Within qualitative research in the social sciences, the last decade has witnessed a growing interest in the use of visual methods. Visual Methods in Physical Culture is the first book in the field of sport and exercise sciences dedicated to harnessing the potential of using visual methods within qualitative research. Theoretically insightful, and methodologically innovative, this book represents a landmark addition to the field of studies in sport, exercise, the body, and qualitative methods. It covers a wide range of empirical work, theories, and visual image-based research, including photography, drawing, and video. In so doing, the book deepens our understanding of physical culture. It also responds to key questions, such as what are visual methods, why might they be used, and how might they be applied in the field of sport and exercise sciences.

This volume combines clarity of expression with careful scholarship and originality, making it especially appealing to students and scholars within a variety of fields, including sport sociology, sport and exercise psychology, sociology of the body, physical education, gender studies, gerontology, and qualitative inquiry.

This book was published as a special issue in Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise.

Over the past two decades, scholars and practitioners have taken a keen interest in the field of Sport for Development and Peace (SDP). These efforts have largely focused on and debated the merits of sport as a tool for development, diplomacy, and peacebuilding in under-resourced, underdeveloped, and conflict regions. Making sense of the positive contributions that sport can offer to such complex and multi-faceted issues requires understanding the various connections and meanings that individuals and communities ascribe to their sporting experiences. This book offers a unique outlet for research that engages with, rather than makes claims about, individuals and communities around the world. Diverse, contemporary, and thought-provoking examples of qualitative methods in the study of SDP are detailed, along with rich, meaningful, and provocative insights from these studies. Readers are invited to think critically about the fields of enquiry, philosophical underpinnings, and methodologies utilised, as well as the audiences engaged and topics explored. We hope readers will join us in considering how these chapters can push the SDP field into more rigorous, methodologically innovative, and diverse approaches to research and evaluation, while also engaging with actors who are still often spoken for or about, rather than with. This book was originally published as a special issue of Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health.

Contemporary sport psychology is a rapidly developing and theoretically rich discipline, and a sophisticated and challenging profession. The Routledge International Handbook of Sport Psychology offers a comprehensive and authoritative guide to contemporary sport psychology in all its aspects. Written by a team of world-leading researchers and practitioners from five continents, including both established scholars and the best emerging talents, the book traces the contours of the discipline of sport psychology, introducing fundamental theory, discussing key issues in applied practice, and exploring the most important themes, topics and debates across the sport psychology curriculum. Uniquely, the book presents comparative studies of the history and contemporary practice of sport psychology in ten countries, including the US, UK, China, Japan, Brazil, Russia and Israel, helping the reader to understand the cultural and contextual factors that shape international practice in sport psychology. As well as covering in depth the core pillars of sport psychology, from motivation and cognition to group dynamics, the book also includes a full section on cultural sport psychology, a vital but under-explored sub-discipline that is having a profound influence on contemporary theory and practice. With 56 chapters and unparalleled range, depth and currency, the Routledge Handbook of International Sport Psychology is an essential addition to any library with a serious holding in sport psychology.

Qualitative forms of inquiry are a dynamic and exciting area within contemporary research in sport, exercise and health. Students and researchers at all levels are now expected to understand qualitative approaches and be able to employ them in their work. In this comprehensive and in-depth introductory text, Andrew C. Sparkes and Brett Smith take the reader on a journey through the entire qualitative research process that begins with the conceptualization of ideas and the planning of a study, moves through the phases of data collection and analysis, and then explains how findings might be represented in various ways to different audiences. Ethical issues are also explored in detail, as well as the ways that the goodness of qualitative research might be judged by its consumers. The book is based on the view that researchers need to make principled, informed and strategic decisions about what, why, when, and how to use qualitative forms of inquiry. The nature of qualitative research is explained in terms of both its core assumptions and what practitioners actually do in the field when they collect data and subject it to analysis. Each chapter is vividly illustrated with cases and examples from published research, to demonstrate different qualitative approaches in action and their relative strengths and weaknesses. The book also extends the boundaries of qualitative research by exploring innovative contemporary methodologies and novel ways to report research findings. Qualitative Research Methods in Sport, Exercise and Health is essential reading for any student, researcher or professional who wishes to understand this form of inquiry and to engage in a research project within a sport, exercise or health context.

