Routledge Handbook of Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise

The last two decades have witnessed a proliferation of qualitative research in sport and exercise, both in terms of the number of research studies and their relative importance. In some sub-disciplines, such as the sociology of sport or sport psychology, qualitative studies have become perhaps the most significant and innovative mode of contemporary research. TheRoutledge Handbook of Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise is the first book to offer a fully comprehensive, in-depth survey of established and emerging qualitative methods, from conceptual first principles to practice and process.

Written and edited by world-leading qualitative researchers, the book reflects upon the nature of qualitative research and introduces the full range of research traditions within which qualitative researchers work. It explores the different methods used to collect and analyse date, examining the strength and weaknesses of each method and offering guidance on how to successfully employ each technique. The book also introduces important contemporary debates in qualitative research, such as those around validity and research ethics, and discusses established and emerging ways of evaluating and communicating qualitative research. The handbook goes further than any other book in exploring exciting new methods and concepts in qualitative research, such as digital research and visual methods, and highlights potential future avenues for qualitative inquiry in sport and exercise.

Cutting-edge, timely and extensive, the Routledge Handbook of Qualitative Research in Sport and Exerciseis an essential reference for any student, researcher or scholar using qualitative methods in sport and exercise-related research.

Brett Smith is Reader in Qualitative Health Research at Loughborough University, UK. Working at the intersection of sport psychology and the sociology of sport, his research interests concern disability, health, and wellbeing, narrative theory, and the development of qualitative research methods. He has over 100 publications and has given over 100 invited talks on these themes. By invitation, on several occasions Brett has presented his research on disability in the UK Government Houses of Parliament. He is Associate Editor of the journal Psychology, Sport and Exercise andserves on 6 editorial boards. Brett is also Editor-in-Chief of the international journalQualitative Research in Sport, Exercise, and Health (Taylor and Francis: Routledge). He has edited of 2 books and with Andrew C. Sparkes is the co-author ofQualitative research in sport, exercise, and health: From process to product (Routledge).

Andrew C. Sparkes is Professor of Sport, Physical Activity & Leisure in the Research Institute for Sport, Physical Activity & Leisure in the Carnegie Faculty at Leeds Metropolitan University, UK. His interests revolve around qualitative methods and the ways that people experience different forms of embodiment over time in a variety of contexts. He has over 150 publications and has given over 200 invited talks on these themes. Andrew serves of 3 editorial boards and is an advisory board member of Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise, and Health (Taylor and Francis: Routledge). He has edited numerous books and written several as sole author. His most recent book, with Brett Smith, is entitledQualitative research in sport, exercise, and health: From process to product (Taylor and Francis: Routledge).