Sport Management Research Flashcards

These flashcards cover the foundational concepts of sport management research, including research paradigms, ontological and epistemological assumptions, ethics, and qualitative and quantitative methodologies.

Scientific research

Systematic examination of evidence based on logic and reason to discover and advocate knowledge about a field or topic.

Replicate

Applying the same research techniques in a new setting to see if findings can be repeated.

Evaluation

The systematic collection and analysis of data to judge the value of something, such as a project, policy, or service, and determine if it 'works'.

Research paradigm

A set of fundamental assumptions that influence how researchers view the nature of reality and knowledge, acting as a set of underlying rules for conducting research.

Positivism

A research paradigm that assumes an objective reality exists and can be measured through empirical observation and logical reasoning, often using quantitative methods.

Constructivism

A research paradigm that views reality as socially constructed, emphasizing subjective experiences and meaning-making, often using qualitative methods.

Post-positivism

A modified version of positivism that acknowledges absolute objectivity is unattainable but still aims for rigor and generalisability using empirical methods.

Pragmatism

A paradigm focused on practical problem-solving that uses mixed methods and selects research approaches based on what best addresses the research question.

Critical theory

A research paradigm that challenges existing power structures and seeks to expose social inequalities, often advocating for change.

Interpretivism

A paradigm similar to constructivism that emphasises understanding social phenomena through individuals' lived experiences and cultural contexts.

Postmodernism

A paradigm that questions grand narratives and universal truths, emphasizing complexity, subjectivity, and the role of discourse in shaping reality.

Deduction

A logic of inquiry associated with quantitative research used for confirming or discerning a theory.

Induction

A logic of inquiry associated with qualitative research used for generating new theories.

Ontology

The study of the nature of reality and what exists; it asks, 'what is the nature of reality?'

Epistemology

The study of knowledge and how we come to know something; it asks, 'how do we know what we know?'

Realism

An ontological position associated with positivism which assumes an objective reality.

Relativism

An ontological position associated with constructivism which assumes multiple realities exist.

Objectivism

An epistemological position where knowledge is viewed as measurable and generalisable.

Subjectivism

An epistemological position where knowledge is viewed as co-constructed or influenced by power dynamics.

Systematic Review

A type of literature review with a defined search strategy and inclusion/exclusion criteria that reports all methods of search, study quality, and findings.

Narrative Review

A type of literature review that uses a general search strategy to report findings.

Respect for human beings

An ethical principle where individuals are treated as autonomous agents with privacy, confidentiality, and the right to make informed decisions.

Research merit and integrity

An ethical principle requiring research to be worthwhile, have justified benefits, value to the community, and use appropriate methods.

Beneficence

An ethical principle focused on maximising possible benefits and minimising possible harms to participants.

Justice

An ethical principle using procedural fairness in recruitment and ensuring the benefits and burdens of research are distributed fairly.

Structured interview

An interview that follows a list of questions in a set order to increase reliability but decrease responsiveness.

Unstructured interview

An interview that covers a list of topics without predetermined questions, offering flexibility but lower reliability.

Semi-structured interview

The most common interview type in qualitative research, following a set of questions while allowing the conversation to flow according to the interviewee.

Focus group

A qualitative method involving multiple participants with shared experiences where the focus is on group discussion and interaction.

Ethnography

A qualitative approach where researchers investigate a group of people using a mixture of methods such as focus groups, observation, and textual analysis.

Questionnaire

The specific instrument or set of questions used in research.

Survey

The overall method and study design, representing the whole data collection exercise where a questionnaire is used as a tool.

Face validity

A measure of whether a research tool looks like it measures what it is intended to measure.

Content validity

A measure of whether a research tool covers the full scope and all important parts of a concept.

Construct validity

A measure of whether a research tool behaves the way the underlying concept should behave.

Criteria validity

A measure of whether research results align with a real-world outcome or an external 'gold standard'.

Internal validity

The credibility of a cause-and-effect claim, ensuring that $X$ truly caused $Y$ and ruling out other reasons.

External validity

The extent to which research findings can be generalised beyond the specific group or context studied.

Reliability

The consistency of a measure, or whether you would get the same result again if nothing has changed.

Internal consistency

A type of reliability where different items within a tool 'hang together' or correlate properly.

Word cloud

A visual representation used for qualitative data where words that appear more frequently are shown more prominently.