Researching Religion, Disability, and Sport: Reflections and Possibilities

Abstract

As part of broader debates surrounding the relevance and applicability of qualitative research methods and methodologies within the context of Practical Theology, the present essay addresses the status of qualitative research within the area of religion, disability and sport. In so doing, the essay further encourages the use of empirical research within the orbits of Practical Theology while at the same time challenging current assumptions regarding the scope and remit of the empirical methods and methodologies that are commonly endorsed within the subdiscipline. The essay concludes by suggesting that the area of religion, disability and sport should be seen as an emerging subdisciplinary field and one to which a combination of both qualitative and quantitative research methods may be suited.

KEYWORDS:

• research
• qualitative
• religion
• spirituality
• disability
• sport