| Abstract: | Recently, the study of sport and sport-related behavior has become of particular interest to scientists. As the field of physical education expands, various subdisciplines have emerged which generally employ conventional research methods. The purpose of the present paper is to suggest that in addition to the traditional experimental method, sport researchers can find valuable use for non-experimental methodologies. These techniques, which are currently underused in sport research, can facilitate the study of questions that are applied in nature. Several designs and alternatives are presented and reviewed, including time series designs, multiple baseline case designs, and field experiments. Specific examples from sport situations are provided to demonstrate the potential usefulness of these designs in the applied setting. Recommendations for integrating basic and applied research orientations are also discussed. This dualistic approach is viewed as an essential function for a maturing field of study. |