Community-based research has recently gained attention within the sport and exercise sciences. When seeking to understand community based research methodologies, one finds a diversity of approaches spanning a breadth of ontological views and equally diverse methodological approaches. Though little is known about community-based sport, exercise and physical activity research, these foci are beginning to gain scholarly attention, in part through the emerging sport for development and peace literature. This book features a conceptual introduction and eight pioneering examples of community-based research from North American, European, and Oceanic scholars. The topic matter reveals scholarship undertaken in relation to health, physical activity, youth sport, and elite sport, exemplifying work with mainstream and marginalized populations. This book, perhaps the first compilation of community-based research relating to sport, exercise and health, will be of interest to sociologists of sport, sport and exercise psychology scholars, sport management scholars, qualitative researchers, health scholars and practitioners, sport for development organizations, and research ready communities seeking to engage in localized research projects. This book was published as a special issue of Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health.

Academic research on the Paralympics and disability sport is growing. University courses, governing bodies, and sporting organisations are also witnessing a rise of interest in disabled sport. This book is therefore timely and of importance. Written by leading scholars, it addresses a variety of topics in relation to the Paralympics and disability sport. These include: the sociology of Paralympic sport; sport coaching at recreational and elite level; sport history and exercise rehabilitation; exercise participation; and future directions for disability sport research. Throughout the book, disability sport is both celebrated and critically examined. Critical questions are raised, and practical suggestions offered, about being a Paralympian, coaching athletes with a disability, and exercise as a form of rehabilitation. Empirical evidence is drawn from different people and various sports. These range from autoethnographic stories from a former Paralympian, to interviews with disability sport administrators, to observations of and interviews with coaches of athletes in the sports of adapted water skiing, para-swimming, and wheelchair basketball, rugby and tennis. The book will be of interest to sociologists of sport, sport coaches, sport and exercise psychologists, disability scholars, qualitative researchers, and disability sporting organisations. This book was published as a special issue of Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health.

Within qualitative research in the social sciences, the last decade has witnessed a growing interest in the use of visual methods. Visual Methods in Physical Culture is the first book in the field of sport and exercise sciences dedicated to harnessing the potential of using visual methods within qualitative research. Theoretically insightful, and methodologically innovative, this book represents a landmark addition to the field of studies in sport, exercise, the body, and qualitative methods. It covers a wide range of empirical work, theories, and visual image-based research, including photography, drawing, and video. In so doing, the book deepens our understanding of physical culture. It also responds to key questions, such as what are visual methods, why might they be used, and how might they be applied in the field of sport and exercise sciences. This volume combines clarity of expression with careful scholarship and originality, making it especially appealing to students and scholars within a variety of fields, including sport sociology, sport and exercise psychology, sociology of the body, physical education, gender studies, gerontology, and qualitative inquiry. This book was published as a special issue in Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise.

Qualitative forms of inquiry are a dynamic and exciting area within contemporary research in sport, exercise and health. Students and researchers at all levels are now expected to understand qualitative approaches and be able to employ them in their work. In this comprehensive and in-depth introductory text, Andrew C. Sparkes and Brett Smith take the reader on a journey through the entire qualitative research process that begins with the conceptualization of ideas and the planning of a study, moves through the phases of data collection and analysis, and then explains how findings might be represented in various ways to different audiences. Ethical issues are also explored in detail, as well as the ways that the goodness of qualitative research might be judged by its consumers. The book is based on the view that researchers need to make principled, informed and strategic decisions about what, why, when, and how to use qualitative forms of inquiry. The nature of qualitative research is explained in terms of both its core assumptions and what practitioners actually do in the field when they collect data and subject it to analysis. Each chapter is vividly illustrated with cases and examples from published research, to demonstrate different qualitative approaches in action and their relative strengths and weaknesses. The book also extends the boundaries of qualitative research by exploring innovative contemporary methodologies and novel ways to report research findings. Qualitative Research Methods in Sport, Exercise and Health is essential reading for any student, researcher or professional who wishes to understand this form of inquiry and to engage in a research project within a sport, exercise or health context.

