Article: DRMJ vol14 no02 2025-Clanek 6
Publication:
DOI:
doi:10.17708/DRMJ.2025.v14n02a06
Author(s):
Excerpt:
Research in sport management often defaults to cross‐sectional surveys analyzed with regression or structural equation modeling, even when questions and data environments call for temporal, experimental, ethnographic, or integrated designs. This paper addresses that misalignment by advancing method–question fit as the organizing principle for design in sport. We (a) synthesize how quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods are actually used in sport and where each is strongest; (b) present a five‐step, sport‐specific decision framework (align question–theory, audit data/access, balance epistemology and feasibility, plan ethics by design, and integrate methods for innovation); and (c) consolidate guardrails for quality (psychometrics, model fit and invariance, qualitative trustworthiness, and mixed‐methods integration). Theoretically, we articulate a sport‐specific evidentiary logic, an integration blueprint joining variance and process explanations, and a reliability/transportability charter suited to proprietary data contexts. We conclude with practical implications for organizations and training, and a future research agenda emphasizing longitudinal, experimental, ethnographic, and mixed‐methods programs.
Pages:
81-93
Keywords: