the Data Transcribing and Writing Memos Data Reduction and Conceptualisation: Codes, Categories and Themes Computer-aided Analysis of Qualitative Data Interpreting the Data The Quality of Qualitative Inquiry Validity and Reliability Alternative Criteria for Qualitative Research How to Ensure Trustworthiness Writing Up Qualitative Research Writing in the First Person The Format of the Report Checklist Before Submission Telling the Tale: Creativity and Originality Publishing and Presenting the Research Glossary References Index

Childhood ObesityVol. 6, No. 4 Motivational Interviewing for Families with an Overweight/Obese ChildBonnie Gance-Cleveland and Keri Bolton OetzelBonnie Gance-ClevelandSearch for more papers by this author and Keri Bolton OetzelSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:27 Aug 2010https://doi.org/10.1089/chi.2010.0418AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB Permissions & CitationsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited byCollective Motivational Interviewing for Substance Use Problems: Concept and Implications28 January 2022 | International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, Vol. 14‘What’s the point when you only lose a pound?’ Reasons for attrition from a multi-component childhood obesity treatment intervention: a qualitative inquiry5 June 2018 | Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, Vol. 11, No. 3When Family Gets in the Way of Recovery15 January 2018 | The Family Journal, Vol. 26, No. 1Dyslipidemia management in overweight or obese adolescents: A mixed-methods clinical trial of motivational interviewing15 May 2017 | SAGE Open Medicine, Vol. 5A primary care intervention to improve weight in obese children: A feasibility studyJournal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Vol. 28, No. 2Partnering with Adolescents, Parents, Researchers, and Family Medicine Clinics to Address Adolescent Weight and Weight-Related Behaviors12 August 2016Identification and Assessment of Childhood Obesity by School-Based Health Center ProvidersJournal of Pediatric Health Care, Vol. 28, No. 6School-Based Health Center Providers' Treatment of Overweight ChildrenJournal of Pediatric Nursing, Vol. 29, No. 6 Volume 6Issue 4Aug 2010 Information©2010 by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.To cite this article:Bonnie Gance-Cleveland and Keri Bolton Oetzel.Motivational Interviewing for Families with an Overweight/Obese Child.Childhood Obesity.Aug 2010.198-200.http://doi.org/10.1089/chi.2010.0418Published in Volume: 6 Issue 4: August 27, 2010PDF download

Prelims

1. Expanding the sport and physical activity research landscape through community scholarship: introduction 2. An exploration of the meanings of sport to urban Aboriginal youth: a photovoice approach 3. Moving beyond words: exploring the use of an arts-based method in Aboriginal community sport research 4. Developing sport-based after-school programmes using a participatory action research approach 5. Challenging and transforming power relations within community-based participatory research: the promise of a Foucauldian analysis 6. Growing up in the Kayamandi Township: I. The role of sport in helping young people overcome challenges within their community 7. Media framing and the representation of marginalised groups: case studies from two major sporting events 8. 'It is fun, fitness and football really': a process evaluation of a football-based health intervention for men 9. Qualitative research in sport, exercise and health in the era of neoliberalism, audit and New Public Management: understanding the conditions for the (im)possibilities of a new paradigm dialogue 10. Pathways for community research in sport and physical activity: criteria for consideration

In responding to a series of questions regarding qualitative research in sport and exercise psychology, we offer our reflections on the: (a) strengths/merits and weaknesses/limitations of qualitative research; (b) frustrations, joys, concerns and dilemmas associated with evaluating, teaching or reading qualitative research and (c) future of qualitative research. We identify numerous positive aspects of qualitative research in sport and exercise psychology, which are tempered only slightly by several negative aspects. We argue that qualitative methods hold considerable promise for future research in sport and exercise psychology.

In this brief commentary on the excellent contributions to this special of Qualitative Research in Sport, Health and Exercise, I attempt to draw out several major themes that ran through many of the articles, and address a few other points that stood out in my readings of the submissions. After a short introduction of my own history with respect to becoming a (predominately) qualitative researcher, I discuss issues related to the philosophy of knowledge and research paradigms in qualitative work. I then address to the issue of the politics of knowledge in qualitative research, and call on scholars to move towards more progressive ways of conducting qualitative research that reflect the current ways of thinking about qualitative work. Next, I provide a couple of notes regarding the applications of qualitative research, as well as the need to better educate ourselves and our students on the latest qualitative approaches. I end with a few specific comments on Jeffery Martin’s challenging and insightful article, and end with a point about qualitative research in an era of new media and abbreviated modes of communication.

The growth of, and importance attached to, qualitative research in sport and exercise psychology is evident in the increasing number of qualitative journal research articles published. This chapter provides a flavor of the current qualitative research landscape by addressing in some depth "what is qualitative research." In a modest attempt to advance the field, it highlights some misunderstandings, problems, opportunities, and strengths of qualitative research. These include misunderstandings about interviewing and memory bias, problems with triangulation as a validation method, opportunities to collect different data, and how generalizability is a strength, not a limitation, of much qualitative research. Qualitative research is an umbrella term for a diverse, expansive, and continuously evolving array of research interpretive paradigms, approaches, methods, evaluation practices, and products. Two popular approaches for doing qualitative research within sport and exercise psychology are grounded theories and interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Four primarily quantitative researchers in the field of sport and exercise psychology offer their observations on qualitative methods. Topics addressed include their assessment of certain strengths and weaknesses of qualitative research, frustrations and concerns in reading and evaluating qualitative research, and speculation on the future of qualitative research in sport and exercise psychology.

Part of the on-going dialogue on qualitative research in sport and exercise psychology, this review portrays the qualitative articles published in three sport psychology journals and examines how qualitative research can deepen our knowledge in applied sport psychology. Eighty-four of the 485 research articles published in these journals used a qualitative data collection technique. The interview was used in 67 studies. Peer review and reliability tests were often used for establishing trustworthiness. Member checking was mostly limited to participant verification of interview transcripts. Results were usually presented using both words and numbers. Selected studies are discussed in relation to applied sport psychology knowledge. Published qualitative articles suggest a conservative effort by sport psychology researchers to include the qualitative approach as a legitimate way to do research.