Conducting observations in sport and exercise settings

Whether it is a sport scientist watching their participant’s responses to an exercise load, a psychologist witnessing a tennis player’s reactions to loss, or a sociologist making sense of the ritualistic drinking patterns in a male rugby team, observations are almost always part of the research process. In this chapter we bring observations as a method of data collection centre stage and critically examine the value of observations for sociological and psychological research on human behaviour in sport and exercise settings. We begin with a brief explanation of why sport and exercise researchers should use observations, before highlighting how this method differs depending on the paradigm within which a researcher is working. We then draw upon the literature and our own research experiences to offer suggestions as to how to use observations in sport and exercise settings. All this is vital to making informed decisions about how to use observations to collect data. This is especially so as the practice of observation rarely receives sustained discussion in the methods sections of particular studies, or textbooks on research methods.