Participatory Research in Sport and Physical Activity (Qualitative Research in Sport and Physical Activity)

This is the first book to focus on participatory research in the context of sport and physical activity. It explores the transformative potential of participatory research methods and provides an introduction to the practicalities of doing participatory research in sport and physical activity.

The book is structured around phases of the research process, covering research design, data collection, data analysis, and knowledge mobilization and translation. Chapters cover research design topics such as building research partnerships, reflexivity and ethical issues; methods such as social photo-elicitation, go-along interviews, and biographical mapping; analytical approaches such as collective memory work and collaborative analysis; and knowledge mobilization and translation topics such as podcasting, digital tools, and peer review. Every chapter includes a review of key developments, a guide to how that approach can be employed, an example from the author’s own work, and critical reflections on how that approach can shape future research and have an impact on public discourse.

This book is an invaluable resource for students and researchers working in sport studies, the sociology of sport, sport and exercise psychology, sport management and policy, and human movement and health studies more broadly. It will be particularly useful for those interested in diverse and inclusive approaches to qualitative research methodologies.

The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Kyle A. Rich is Associate Professor in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies at Brock University, Canada. Kyle uses participatory research methodologies and examines the impacts of policy, community, and inclusion/exclusion on experiences in sport, recreation, and physical activity programming. This research has examined a variety of local, regional, and national programs and how they are implemented in both urban and rural contexts.

Robyn Smith is Lecturer in Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences at Brunel University London, UK. Her research focuses on the relationship between community sport, leisure, and wellbeing among young people from equity-owed communities. She is passionate about using participatory methodologies to examine the lived experiences and wellbeing of young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds, in and through sport.

Audrey R. Giles is Full Professor in the School of Human Kinetics at the University of Ottawa, Canada. An applied cultural anthropologist, she uses participatory approaches to examine the intersections of gender, culture, and place as they relate to sport and injury prevention. She has conducted most of her Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)-funded and Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)-funded research with Indigenous peoples in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic.