DR.

SARAH GAIRDNER
LECTURE #4 - THE
INTERDISCIPLINARY NATURE OF
RESEARCH IN KINESIOLOGY
 KINESIOLOGY IS A HUMAN DISCIPLINE, BORN OF, AND RELIANT UPON THE
EMBODIED, CURIOUS, POLITICAL AND RATIONAL NATURE OF HUMAN
BEINGS. THE FIELD EXAMINES PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FROM A MYRIAD OF
SCHOLARLY PERSPECTIVES, WITH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY BEING UNDERSTOOD
NOT AS AN ABSTRACT OR LITERAL MONIKER, BUT RATHER AS THE
PLACEHOLDER TERM FOR CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT AND RECREATIVE
MOVEMENT FORMS. GAMES, PLAY, SPORT, EXERCISE, DANCE (AMONG
OTHERS) ARE CENTRAL TO WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO. IF PHYSICAL
ACTIVITY IS UNDERSTOOD IN THIS WAY, THEN THE FIELD IS AS RELIANT UPON
“ETHICS” AS MUCH AS IT IS RELIANT UPON “BIOLOGY.” HUMAN KINESIS IS A
FUNCTION OF ALL ASPECTS OF THE HUMAN PERSON WHETHER THOSE
ASPECTS ARE PHYSIOLOGICAL OR JUST PLAIN LOGICAL. KINESIOLOGY IS
NEITHER A PURE SCIENCE NOR SOLELY A MEMBER OF THE HUMANITIES, BUT
RATHER A FIELD THAT NECESSARILY ENCOMPASSES BOTH.
-TWIETMEYER, 2012
DONEC QUIS NUNC
OBJECTIVITY VERSUS
SUBJECTIVITY
 OBJECTIVITY

OBJECTIVITY IS PERSONAL NEUTRALITY; IT

ALLOWS THE FACTS TO SPEAK FOR
THEMSELVES AND NOT BE INFLUENCED BY
THE PERSONAL VALUES AND BIASES OF THE
RESEARCHER.

IT CAN ALSO BE INTERPRETED AS MIND-

INDEPENDENT, BECAUSE IT IS INFORMATION
THAT IS NOT BEING ALTERED BASED ON AN
OPINION. 
 SUBJECTIVITY

SUBJECTIVITY IS JUDGMENT BASED ON

INDIVIDUAL PERSONAL IMPRESSIONS AND
FEELINGS AND OPINIONS RATHER THAN
EXTERNAL FACTS.

THIS CAN BE CONSIDERED MIND-

DEPENDENT, BECAUSE ONE IS NOT USING A
FACT, THEY ARE USING THEIR PERSONAL
OPINION.
 RELIABILITY
RELIABILITY REFERS TO WHETHER OR NOT YOU GET THE SAME ANSWER BY
USING AN INSTRUMENT TO MEASURE SOMETHING MORE THAN ONCE. IN
SIMPLE TERMS, RESEARCH RELIABILITY IS THE DEGREE TO WHICH
RESEARCH METHOD PRODUCES STABLE AND CONSISTENT RESULTS.

A SPECIFIC MEASURE IS CONSIDERED TO BE RELIABLE IF ITS APPLICATION

ON THE SAME OBJECT OF MEASUREMENT NUMBER OF TIMES PRODUCES
THE SAME RESULTS.
 VALIDITY

RESEARCH VALIDITY RELATES TO THE EXTENT AT WHICH THE

RESEARCH MEASURES RIGHT ELEMENTS THAT NEED TO BE
MEASURED. IN SIMPLE TERMS, VALIDITY REFERS TO HOW WELL AN
INSTRUMENT MEASURES WHAT IT IS INTENDED TO MEASURE.

RELIABILITY ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH, MEASURES NEED TO BE

RELIABLE, AS WELL AS, VALID. FOR EXAMPLE, IF A WEIGHT
MEASURING SCALE IS WRONG BY 4KG (IT DEDUCTS 4 KG OF THE
ACTUAL WEIGHT), IT CAN BE SPECIFIED AS RELIABLE, BECAUSE THE
SCALE DISPLAYS THE SAME WEIGHT EVERY TIME WE MEASURE A
SPECIFIC ITEM. HOWEVER, THE SCALE IS NOT VALID BECAUSE IT
DOES NOT DISPLAY THE ACTUAL WEIGHT OF THE ITEM.
INTERNAL VERSUS
EXTERNAL VALIDITY
RESEARCH VALIDITY CAN BE DIVIDED
INTO TWO GROUPS: INTERNAL AND
EXTERNAL. IT CAN BE SPECIFIED THAT
“INTERNAL VALIDITY REFERS TO HOW THE
RESEARCH FINDINGS MATCH REALITY,
WHILE EXTERNAL VALIDITY REFERS TO THE
EXTEND TO WHICH THE RESEARCH
FINDINGS CAN BE REPLICATED TO OTHER
ENVIRONMENTS” (PELISSIER, 2008, P.12).
 WOMEN ARE
NOT SMALL MEN
 THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED DURING THE HIGH-HORMONE PHASE OF BOTH NATURAL AND ORAL
CONTRACEPTIVE PILL (OCP)-MEDIATED MENSTRUAL CYCLES TO DETERMINE WHETHER PREEXERCISE INGESTION
OF A CONCENTRATED SODIUM BEVERAGE WOULD INCREASE PLASMA VOLUME (PV), REDUCE PHYSIOLOGICAL
STRAIN, AND AID ENDURANCE OF MODERATELY TRAINED WOMEN CYCLING IN WARM CONDITIONS. THIRTEEN
TRAINED CYCLISTS [PEAK O2 UPTAKE 52 ML·KG−1·MIN−1 (SD 2), AGE 26 YR (SD 6), WEIGHT 60.8 KG (SD 5)]
WHO WERE ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE USERS (N = 6) OR NOT (N = 7) COMPLETED THIS DOUBLE-BLIND,
CROSSOVER EXPERIMENT. CYCLISTS INGESTED A CONCENTRATED-SODIUM (HIGH NA+: 164 MMOL NA+/L) OR
LOW-SODIUM (LOW NA+: 10 MMOL NA+/L) BEVERAGE (10 ML/KG) BEFORE CYCLING TO EXHAUSTION AT 70%
PEAK O2 UPTAKE IN WARM CONDITIONS (32°C, 50% RELATIVE HUMIDITY, AIR VELOCITY 4.5 M/S). BEVERAGE
(∼628 ML) WAS INGESTED IN SEVEN PORTIONS ACROSS 60 MIN BEGINNING 105 MIN BEFORE EXERCISE, WITH
NO ADDITIONAL FLUID GIVEN UNTIL THE END OF THE TRIAL. TRIALS WERE SEPARATED BY ONE TO TWO
MENSTRUAL CYCLES. HIGH NA+ INCREASED PV (CALCULATED FROM HEMATOCRIT AND HEMOGLOBIN
CONCENTRATION) BEFORE EXERCISE, WHEREAS LOW NA+ DID NOT [−4.4 (SD 1.1) VS. −1.9% (SD 1.3); 95%
CONFIDENCE INTERVAL: FOR THE DIFFERENCE 5.20, 6.92; P < 0.0001], AND IT INVOLVED GREATER TIME TO
EXHAUSTION [98.8 (SD 25.6) VS. 78.7 (SD 24.6) MIN; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL: 13.3, 26.8; P < 0.0001].
CORE TEMPERATURE ROSE MORE QUICKLY WITH LOW NA+ [1.6°C/H (SD 0.2)] THAN HIGH NA+ [1.2°C/H (SD
0.2); P = 0.04]. PLASMA [AVP], [NA+] CONCENTRATION, AND OSMOLALITY, AND URINE VOLUME, [NA+], AND
OSMOLALITY DECREASED WITH SODIUM LOADING (P < 0.05) INDEPENDENT OF PILL USAGE. THUS PREEXERCISE
INGESTION OF A CONCENTRATED SODIUM BEVERAGE INCREASED PV, REDUCED THERMOREGULATORY STRAIN,
AND INCREASED EXERCISE CAPACITY FOR WOMEN IN THE HIGH-HORMONE PHASE OF NATURAL AND ORAL
CONTRACEPTIVE PILL-MEDIATED MENSTRUAL CYCLES, IN WARM CONDITIONS.
(SIMS, 2007)
 WHAT ABOUT
SIMS’ (2007) RESEARCH
IS VALID AND RELIABLE?
HOW DO YOU ASSESS
RELIABILITY IN
QUALITATIVE STUDIES?
 GUBA AND LINCOLN18 (1989) ASKED, “‘WHAT STANDARDS OUGHT APPLY?’…
GOODNESS CRITERIA LIKE PARADIGMS ARE ROOTED IN CERTAIN ASSUMPTIONS.
THUS, IT IS NOT APPROPRIATE TO JUDGE CONSTRUCTIVIST EVALUATIONS BY
POSITIVISTIC CRITERIA OR STANDARDS OR VICE VERSA. TO EACH ITS PROPER AND
APPROPRIATE SET.”
WHAT ABOUT VALIDITY IN
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH?
TO VALIDATE MEANS TO INVESTIGATE, TO QUESTION, AND TO THEORIZE, WHICH ARE ALL
ACTIVITIES TO ENSURE RIGOR IN A QUALITATIVE INQUIRY. FOR LEININGER(1985), THE
TERM VALIDITY IN A QUALITATIVE SENSE MEANS GAINING KNOWLEDGE AND
UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURE (IE, THE MEANING, ATTRIBUTES, AND CHARACTERISTICS)
OF THE PHENOMENON UNDER STUDY. A QUALITATIVE METHOD SEEKS FOR A CERTAIN
QUALITY THAT IS TYPICAL FOR A PHENOMENON OR THAT MAKES THE PHENOMENON
DIFFERENT THAN OTHERS.
1.  CREDIBILITY ENSURES THE STUDY MEASURES WHAT IS INTENDED AND IS A TRUE REFLECTION OF THE
SOCIAL REALITY OF THE PARTICIPANTS. THERE ARE MANY STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS CREDIBILITY THAT
INCLUDE “PROLONGED ENGAGEMENT” AND MEMBER CHECKS.
2. TRANSFERABILITY RELATES TO THE ABILITY OF THE FINDINGS TO BE TRANSFERRED TO OTHER CONTEXTS OR
SETTINGS. BECAUSE QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IS SPECIFIC TO A PARTICULAR CONTEXT, IT IS IMPORTANT A
“THICK DESCRIPTION” OF THE PARTICULAR RESEARCH CONTEXT IS PROVIDED ALLOWING THE READER TO
ASSESS WHETHER IT IS TRANSFERABLE TO THEIR SITUATION OR NOT.
3. DEPENDABILITY ENSURES THE PROCESS IS DESCRIBED IN SUFFICIENT DETAIL TO FACILITATE ANOTHER
RESEARCHER TO REPEAT THE WORK. THIS REQUIRES A DETAILED AUDIT TRAIL.
4. CONFIRMABILITY IS COMPARABLE TO OBJECTIVITY IN QUANTITATIVE STUDIES. HERE, THE GOAL IS TO
MINIMIZE INVESTIGATOR BIAS BY ACKNOWLEDGING RESEARCHER PREDISPOSITIONS. ADHERENCE TO THIS
FRAMEWORK BY ADOPTING STRATEGIES, SUCH AS THOSE OUTLINED, TO ADDRESS THE INDIVIDUAL CRITERIA
SUPPORTS A RIGOROUS RESEARCH PROCESS (HOLLOWAY, 2008; KORSTJENS & MOSER, 2017; SHENTON,
2004).
THIS PAPER EXPLORES THE ROLE PLAYED BY GROSS ANATOMY COURSES
IN UNIVERSITY PHYSICAL EDUCATION CURRICULA IN DEVELOPING
OBJECTIFYING ATTITUDES TOWARD THE BODY IN PROFESSIONAL
PHYSICAL EDUCATION PRACTICES. CALLING ON POSTMODERN
ANALYSES OF THE POLITICS OF KNOWLEDGE AND THE PRODUCTION
OF BODIES, IT IS ARGUED THAT STUDENTS' EXPERIENCES OF THE
GROSS ANATOMY LABORATORY IS ACTUALLY AN EDUCATIONAL RITE
OF PASSAGE IN COMING TO SEE THE BODY AS A MECHANICAL
OBJECT, A USEFUL RESOURCE IN THE PRODUCTION OF PHYSICAL
CAPITAL. THIS PROFESSIONAL ATTITUDE TOWARD THE BODY
CONTRIBUTES TO THE ABUSE OF THE BODY IN CONSUMER CULTURE,
HIGH PERFORMANCE SPORT, AND THE PRODUCTION OF GENDERED
BODIES.
(PRONGER, 2012)
 AS BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY OBSERVES, OLD AGE, DECAY AND DEATH ARE INEVITABLE;
LIFE IS ESSENTIALLY IMPERMANENT, AND THE INABILITY TO ACCEPT THAT CAUSES GREAT
SUFFERING. THE DISCOURSE OF THE PHYSICALLY FIT BODY, ESPECIALLY AS IT AGES,
MARKS A MODERN RESISTANCE TO THE INEVITABLE MOVEMENT OF LIFE. FACED WITH
THE INEVITABLE FAILURE OF THE MODERN QUEST FOR SOVEREIGNTY, THE TECHNOLOGY
OF PHYSICAL FITNESS PROMISES SALVATION. HERE IS THE SOTERIOLOGY - A THEORY OF
SALVATION – THAT IS GEARED TO AGGRESSIVE MANAGEMENT, EXPLOITATION,
ACCUMULATION, AND CONSUMPTION OF INDIVIDUAL BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES RATHER
THAN CONTEMPLATIVE ACCEPTANCE OF THE ESSENTIAL MOVEMENT OF BEING.
GRASPING FOR PERMANENCE, RATHER THAN MOVING WITH THE FLOW OF LIFE, THE
TECHNOLOGY OF PHYSICAL FITNESS IS ULTIMATELY A NIHILISTIC WAY OF PASSING
THROUGH LIFE.
-BRIAN PRONGER
 IN WHAT WAYS DOES
PRONGER MEASURE
RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY?