Qualitative Research In Sport Research Articles

THE INFLUENCE OF SENIOR AUTHOR GENDER ON RESEARCH PRACTICE IN EXERCISE AND SPORTS SCIENCE

INTRODUCTION & AIMS Sex and gender bias have been continually documented in sport and exercise science. There are disparities in both participants and authorship, including those leading the research. Examples from medical research show senior author gender influences practices (e.g., disaggregation of data by sex). We examined the relationship between senior author gender and research practices in sport and exercise science. METHODS For this analysis we have included all papers published in the first issue of 2023 of the top 10 sports science journals, according to SJR Sports Science rankings. We extracted senior author gender and data on research practices including study type, exercise modality, and population. This is part of a larger ongoing study. RESULTS Our preliminary results include 182 studies from 10 journals. Men represented 84% of all senior authors. Percentage of senior author gender ranged from 100% men as senior authors in Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, and Arthroscopy (45 papers led by men, 0 led by women), to 66% women senior authorship in Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health (6 papers led by women, 3 by men). When the senior author was a man, they were more likely to conduct observational research, including cross sectional, retrospective, and epidemiological research. When women were senior authors, they were more likely to conduct qualitative research. Less than 4% of all letters to the editor were led by women. Approximately 25% of all studies focused on Sport. Within this category, 75% of these studies had men senior authors. Approximately 65% of all studies had a clinical focus. Within this category, 86% of these studies had men senior authors. CONCLUSIONS This preliminary data indicates some differences in research practices by senior author gender. This research also highlights differences by journal in their inclusion of research led by women.

Utilization of the algebraic method in the design and development of the ChemRxnCalc mobile application prototype

Responding to the need to create an “equitable learning space” for Chemistry students in the new normal classes, the authors designed a mobile application prototype named ChemRxnCalc. It is intended to help students balance chemical equations by predicting products and their coefficients from given chemical reactants accurately and using the algebraic method. Upon the development of the mobile application prototype for Android mobile phones, it was subjected to an initial validation by eight (8) Chemistry teachers deemed to be the subject-matter experts and which yielded a high usability percentage following the software quality requirements set by the ISO/IEC 25010. It is recommended for second-phase validation by students. This could be accomplished by uploading the e-tool to the RedCanvas learning management system (LMS) of the University. The initial target users are the Senior High School and College Students of San Beda University, Manila, and probably, the Mendiola Consortium who are taking up General Chemistry and/or Inorganic Chemistry. Consequently, once the ChemRxnCalc mobile application prototype has been validated by both experts and students, it is intended to be patented thru registration in the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPO). It is also targeted to be registered and uploaded in the Google Playstore and Apple Appstore for consumption of a bigger teacher and student population.ReferencesBraun V. & Clarke V. (2019) Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis, qualitative research in sport, exercise and health, 11:4, 589-597, http://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1628806Braunschweigh D. (n.d.) Input-process-output model. Rebus community. Programming Fundamentals. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International LicenseBritton, J. (n.d.) What is ISO 25010? https://www.perforce.com/blog/qac/what-is-iso-25010Calaprice, A. (2010) The quotable Einstein. http://www.goodreads.comCharnock, N. (2016). Teaching methods for balancing chemical equations: An inspection versus an algebraic approach. http://pubs.sciepub.com/education/4/7/2/index.htmlCreswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). Sage., J.Creswell, J.W. and Plano Clark, V.L. (2011) Designing and conducting mixed methods research. (2nd Ed.), Sage Publications.Curtis, H. (1922). The algebraic method of balancing a chemical equation. Science, 56(1444), 258-260. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1647136Gabriel, C.I. & Onwuka, G.I. (2015) Balancing of chemical equations using matrix algebra. Journal of Natural Sciences Research, 3, 29-36.Gibbs, G. R. (2007). Qualitative research kit: Analyzing qualitative data. SAGE Publications, Ltd http://doi.org/10.4135/9781849208574Hamid, I. (2019). Balancing chemical equations by systems of linear equations. Applied Mathematics. 10. 521-526. 10.4236/am.2019.107036. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334396583_Balancing_Chemical_Equations_by_Systems_of_Linear_EquationsIPOPHIL (n.d.). Intellectual property office of the Philippines. http://wwww/iphophil.gov.phkotlinlang.org (n.d.). Kotlin.v.16.21 Website. https://kotlinlang.org/docs/faq.html#where-can-i-get-an-hd-kotlin-logoMacCuspie R.I. & Drake C. (2014). A framework for identifying performance targets for sustainable materials. Science Direct.1-2. 17-25Parker, C., Scott, S. and Geddes, A. (2019) Snowball sampling. SAGE Research Methods Foundations. (In Press) UN DESA (2020). SDGs Learning, Training and Practice- 2020 Edition Report. http://www.sdgs.un.orgRichey, R. (1994) Developmental research: The definition and scope. ERIC.ed.gov. http.ERIC.ed.https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED373753Saberon, C.B. (2021) Development and pilot validation of E-SCRIBE: An E-Learning aid that utilizes algebraic expressions in solving chemical reaction problems. An Unpublished Master Thesis. The National Teachers CollegeSutton, M. (2020, September 21). How to develop a new product (From concept to market). https://www.shopify.com.ph/blog/productdevelopment-processVasquez, J. (2018). The importance of mathematics in the development of science and technology [PDF]. http://verso.mat.uam.es/~juanluis.vazquez/reptmath.pdf