Over the past two decades, scholars and practitioners have taken a keen interest in the field of Sport for Development and Peace (SDP). These efforts have largely focused on and debated the merits of sport as a tool for development, diplomacy, and peacebuilding in under-resourced, underdeveloped, and conflict regions. Making sense of the positive contributions that sport can offer to such complex and multi-faceted issues requires understanding the various connections and meanings that individuals and communities ascribe to their sporting experiences. This book offers a unique outlet for research that engages with, rather than makes claims about, individuals and communities around the world. Diverse, contemporary, and thought-provoking examples of qualitative methods in the study of SDP are detailed, along with rich, meaningful, and provocative insights from these studies. Readers are invited to think critically about the fields of enquiry, philosophical underpinnings, and methodologies utilised, as well as the audiences engaged and topics explored. We hope readers will join us in considering how these chapters can push the SDP field into more rigorous, methodologically innovative, and diverse approaches to research and evaluation, while also engaging with actors who are still often spoken for or about, rather than with. This book was originally published as a special issue of Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health.

Contemporary sport psychology is a rapidly developing and theoretically rich discipline, and a sophisticated and challenging profession. The Routledge International Handbook of Sport Psychology offers a comprehensive and authoritative guide to contemporary sport psychology in all its aspects. Written by a team of world-leading researchers and practitioners from five continents, including both established scholars and the best emerging talents, the book traces the contours of the discipline of sport psychology, introducing fundamental theory, discussing key issues in applied practice, and exploring the most important themes, topics and debates across the sport psychology curriculum. Uniquely, the book presents comparative studies of the history and contemporary practice of sport psychology in ten countries, including the US, UK, China, Japan, Brazil, Russia and Israel, helping the reader to understand the cultural and contextual factors that shape international practice in sport psychology. As well as covering in depth the core pillars of sport psychology, from motivation and cognition to group dynamics, the book also includes a full section on cultural sport psychology, a vital but under-explored sub-discipline that is having a profound influence on contemporary theory and practice. With 56 chapters and unparalleled range, depth and currency, the Routledge Handbook of International Sport Psychology is an essential addition to any library with a serious holding in sport psychology.

The last two decades have witnessed a proliferation of qualitative research in sport and exercise. The Routledge Handbook of Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise is the first book to offer an in-depth survey of established and emerging qualitative methods, from conceptual first principles to practice and process. Written and edited by a team of world-leading researchers, and some of the best emerging talents, the book introduces a range of research traditions within which qualitative researchers work. It explores the different methods used to collect and analyse data, offering rationales for why each method might be chosen and guidance on how to employ each technique successfully. It also introduces important contemporary debates and goes further than any other book in exploring new methods, concepts, and future directions, such as sensory research, digital research, visual methods and how qualitative research can generate impact. Cutting-edge, timely and comprehensive, the Routledge Handbook of Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise is an essential reference for any student or scholar using qualitative methods in sport and exercise-related research.

The last two decades have witnessed a proliferation of qualitative research in sport and exercise. The Routledge Handbook of Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise is the first book to offer an in-depth survey of established and emerging qualitative methods, from conceptual first principles to practice and process. Written and edited by a team of world-leading researchers, and some of the best emerging talents, the book introduces a range of research traditions within which qualitative researchers work. It explores the different methods used to collect and analyse data, offering rationales for why each method might be chosen and guidance on how to employ each technique successfully. It also introduces important contemporary debates and goes further than any other book in exploring new methods, concepts, and future directions, such as sensory research, digital research, visual methods, and how qualitative research can generate impact. Cutting-edge, timely and comprehensive, the Routledge Handbook of Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise is an essential reference for any student or scholar using qualitative methods in sport and exercise-related research.