1st Edition

Research Methods in Applied Sport Psychology

By Paul McCarthy, Sahen Gupta, Jamie Barker Copyright 2026
256 Pages 6 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

256 Pages 6 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

256 Pages 6 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

Research methods (and statistics) underpin much of the work undertaken in applied sport psychology settings and remain at the heart of scholarship in undergraduate and postgraduate courses and professional practice training. Students benefit from learning to understand, synthesise, and critique research in their field of study; however, to learn these skills, they need suitable precepts to guide... Read more

1. What is Science?

2. Traditions of Applied Sport Psychology Research

3. Planning research and ethical considerations in applied sport psychology

4. What do you want to study? Research questions, aims, and objectives

5. Understanding what already exists in applied sport psychology knowledge

6. Introduction to methods: key theories and concepts

7. Research designs 101

8. Introduction to quantitative research

9. Collecting quantitative data via questionnaires: the tool to collect quantitative data

10. Analysis of quantitative data

11. Qualitative inquiry: approaches and methods

12. Collecting qualitative data

13. Analysis of qualitative data

14. Writing the research report

15. The practical researcher

Biography

Paul McCarthy, PhD, leads the taught doctorate in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Glasgow Caledonian University.. He is a BPS chartered psychologist, HCPC registered sport and exercise psychologist, and Senior Teaching Fellow. He developed the first taught doctorate in sport and exercise psychology in Scotland and the UK. He works in private practice in professional sport.

Sahen Gupta, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer in Applied Sport Psychology at the University of Portsmouth, a Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist with the British Psychological Society, and a Practitioner Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council. He specialises in resilience, positive environments, integrative psychotherapy, and youth sport environments. He has worked with athletes from cricket, football, tennis, and track & field, having held positions in international and national cricket governing bodies in several countries.

Jamie Barker, PhD, is a Reader in Applied Sport and Performance Psychology at Loughborough University, a Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist with the British Psychological Society, and a Practitioner Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council. Jamie has an international and world -leading research profile with research interests in stress, group dynamics, wellbeing, and mental health. As an applied sport psychologist, Jamie has over 25 years of experience working in business, professional sport, and the military.