Coaches’ perspectives on contribution

ABSTRACT The purposes of this study were to (a) examine coaches’ perspectives on contribution through sport and (b) obtain their feedback on a previously established definition of contribution. Data were collected via focus groups with 13 coaches from a variety of individual and team sports (M age = 33 years, SD = 11.1). Focus group transcripts were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis [Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019). Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 11(4), 589–597. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1628806]. Findings were presented as two categories pertaining to the two purposes of the study. In the first category, youth sport coaches’ perceptions of contribution, the coaches’ discussion of contribution centred on three themes. Coaches discussed contributing as an athlete by providing sport specific examples of contribution behaviour. Through all their discussions, it was evident that coaches perceived that contribution involves having a positive impact and acting with intent. Regarding the second category, coaches’ feedback on the definition, coaches expressed that the definition fit with their conceptualisations of contribution, particularly the first sentence which contained the ideas that contribution is intentional and results in positive impacts on others. However, the coaches felt the definition was overly complex and questioned whether the definition should have focused on intent versus behaviour. A practical operational definition of contribution was suggested to address the coaches’ criticisms of the theoretical definition. These findings suggest that, whereas the theoretical definition of contribution is appropriate for academic discourse, the practical operational definition may be better suited for use by stakeholders and as a basis for interactions between researchers and sport stakeholders.

Follow the leader? Generalist primary school teachers’ experiences of informal physical education leadership

ABSTRACT Leadership has been identified as an important influence on the provision of primary physical education (PE) in several different contexts. To date, however, there is a lack of data explicitly investigating informal PE leadership provided by generalist teachers in primary schools. Accordingly, this research sought to explore generalist teachers’ experiences of informal PE leadership while promoting an innovation in primary PE. Five generalist primary school teachers in five separate schools led the implementation of an eight-week module of ultimate frisbee with their own class and provided support to two other class teachers within the school. Data was generated through qualitative methods including interviews with the lead teachers, focus groups with participating teachers involved in each school and weekly written reflections by the lead teacher. These data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis [Braun, Virginia, and Victoria Clarke. 2019. “Reflecting on Reflexive Thematic Analysis.” Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health 11 (4): 589–597. doi:10.1080/2159676X.2019.1628806]. Using [Hargreaves, A., and M. Fullan. 2012. Professional Capital: Transforming Teaching in Every School. New York: Teachers College Press/Routledge] theory of professional capital as a theoretical lens the results provide insight into informal leadership actions, the factors which influenced these actions as well as the importance of a shared approach to leadership. Overall the results of this research suggest that informal PE leadership can play an important role in supporting innovation.

Autoethnography: accept, revise, reject? An evaluative self reflects

ABSTRACT In this article I offer some reflections of how my evaluative self goes about passing judgement on different kinds of autoethnography. I begin by making distinctions between the autobiographical and the autoethnographic before raising questions about whether or not self-reflexive accounts of the fieldwork process can claim the title of autoethnography. Following this, I consider the lists of criteria others have made available to my evaluative self for judging analytic, evocative and performance autoethnographies. Having acknowledged the dangers and possibilities of such lists attention then turns to how my evaluative self might go about judging a selection of autoethnographies published in Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health using multiple criteria from a variety of sources. Rather than being purely a cognitive, linear and rational act the process described is messy, tentative, contingent, and deeply embodied as my evaluative self feels its way towards making certain kinds of judgement calls over others.

Rethinking validity in qualitative sport and exercise psychology research: a realist perspective

Over the last two decades, the relativist approach has significantly shaped debates about the quality and rigour of qualitative research in sport and exercise psychology (SEP). In the absence of any published critiques of relativism in SEP, this paper problematises its central claims with a focus on the most recent contribution offered by Smith and McGannon (2018. Developing rigor in qualitative research: problems and opportunities within sport and exercise psychology. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 11, 101–121). Despite making valuable contributions to the advancement and acceptance of qualitative research, we argue that the relativist approach encounters numerous problems when attempting to reject the “anything goes” problem due to its fundamental ontological commitment to internal, multiple, mind-dependent realities. This paper then makes a constructive contribution to the field by offering an alternative position grounded in a realist understanding of validity. We first suggest that principles such as ontological plausibility, empirical adequacy and practical utility can re-orient both critical thinking and the use of practical techniques which can reduce threats to validity. Second, we suggest that Maxwell’s (1992. Understanding and validity in qualitative research. Harvard Educational Review, 62, 279–301) descriptive, interpretive and theoretical validity could be welcome concepts for qualitative researchers in SEP. The significance of this realist approach for researchers, reviewers and editors is discussed.

Stories from the 6th Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise Conference, Vancouver, Canada, 6–8 June 2018

Stories from the 6th Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise Conference, Vancouver, Canada, 6–8 June 2018

Developing rigor in qualitative research: problems and opportunities within sport and exercise psychology

ABSTRACTQualitative research has grown within sport and exercise psychology and is now widely conducted. The purpose of this review is to discuss three commonly used ways to demonstrate rigor when conducting or judging qualitative research in sport and exercise psychology. These are the method of member checking, the method of inter-rater reliability, and the notion of universal criteria. Problems with each method are first highlighted. Member checking and inter-rater reliability are shown to be ineffective for verification, trustworthiness, or reliability purposes. Next, universal criteria within the context of Tracy’s, heavily drawn on paper within sport and exercise psychology is problematized. Throughout the discussion of each method and universal criteria more suitable possibilities for conducting rigorous qualitative research are offered. The paper concludes that to support high-quality qualitative research, scholars – including journal editors and reviewers – need to change how rigor is developed and judged, rather than perpetuate the problems with how it has been commonly evaluated in the past. Recommendations for developing rigor when conducting and/or judging qualitative research within sport and exercise psychology are also offered.

Analysing exceptions within qualitative data: promoting analytical diversity to advance knowledge of ageing and physical activity

Looking for patterns of meaning within data to identify central themes is a common form of analysis within qualitative research in sport, exercise and health. Far less analytical scrutiny has been directed toward how researchers might deal with ‘exceptional’ data. That is, data which, while telling us something about a central theme, deviates significantly from its defining plotline and characteristics. The purpose of this predominantly methodological paper is to examine exceptions in data gathered from interviews with 51 (m = 23; f = 28) physically active older adults (60 – 92 years of age). Exploiting exceptions within our data revealed unique perspectives within the central themes of: healthy ageing, relationships, and bereavement. Problematising the rise of – and indeed pressure for – methodological simplicity within qualitative research, we assert the continued need for complexity for progressing the intellectual agenda of ageing and physical activity. Engaging with methodological multiplicity, particularly at the level of qualitative data analysis (e.g. via a focus on exceptions), produces important and original knowledge, which has direct relevance for the development of theory, methods and health policy.

Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise Conference 2014

Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise Conference 2014

Moral disengagement and associated processes in performance-enhancing drug use: a national qualitative investigation

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 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

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.

Expanding the sport and physical activity research landscape through community scholarship: introduction

We welcome the readership to this special instalment of Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, focused upon community scholarship. When we embarked on this special call it was apparent...

“Cripping” Resilience: Contributions from Disability Studies to Resilience Theory

“Cripping” Resilience: Contributions from Disability Studies to Resilience Theory

Taming the ‘Dragon’: using voice recognition software for transcription in disability research within sport and exercise psychology

Transcription is central to qualitative research in sport and exercise psychology; voice recognition software offers one way to enhance the process. The objective of this paper is to critically discuss its use within narrative analysis and disability studies research in sport and exercise psychology. The way in which one transcribes with the software enables a deeper understanding of the data and allows the user to more readily make memos during transcription. Furthermore, the software can speed transcription and make the process less physically taxing. Additional technical advantages and disadvantages are also presented.

Head-mounted cameras and stimulated recall in qualitative sport research

There are a number of innovative procedures available for use in qualitative research, including observation, note-taking and verbal protocol techniques. This paper highlights the potential usefulness of stimulated recall as an innovative technique for use in qualitative research in sport and possibly exercise. Specifically, it focuses on video footage obtained from head-mounted cameras for use in stimulated recall during post-event interviews. Examples of research studies carried out in simulation training with fire and emergency personnel and with leisure participants in a whitewater adventure setting, are used to illustrate how stimulated recall can be utilised effectively in practice. Participants in a river-surfing course completed daily qualitative semi-structured interviews, facilitated by footage from head-mounted video cameras. The cameras were worn throughout the course while participants were in the water. The use of the head-mounted equipment and video-footage as stimulated recall in the study and preliminary findings about the procedure are described. Finally, a number of advantages and disadvantages of head-mounted camera and stimulated recall procedures in general are discussed.

The World of Physical Culture in Sport and Exercise: Visual Methods for Qualitative Research

Foreword Sarah Pink 1. Seeing the world of physical culture: the potential of visual methods for qualitative research in sport and exercise Cassandra Phoenix 2. Fell running in post-sport territories Michael Atkinson 3. Talking T-shirts: a visual exploration of youth material culture Clive C. Pope 4. Setting the scene: hailing women into a running identity Meridith Griffin 5. Power and focus: self-representation of female college athletes Vikki Krane, Sally R. Ross, Montana Miller, Julie L. Rowse, Kristy Ganoe, Jaclyn A. Andrzejczyk and Cathryn B. Lucas 6. Embodying understanding: drawing as research in sport and exercise Hannah M. Gravestock 7. 'What it was in my eyes': picturing youths' embodiment in 'real' spaces Laura Azzarito and Jennifer Sterling 8. The influence of marianismo beliefs on physical activity of mid-life immigrant Latinas: a Photovoice study Karen T. D'Alonzo and Manoj Sharma 9. Renewal, strength and commitment to self and others: older women's reflections of the benefits of exercise using Photovoice Joanie Sims-Gould, Laura Hurd Clarke, Maureen C. Ashe, John Naslund and Teresa Liu-Ambrose 10. Shooting a diary, not just a hoop: using video diaries to explore the embodied everyday contexts of a university basketball team Jim Cherrington and Beccy Watson 11. Seeing is believing: telling the 'inside' story of a beginning masters athlete through film Mary Ann Kluge, Bevan C. Grant, Lorraine Friend and Linda Glick

Reflections on qualitative research in sport psychology

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.

Metaqualitative reflections in sport and exercise psychology

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.

Dancing with quantitoids: a brief and benevolent commentary on the special issue of QRSEH

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.