Sports as a Social Science Test

Science

Systematic study of the natural and social world through observation and experiment.

Natural Science

Studies the physical world (biology, chemistry, physics).

Social Science

Studies human behavior, societies, and social relationships (sociology, anthropology, psychology).

Basic Science

Research done to gain knowledge for understanding, not immediate application.

Applied Science

Research aimed at solving practical, real-world problems.

Scientific Research

Organized investigation to establish facts and reach conclusions.

Inductive Research

Starts with observations and develops a theory.

Deductive Research

Starts with a theory and tests it through data collection.

Theoretical Research

Focuses on developing or refining theories.

Empirical Research

Based on observed and measured phenomena; relies on real-world data.

Scientific Method

A step-by-step process involving observations, hypotheses, experiments, and conclusions.

Explanatory Research

Seeks to explain the causes of a phenomenon.

Exploratory Research

Investigates new or little-understood topics.

Descriptive Research

Provides a detailed description of a situation or population.

Sport

Organized, competitive, and rule-governed physical activities.

Society

A group of individuals living together with shared institutions and culture.

Social Group

A collection of people who interact and share a sense of belonging.

Identity

How individuals and groups see and define themselves.

Culture

Shared beliefs, values, norms, and practices of a group.

Perspective

A particular way of viewing or interpreting something.

Context

The circumstances or setting that surround an event, issue, or behavior.

Social Issue

A problem that affects many people within a society.

Research Angles

Different approaches to examining a research topic.

The Hook

The interesting, attention-grabbing aspect of your research topic.

Primary Study

Original research conducted by the authors.

Secondary Study

Summaries or analyses of existing research.

Peer-reviewed Articles

Research evaluated by experts in the field before publication.

Boolean Method

A way to refine searches using terms like AND, OR, NOT.

Data Collection

The process of gathering information for research.

Primary Data

Data you collect firsthand (interviews, surveys, observations).

Secondary Data

Data already collected by others (books, articles, databases).

Qualitative Methods

Collect non-numeric, descriptive data (interviews, focus groups).

Quantitative Methods

Collect numeric, measurable data (surveys, experiments).

Surveys

Questionnaires to collect data from a large group.

Interviews

Conversations to collect in-depth, personal data.

Questionnaires

Sets of written questions used in surveys.

Items

Individual questions on a survey or questionnaire.

Double-barrel Items

Questions asking about two things at once (avoid these!).

Close-ended Items

Questions with set answer options.

Open-ended Items

Questions allowing free-form responses.

Likert Scale

A rating scale (e.g. strongly agree to strongly disagree).

Observations

Watching and recording behaviors or events.

Ethnographic

Deep, immersive study of people in their natural environment.

Focus Groups

Guided group discussions on a specific topic.

Document Analysis

Reviewing existing documents (articles, reports, social media).

Experiments

Controlled studies to test hypotheses.

Correlation Method

Examines relationships between variables.

Themes

Recurring patterns or ideas in qualitative data.

Visual Data

Information presented in charts, graphs, images, or videos.