A study on the role of sports in international peace and development using the Delphi method

<p>"In the emerging field of sport for development and peace (SDP), there are many programs working with communities using an array of techniques, methods and sports. Despite the progress and successes of these programs, there seems to be a scant amount of studies in the literature in supporting the role of sports as a viable catalyst for development, peace, social cohesion and conflict resolution. In answering the call for more empirical evaluations, this thesis investigated the role of sports in international peace and development within the context of SDP programs. The Delphi method of data collection was applied, where three rounds of surveys were administered. Content experts (CE) who are the administrators of SDP programs were contacted by e-mail, and their responses were collected using Google Documents and SurveyGizmo. Afterwards, the CEs were instructed to reach consensus on seven research questions that were categorized in the areas of peace, development, necessary aspects, prime benefits, major challenges, overcoming challenges and effective sport. The research questions were developed based on an extensive review of the literature. Findings reached from the consensus by CEs revealed several themes that highlight the success and challenges of SDP programs. These themes include: community, funding & fundraiser, women and cultural barriers, evaluation and measurement, and sports as a means not an end. There is no study in the current literature that takes this approach in examining SDP programs, and therefore the present study enhances the understanding of SDP programs and establishes the foundation for further research"--Document.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS) in Physical Education: Sports and Recreation Administration

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis: EWU Only

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Physical Education, Health and Recreation

Year

2013

Author dc:creator

• Abdirizak, Ahmed

Contributors dc:contributor

• Chadron Hazelbaker
• Rob Sauders
• Alan Basham

• Sports--Social aspects
• Sports--Economic aspects--Developing countries
• Sports--Sociological aspects
• Peace
• Exercise Science

Statement dc:rights

• Access perpetually restricted to EWU users with an active EWU NetID

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dc.ewu.edu/theses/117

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dc.ewu.edu:theses-1116