Research Methods for Sport Management

379 Pages·2014·1.291 MB·English

by  James Skinner, Allan Edwards, Ben Corbett

Research Methods for
Sport Management
Research methods courses have become a compulsory component of most degree programmes in
sport management. This is the first introductory research methods textbook to focus exclusively on
sport management. Through the use of examples, cases and data taken from the real world of sport
management it opens up a traditionally dry area of study, helping the student to understand the
vital importance of sound methodology in their studies and subsequent professional practice.
The book covers the full range of quantitative and qualitative methods across the whole span
of the research process, from research design and the literature review to data analysis and report
writing. Every chapter contains a range of useful features to aid student learning, including
summaries, discussion questions and guides to further resources, as well as examples drawn from
contemporary sport around the world. Research Methods for Sport Managementis an essential
course text for all sport management students and an invaluable reference for any sport management
professional involved in operational research.
James Skinner is a Professor of Sport Business and Director of the Institute for Sport Business
at Loughborough University, London, UK. His research interests are in drugs in sport, culture
strategy, leadership and change, sport and social capital, and research methods for sport
management.
Allan Edwards is Head of Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Canberra, Australia.
His research interests include qualitative research methodology, high performance sport management
and sport marketing.
Ben Corbettis a sport management PhD candidate and lecturer at Griffith University, Australia.
His research interests include organizational strategy and change, high performance management,
and sport event legacy.
Foundations of Sport Management
Series Editor:
David Hassan, University of Ulster at Jordanstown, UK
Foundations of Sport Managementis a discipline-defining series of texts on core and cutting-edge
topics in sport management. Featuring some of the best known and most influential sport
management scholars from around the world, each volume represents an authoritative,
engaging and self-contained introduction to a key functional area or issue within contemporary
sport management. Packed with useful features to aid teaching and learning, the series aims
to bridge the gap between management theory and practice and to encourage critical thinking
and reflection among students, academics and practitioners.
Also available in this series
Managing Sport Business: An Introduction
David Hassan and Linda Trenberth
Managing Sport: Social and Cultural Perspectives
David Hassan and Jim Lusted
Managing High Performance Sport
Popi Sotiriadou and Veerle De Bosscher
Routledge Handbook of Sport and Corporate Social Responsibility
Kathy Babiak, Juan Luis Paramio-Salcines and Geoff Walters
Sport Governance: International Case Studies
Ian O’Boyle and Trish Bradbury
Research Methods for Sport Management
James Skinner, Allan Edwards and Ben Corbett
Research Methods for
Sport Management
James Skinner, Allan Edwards
and Ben Corbett
First published 2015
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2015 James Skinner, Allan Edwards and Ben Corbett
The right of James Skinner, Allan Edwards and Ben Corbett to be identified
as the authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with
sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Skinner, James.
Research methods for sport management / James Skinner, Allan Edwards,
Benjamin Corbett.
pages cm – (Foundations of sport management)
1. Sports administration – Research. I. Edwards, Allan. II. Corbett,
Benjamin. III. Title.
GV713.S573 2014
796.06’9 – dc23
2014017175
ISBN: 978-0-415-57255-2 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-415-57256-9 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-85612-3 (ebk)
Typeset in Perpetua
by Florence Production Limited, Stoodleigh, Devon, UK
Contents
List of figures vii
List of tables viii
List of abbreviations xi
PART 1
Overview of the Sport Management Research process 1
1 Basic principles of Sport Management Research 3
2 The Sport Management Research process 15
3 Identifying the research problem, conducting a literature review,
and ethical considerations 29
PART 2
Qualitative research for sport management researchers 47
4 Qualitative data collection in Sport Management Research 49
5 Qualitative data analysis in Sport Management Research 69
6 Action Research and Sport Management Research 97
7 What is case study research? 116
8 Deconstruction and Sport Management Research 134
9 Discourse analysis and ethnomethodology 141
10 Ethnography and emerging ethnographical approaches 158
11 Gender as a methodology in Sport Management Research 185
v
CONTENTS
12 Narrative inquiry and the stories sport management researchers can tell 195
13 Phenomenology and the lived experience of the sport management researcher 206
14 Emerging qualitative approaches for the sport management researcher to
consider 218
PART 3
Quantitative research for sport management researchers 245
15 Research design for a quantitative study 247
16 Data collection methods for a quantitative study 259
17 Quantitative data analysis in Sport Management Research 271
18 Introduction to inferential statistics 279
19 Correlation and regression analysis 287
20 Determining difference among groups 297
21 Chi-square and Spearman’s rho 307
PART 4
Alternative approaches to Sport Management Research 317
22 Mixed methods approaches to Sport Management Research 319
23 Research 2.0: a framework for sport management 334
References 346
Index 360
vi
Figures
2.1 The seven steps of research proposals 18
2.2 Mapping a process for Sports Management Research 19
3.1 Inductive reasoning 34
3.2 Deductive reasoning 34
5.1 Combined sponsored female surfers’ themes and concepts 91
6.1 The Action Research cycle 103
7.1 Steps in the case study method 129
9.1 Elements of orders of discourse to social relations 145
12.1 Steps for conducting narrative research 199
15.1 The survey research process 257
16.1 What does a sample look like? 262
16.2 Assumptions of quantitative sampling 263
16.3 Types of samples 265
16.4 A normal distribution curve 268
17.1 Bar graph showing occupational categories 275
17.2 Histogram showing age categories 277
19.1 Share price scatterplot 289
19.2 Scattergram example 289
20.1 Selecting an inferential test 299
22.1 Features of qualitative and quantitative research 321
22.2 Features of quantitative research 322
22.3 Features of qualitative research 323
22.4 Some differences in quantitative and qualitative research 324
22.5 How qualitative and quantitative methods can assist each other 328
22.6 How complementarity emerges 329
22.7 Writing the research report 331
vii
Tables
2.1 The research process 20
2.2 A generic template for writing a research proposal 23
2.3 Typical differences between qualitative and quantitative research proposals 23
2.4 Typical methodologies adopted within quantitative research projects 24
2.5 A typical chapter structure for a quantitative research thesis 25
2.6 Typical methodologies adopted within qualitative research projects 25
2.7 A typical chapter structure for a qualitative research thesis 26
2.8 Self-evaluation checklist 28
3.1 Criteria for testing the feasibility of the research problem 33
3.2 Identifying limitations 43
4.1 Advantages and disadvantages of observations 51
4.2 Characteristics of a focus group 60
4.3 Factors to consider when choosing focus groups 60
4.4 Advantages and disadvantages of document studies 62
4.5 Sequence of data collection 67
5.1 Data analysis methods in qualitative Sport Management Research 71
5.2 Criteria commonly used in validating qualitative and quantitative research 73
5.3 Verification processes for qualitative research 81
5.4 What can be coded 85
5.5 Example thematic chart 86
5.6 Example case chart 87
5.7 Advantages and disadvantages of CAQDAS 87
5.8 Summary of comparative analysis process 88
5.9 The benefits of Leximancer 90
5.10 Leximancer phases of data analysis 92
6.1 Features of Action Research 99
6.2 Characteristics of Action Research 100
6.3 Issues of Action Research for the sport management researcher to consider 102
6.4 Criticisms of Action Research 109
6.5 Validity of findings from Action Research 112
7.1 Theory building 121
viii
TABLES
7.2 Case study types and descriptions 122
7.3 Typology of case studies 123
7.4 Positivist criteria for judging quality 126
7.5 Interpretivist criteria for judging quality/credibility 127
7.6 Advantages and disadvantages of case studies for sport management researchers 130
7.7 Traditional prejudices against case study research 131
8.1 Advantages and disadvantages of deconstruction 137
9.1 Criticisms of discourse analysis 143
9.2 Fairclough’s three-dimensional analysis 146
9.3 Fairclough’s CDA 147
9.4 Concepts that are central to ethnomethodology 152
9.5 Discourse analysis vs conversation analysis 154
9.6 Terminology 154
9.7 The methodological perspective of conversation analysis 156
10.1 Characteristics of ethnographic research 161
10.2 Applications of ethnography to Sport Management Research 161
10.3 Features of critical ethnography 163
10.4 Advantages and disadvantages of ethnographic research 168
10.5 Advantages and disadvantages of autoethnography 174
10.6 Advantages and disadvantages of netnography 178
11.1 Stages of the development of feminist theory 186
11.2 Features of queer theory 191
11.3 Questions asked by queer theorists 191
11.4 Criticisms of queer theory 192
12.1 Advantages and disadvantages of narrative research 197
12.2 When to use narrative designs 198
12.3 Characteristics of narrative research 198
12.4 The narrative research process 200
12.5 How to evaluate narrative studies 201
13.1 What phenomenologists do 210
13.2 Strengths and weaknesses of phenomenology 211
13.3 Features of phenomenology as a methodology 212
14.1 Features of CRT 225
14.2 Major themes in CRT writings 225
14.3 Defining disability studies 229
16.1 Data set 267
17.1 Occupational status of research participants 275
17.2 Player’s age expressed as age bands 276
17.3 Distribution of public attitudes on the event benefiting the local community 276
19.1 Cross-tabulation/contingency table 290
20.1 Variable characteristics 299
21.1 Relationship between gender and wanting to be a professional athlete 308
21.2 The relationship between sporting orientation and education 308
21.3 Cross-tabulation table: nationality and running event 309
ix