Envisioning Scholar-Practitioner Collaborations: Building Communities of Practice in Education and Sport presents a collection of case studies of collaborations between scholars and practitioners dedicated to both the generation of new knowledge and innovative best practices at the nexus of education and sport. This inaugural text in a series sponsored by the Research Focus on Education and Sport Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association seeks to reveal a number of educational spaces in which this critical work takes place. The volume, comprising ten unique collaborations, outlines the important intellectual and social work of scholar-practitioners at the intersection of institutional sport and education at a variety of sites, both in school and in non-school settings. Each of these chapters has a unique set of research questions, programmatic goals and findings. For the purpose of this book, however, contributors have described the nature of their collaborations-for whom and by whom these collaborations are forged-such that the "findings" are presented as lessons learned from the process of collaboration. This book reveals educational spaces where scholars and practitioners are collaborating and generating new understandings of the world we know. We characterize this effort as mutually beneficial and respectful, engendering a vision of hope, exploration and educational transformation.

This book represents the first international collection that challenges current thinking and research in the emerging field of nature sport. In simple terms nature sports refer to a group of sporting activities that predominantly take place in natural and rural areas. Participation can be both competitive and recreational, with the primary aim to work with nature rather than against it, where participants seek harmony with nature rather than seeking to conquer it. Within this book, experts from around the globe consider the very essence of nature sport(s), including numerous practical examples of it in action, offering invaluable insights to those both familiar and new to the field. Driven by an increase in non-traditional sports, coupled with growing concerns about the environment, nature sports have experienced significant expansion and interest in both participation and academic debate. Owing to its inherent connections with fields such as business, leisure, health, tourism, and education, academic discourse has attracted perspectives from a wide range of theoretical viewpoints – much of which are discussed within this collection. This book is a valuable resource for students and academics in fields such as alternative sports, alternative sport subcultures, sport philosophy, sport and social issues, ethics, and phenomenology. It is also a fascinating read for outdoor educators and practitioners. The chapters in this book were originally published as special issues in Annals of Leisure Research.

This book outlines the impacts of small scale sport tourism events on local sustainable development in different countries. Using half marathons organized in small and medium sized cities as an example, the chapters are robust case studies, applying a unified methodology in order to provide a clear overview of the sport tourism system in each country. The book begins with a description of the methodologies used and an overview of the countries studied. The country chapters focus on several dimensions of sport tourism in each city, including but not limited to the history of past sport tourism events in the municipality, the characteristics of the city hosting the event, the demographic profile of participants in the event, and the quantifiable economic, environmental, and sociocultural impacts of the event. Each chapter concludes with analysis and policy recommendations for holding future events that contribute to local sustainable development. The book concludes by summarizing and comparing the main results across different countries, and presenting main conclusions and overarching recommendations. Written by international experts in sports tourism, this book is geared towards academic researchers and students, interested in sport tourism, sports economics, management, and sustainable development, as well as policy makers and professionals tasked with bringing such events to their cities.

This book outlines the impacts of small scale sport tourism events on local sustainable development in different countries. Using half marathons organized in small and medium sized cities as an example, the chapters are robust case studies, applying a unified methodology in order to provide a clear overview of the sport tourism system in each country. The book begins with a description of the methodologies used and an overview of the countries studied. The country chapters focus on several dimensions of sport tourism in each city, including but not limited to the history of past sport tourism events in the municipality, the characteristics of the city hosting the event, the demographic profile of participants in the event, and the quantifiable economic, environmental, and sociocultural impacts of the event. Each chapter concludes with analysis and policy recommendations for holding future events that contribute to local sustainable development. The book concludes by summarizing and comparing the main results across different countries, and presenting main conclusions and overarching recommendations. Written by international experts in sports tourism, this book is geared towards academic researchers and students, interested in sport tourism, sports economics, management, and sustainable development, as well as policy makers and professionals tasked with bringing such events to their cities.

Envisioning Scholar-Practitioner Collaborations: Building Communities of Practice in Education and Sport presents a collection of case studies of collaborations between scholars and practitioners dedicated to both the generation of new knowledge and innovative best practices at the nexus of education and sport. This inaugural text in a series sponsored by the Research Focus on Education and Sport Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association seeks to reveal a number of educational spaces in which this critical work takes place. The volume, comprising ten unique collaborations, outlines the important intellectual and social work of scholar-practitioners at the intersection of institutional sport and education at a variety of sites, both in school and in non-school settings. Each of these chapters has a unique set of research questions, programmatic goals and findings. For the purpose of this book, however, contributors have described the nature of their collaborations-for whom and by whom these collaborations are forged-such that the "findings" are presented as lessons learned from the process of collaboration. This book reveals educational spaces where scholars and practitioners are collaborating and generating new understandings of the world we know. We characterize this effort as mutually beneficial and respectful, engendering a vision of hope, exploration and educational transformation.