Research in focus: Sports science conference highlights new approaches

Research in focus: Sports science conference highlights new approaches

The 8th annual meeting of the “Qualitative Research in Sports Science” network will take place on September 8, 2025. This event is organized by the Institute for Pedagogy and Philosophy at the German Sport University Cologne. The aim of the conference is to discuss in depth the requirements of the research process, which will be discussed in five panels.

It starts with a keynote speech by Thomas Alkemeyer from the University of Oldenburg. He emphasizes that research subjects and practice are shaped by specific habits of perception, thinking and action. Alkemeyer emphasizes how important reflecting on these dimensions of habitus is for the quality of qualitative research.

Epistemological perspectives

This is followed by an impulse from Jörg Streibing from the University of Tübingen, who presents an argument for a pragmatist epistemology. He calls for a balance between skepticism and realism in research in order to achieve valid results.

The third panel, led by Larissa Schindler from the University of Bayreuth, is dedicated to the need for social theoretical levels in qualitative research. Schindler discusses the far-reaching consequences of choosing between examining “discourses” or “practices.”

Jonas Barth from the University of Bremen leads the fourth panel, which deals with the entanglement of qualitative research in social theory. Barth highlights the fact that although research is universal, its objects are historically constructed in concrete terms.

The conference concludes with a keynote speech by Daniel Rode from the University of Salzburg. It underlines the need to make decisions in the research process and to emphasize the theoretical breakdown of the subject for the reconstruction of empirical experiences.

Feminist epistemology and social inequality

Another significant approach in qualitative research is discussed in the article “Uses of feminist epistemology for participatory research in the context of social inequality” by Lena Tanzer and Helga Fasching. This article, published in the journal Forum qualitative social research, addresses the relevance of participatory research, particularly in the context of social inequality.

The authors argue that including marginalized groups as co-researchers is not only important in terms of research ethics, but also epistemologically. This is made clear by the discussion about research hierarchies and subject positions, whereby recognition is viewed as an appreciative attitude and a performative speech act.

A central concept of the article is the illustration of the methodological and methodological interactions between feminist epistemology and participatory research. An example of this is the use of reflecting teams in the research project “Cooperation for Inclusion in Educational Transitions”.

These approaches and discussions highlight the complexity and challenges of qualitative research, particularly in the fields of sports science and social inequality. The interdisciplinary perspectives that will be highlighted at the annual conference today are indispensable for contemporary and reflexive research practice.

Further information about the events and the topics presented can be found at dshs-koeln.de, as well as the article from Tanzer und Fasching soztheo.de and up fachportal-paedagogik.de.