Historical and Philosophical Methods of Research

Historical and Philosophical Methods of Research

Emily H. Wughalter, Ed.D.Spring 2007

Research Methods in Kinesiology

Historical Procedures

Historical Research Defined

• Examination of what occurred in the past• Historians explain change over time

Clear Question/problem

• Formulate a question/problem• Collect source materials• Criticize source materials• Formulate hypotheses to explain events or

conditions• Draw conclusions

Process of Historical Research

• Collect facts• Select facts• Verify facts• Classify facts

Sport History Journals

• Journal of Sport History• International Journal of Sport History• Canadian Journal of Sport History

Context

• Good forms of historical research place the idea in context

• Integrate time, places, people, and events

Primary Sources

• Eye witness• Autobiography• Letters• First hand knowledge

Get lots of views!!!

Secondary Sources

• Books• Newspapers• Second hand information• Textbooks

Official Records

• Federal• State• Local• Church/Synagogue/Mosque/Temple• Professional Organizations

Personal Records

• Diaries• Autobiographies• Letters• Wills• Deeds• Contracts

Oral Tradition

• Myths• Folklore• Dances• Games

Pictures

• Photos• CDs• Microfilm• Microfiche

Published

• Newspapers• Pamphlets

Mechanical Records

• Tapes• Records• CDs

External Criticism

• Authenticity• Is the article really written when it was

supposed to be written?• Is the article really written by whom it was

supposed to be written?

Internal Criticism

• Accuracy of the record• Record of agreement among the sources

Historical Research

• Descriptive – lists names and dates – analyses of who, what, where

• Analytic or interpretive – analyzes how and why

• Draw conclusions

Modern Trends

• Quantitatively based• Oral history• Video history• Electronic sources

Ordering the Document

• Chronologically• By subject matter• A combination of chronology and subject

Problems Encountered in Historical Research

• Overuse of secondary source materials• Not enough internal criticism• Poor weaving together of thoughts• Lack of context, need to ground information in an

historical context• Personal bias• Poor writing style• Insufficiently thought out methodology• Poor record keeping

Historians Use a Different Way of Searching for the Truth

• Must love to read• Must love to work alone• Must like detective work• Must be able to stick to it• Must love to write

Historians Investigate

• Individuals• Institutions• Organizations• Laws• Curricula• Administrative structures• Textbooks• Programs

Examples of Historical Research in Kinesiology

• Study of intramural programs• Development of women’s athletics• Play patterns of a specific culture

Examples

• Heracles at Olympia and the Exclusion of Women in the Ancient Olympic Games (Mouratidis)

• An Outline of the History of Women and Western Sport in Japan (Seiwa)

• Transgressions and Transcendence: Surpassing Disciplinary Boundaries (Wughalter)

Philosophical Research

Philosophical Research Defined

• Philosophical research is concerned with logical implications that flow from facts.

• In philosophical research the investigator presents a case for a particular perspective or develops a concept, theory, or position by using the methods of induction and deduction.

Induction

• Inductive reasoning is based upon empirical observations (data) where science moves in the direction from data to theory.

Deduction

• Uses the syllogism (based 2 statements and 1 conclusion)– All men are mammals.– All mammals are mortal.– All men are mortal.

- All men are mortal.- All women are immortal.

• In a syllogism the two statements are used to deduce (to make inference) the conclusion.

Ideas for Philosophical Research

• Should physical education programs be adopted on an everyday basis in public school physical education?

• What are the purposes of adapted physical education?

• Should the IOC conduct DNA tests?• Should athletes be able to genetically

engineer their bodies for sport?

Examples of Philosophical Research

• The Philosophical Conflicts in Men’s and Women’s Athletics (J. Hult)

• Sport, Sex Roles and Sex Identity (M. Ann Hall)• Women in Sport: The Synthesis Begins (C.

Oglesby)• Knowledge and Kinesiology (S. Estes)• I Hit a Home Run!” The Lived Meaning of

Scoring in Games in Physical Education (N. P. Wessinger)

Descriptive Research