The Research Process in Sport, Exercise and Health

• What are the challenges and potential pitfalls of real research?
• What decision-making process is followed by successful researchers?

The Research Process in Sport, Exercise and Health fills an important gap in the research methods literature. Conventional research methods textbooks focus on theory and descriptions of hypothetical techniques, while the peer-reviewed research literature is mainly concerned with discussion of data and the significance of results. In this book, a team of successful researchers from across the full range of sub-disciplines in sport, exercise and health discuss real pieces of research, describing the processes they went through, the decisions that they made, the problems they encountered and the things they would have done differently. As a result, the book goes further than any other in bringing the research process to life, helping students identify potential issues and problems with their own research right at the beginning of the process.

The book covers the whole span of the research process, including:

• identifying the research problem
• justifying the research question
• choosing an appropriate method
• data collection and analysis
• identifying a study’s contribution to knowledge and/or applied practice
• disseminating results.

Featuring real-world studies from sport psychology, biomechanics, sports coaching, ethics in sport, sports marketing, health studies, sport sociology, performance analysis, and strength and conditioning, the book is an essential companion for research methods courses or dissertations on any sport or exercise degree programme.

Rich Neil is a Senior Lecturer in Sport Psychology, former Discipline Director of Research Methods and current Programme Director of BSc Sport and Exercise Science at Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK. His research interests include the influence of stress and emotions on behaviour, personality, reflective practice and self-efficacy.

Sheldon Hanton is the Pro Vice-Chancellor and Director of Research for Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK. As Professor of Sport Psychology his subject expertise focuses around competition and organisational stress and anxiety, mental toughness, performance reflection and the psychology of injury. He has experience of qualitative and quantitative approaches to research, including intervention studies.

Scott Fleming is Professor of Sport and Leisure Studies and Director of Research at the Cardiff School of Sport, Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK. His research interests include ethnographies in sport, leisure and education, ‘race relations’, and research ethics. He is a former Chair of the Leisure Studies Association and is Chair of Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Ethics Committee.

Kylie Wilson is an Applied Sport Psychologist working with Olympic athletes and coaches, and organisations at High Performance Sport New Zealand. Her research interests include athlete motivation, coach–athlete relationships, group dynamics and reflective practice.