Research Methods in Physical Activity

Jerry Thomas, EdD, retired in 2016 from the University of North Texas, where he served as a professor and dean of the College of Education. He has authored more than 200 publications, 120 of which are in refereed journals. In 1999 SHAPE America named him the C.H. McCloy Lecturer for his production of research throughout his career. Thomas has been editor in chief of Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport and a reviewer for most major research journals in kinesiology and numerous journals in psychology. He has also served as president of the National Academy of Kinesiology (NAK), founding president of American Kinesiology Association (AKA), AAHPERD Research Consortium (now SHAPE America), and North American Society for Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA). In 1990 he was named an AAHPERD Alliance Scholar and in 2003 was named a NASPSPA Distinguished Scholar based on lifetime achievement in research. Thomas received an honorary doctorate of science from his undergraduate institution, Furman University, in the spring of 2015.Philip Martin, PhD, is a professor emeritus in the department of kinesiology at Iowa State University. Previously, he served as the head of the department of kinesiology at Penn State and as chair of exercise science and physical education at Arizona State University in Tempe. Martin’s research activities have addressed mechanical factors influencing the economy and efficiency of walking, running, and cycling. He has authored 80 research articles and book chapters and presented at regional, national, and international professional meetings. Martin is an active member and fellow of the American Society of Biomechanics (ASB), the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and the National Academy of Kinesiology (NAK). He serves on the board of directors and the executive board of the American Kinesiology Association (AKA). He is a former president of the NAK and the ABS and former vice president of the AKA. He has also served on the editorial board of the International Journal of Sport Biomechanics, as an associate editor for the Journal of Applied Biomechanics, and as a biomechanics section editor for Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport. Additionally, he served on the scientific advisory committee for the U.S. Olympic Committee Sports Medicine Council.Jennifer L. Etnier, PhD, is a Julia Taylor Morton Distinguished Professor and chair of the department of kinesiology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she has received the Health and Human Performance Teaching Award and UNCG Alumni Teaching Excellence Award. Etnier’s research focuses on the cognitive benefits of physical activity. She has authored over 90 peer-reviewed research articles and contributed to over 20 book chapters and editorials. She is also the author of two books for the lay public focused on the youth sport experience: Bring Your “A” Game and Coaching for the Love of the Game. Etnier is a past president of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA), where she had previously served on the executive board. She is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the National Academy of Kinesiology (NAK), where she also served as member-at-large. Etnier serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology and the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, where she previously served as editor in chief.Steve Silverman, EdD, is a professor of education and senior advisor to the provost for research preparation at Teachers College at Columbia University. He has taught and written about research methods for more than 30 years and has conducted research on teaching in physical education focusing on how children learn motor skill and develop attitudes. He has published more than 80 research articles in addition to many books and book chapters. Silverman is a fellow and past president of the National Academy of Kinesiology (NAK) and the AAHPERD Research Consortium (now SHAPE America) and a fellow of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). A former coeditor of the Journal of Teaching in Physical Education and former editor in chief of the Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, Silverman was an AERA Physical Education Scholar Lecturer, a Research Consortium Scholar Lecturer, and Weiss Lecturer and Alliance Scholar for AAHPERD. In 2010, he was inducted into the Kinesiology and Health Education Hall of Honor at the University of Texas at Austin.

• Part I. Overview of the Research ProcessChapter 1. Introduction to Research in Physical ActivityThe Nature of ResearchUnscientific Versus Scientific Methods of Problem-SolvingAlternative Models of ResearchTypes of ResearchOverview of the Research ProcessParts of a Thesis: A Reflection on the Steps in the Research ProcessSummaryChapter 2. Developing the Problem and Using the LiteratureIdentifying the Research ProblemPurpose of the Literature ReviewBasic Literature Search StrategiesSteps in the Literature SearchSummaryChapter 3. Presenting the ProblemChoosing the TitleDeveloping the Introduction: Background and JustificationStating the Research PurposePresenting the Research HypothesisOperationally Defining TermsBasic Assumptions, Delimitations, and LimitationsJustifying the Significance of the StudyDifferences Between the Thesis and the Research ArticleSummaryChapter 4. Formulating the MethodHow to Present Methodological DetailsWhy Planning the Methods Is ImportantTwo Principles for Planning ExperimentsDescribing ParticipantsSelecting and Describing InstrumentsDescribing ProceduresDescribing Design and AnalysisEstablishing Cause and EffectInteraction of Participants, Measurements, and TreatmentsSummaryChapter 5. Ethical Issues in Research and ScholarshipSeven Areas of Research MisconductEthical Issues Regarding CopyrightModel for Considering Scientific MisconductWorking With FacultyProtecting Human ParticipantsProtecting Animal SubjectsSummaryPart II. Statistical and Measurement Concepts in ResearchChapter 6. Becoming Acquainted With Statistical ConceptsWhy We Need StatisticsUse of Computers in Statistical AnalysisDescription and Inference Are Not Statistical TechniquesWays to Select a SampleWays to Assign Participants to GroupsPost Hoc JustificationsDifficulty of Random Sampling and Assignment: How Good Must It Be?Measures of Central Tendency and VariabilityBasic Concepts of Statistical TechniquesData for Use in the Remaining Statistical ChaptersSummaryChapter 7. Statistical Issues in Research Planning and EvaluationProbabilityHypothesis TestingMeaningfulness (Effect Size)PowerUsing Information in the Context of the StudySummaryChapter 8. Relationships of VariablesWhat Correlational Research InvestigatesUnderstanding the Nature of CorrelationWhat the Coefficient of Correlation MeansUsing Correlation for PredictionPartial CorrelationSemipartial CorrelationProcedures for Multiple RegressionLogistic RegressionDiscriminant Function AnalysisModerators and MediatorsMultivariate Forms of CorrelationSummaryChapter 9. Differences Between GroupsHow Statistics Test DifferencesTypes of t TestsInterpreting tRelationship of t and rAnalysis of VarianceAnalysis of CovarianceExperiment-Wise Error RateUnderstanding Multivariate TechniquesSummaryChapter 10. Nonparametric TechniquesChi Square: Testing the Observed Versus the ExpectedProcedures for Rank-Order DataCorrelationDifferences Between GroupsSummaryChapter 11. Measuring Research VariablesValidityReliabilityMethods of Establishing ReliabilityIntertester Reliability (Objectivity)Standard Error of MeasurementUsing Standard Scores to Compare PerformanceMeasuring MovementMeasuring Written ResponsesMeasuring Affective BehaviorScales for MeasurementMeasuring KnowledgeItem Response TheorySummaryPart III. Types of ResearchChapter 12. Sociohistorical Process in Sport StudiesDevelopment of the DisciplineTheory and Sport HistoryRelationship Between Theory and MethodResearch SourcesResearch TopicsResearch DesignData Analysis and InterpretationResearch FindingsExemplary Studies in Sport HistorySummaryChapter 13. Philosophical Research in Physical ActivityIdentifying the Purposes of Philosophical ResearchPhilosophical Inquiry ContinuumLocating a Research ProblemAnalyzing a Research ProblemSummaryAppendixChapter 14. Research Synthesis (Meta-Analysis and Systematic Reviews)Purpose of Research SynthesisPresenting Effect Size DataSummaryChapter 15. SurveysQuestionnairesAdditional Considerations for Online SurveysDelphi MethodPersonal InterviewsNormative SurveysSummaryChapter 16. Other Descriptive Research MethodsDevelopmental ResearchCase StudiesObservational ResearchUnobtrusive Research TechniquesCorrelational ResearchSummaryChapter 17. Physical Activity Epidemiology ResearchU.S. National Physical Activity Guidelines and PlanObservational Versus Experimental ResearchWhat Is Physical Activity Epidemiology?Definitions of Physical Activity and Its ComponentsAssessment of Physical ActivityEpidemiological Study DesignsReading and Interpreting a Physical Activity Epidemiological StudySummaryChapter 18. Experimental and Quasi-Experimental ResearchSources of InvalidityThreats to Internal ValidityThreats to External ValidityControlling Threats to Internal ValidityControlling Threats to External ValidityTypes of DesignsSummaryChapter 19. Qualitative ResearchProcedures in Qualitative ResearchData AnalysisConcluding RemarksSummaryChapter 20. Mixed-Methods ResearchCombining Quantitative and Qualitative MethodsDesigning Mixed-Methods ResearchIssues in Mixed-Methods ResearchExamples of Mixed-Methods ResearchSummaryPart IV. Writing the Research ReportChapter 21. Completing the Research ProcessResearch ProposalThesis and Dissertation ProposalsAdvisor and Dissertation CommitteeThe Good Scholar Must Research and WriteScientific WritingFirst Things Are Sometimes Best Done LastDeveloping a Good IntroductionDescribing the MethodsThe Proposal ProcessPreparing and Presenting Qualitative Research ProposalsWriting Proposals for Granting AgenciesSubmitting Internal ProposalsCompleting Your Thesis or DissertationResults and DiscussionHandling Multiple Experiments in a Single ReportUsing Tables and FiguresSummaryChapter 22. Ways of Reporting ResearchBasic Writing GuidelinesA Brief Word About AcknowledgmentsThesis and Dissertation Format: Traditional Versus JournalHelpful Hints for Successful Journal WritingRevising Research PapersWriting AbstractsMaking Oral and Poster PresentationsSummaryAppendix. Statistical Tables