Anglia Ruskin Research Online (ARRO)
Browse
1/1
2 files

Apples and Oranges? Establishing Equivalence in Comparative Sport Policy Research

journal contribution
posted on 2023-08-30, 19:08 authored by Mathew Dowling, Spencer Harris
The notion of equivalence is important in the context of comparative studies, such as those that compare performance across sporting nations or those that compare good governance across different sport organisations. However, despite its importance, the concept has been interpreted and employed in different ways, resulting in the term being misunderstood or conflated. This article examines the concept of equivalence, discusses how issues of non-equivalence can arise, and identifies potential strategies that can be employed by researchers to ensure it is more appropriately addressed. We examine and apply three main types of equivalence (construct, sample and functional) to two empirical cases, (1) the SPLISS analysis of critical success factors in elite sport policy and (2) Play the Game’s Sport Governance Observer to demonstrate how researchers attempt to overcome or at least mitigate the problems of equivalence and how, despite these efforts, there remain equivalence-related problems that limit the reliability and credibility of comparative elements of the study. We conclude our paper by discussing the implications for comparative sport research and specifically how future comparative sport research may be enhanced.

History

Refereed

  • Yes

Volume

14

Issue number

2

Page range

191-206

Publication title

International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics

ISSN

1940-6959

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

File version

  • Accepted version

Language

  • eng

Legacy posted date

2021-10-04

Legacy creation date

2021-10-04

Legacy Faculty/School/Department

Faculty of Science & Engineering

Usage metrics

    ARU Outputs

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC