Summary
Contents
This book systematically demonstrates the significance and application of method in plain language.
Written for students, this book contains the core methodological concepts, practices, and debates they need to understand and apply research methods within the field of sport and exercise. It provides a comprehensive panoramic introduction which will reassure and empower its readers.
Written by a leading academic, and drawing on years of teaching experience, it includes carefully cross-referenced entries which critically engage with interdisciplinary themes and data.
Each concept includes:
Clear Definitions; Suggestions for Further Reading; Comprehensive Examples; Practical Applications
Pragmatic, lucid, and concise, the book will provide essential support to students in sport and exercise science, kinesiology, and health.
Causality
Causality
What Is This Concept?
While there are clear differences between the concepts of causality and correlation and their implications, students struggle with their relationship on a yearly basis. The difference between the two is rather straightforward in principle, but difficult to envision at times in practice. In what follows, I'll attempt to strip away much of the methodological and statistical jargon typically involved in articulating their relationship. From the onset, let's remember that correlation and causation are part of the methodological lexicon of the positivist researcher. They are central in the analysis of data, and in the testing/assessment of hypotheses derived from theories. To help explain the difference, let's focus on a research example. Imagine I have developed a study to examine the relationship between ...
