GAPEY organised 7-Day National Workshop on Research Methodology & Advanced Statistics in Sports and Physical Education – 27 November to 03 December 2023

The “7-Day National Workshop on Research Methodology & Advanced Statistics in Sports and Physical Education” was organised from 27/11/2023 to 03/12/2023 at the faculty building. The event aimed to provide a platform for participants to enhance their understanding of research methodologies and advanced statistical techniques in the context of physical education and sports. 50 delegates from different institutes participated in the workshop incuding Ph.D. scholars and M.P.Ed. students from the Faculty of GAPEY, RKMVERI, and M.Sc. Sports Science students from the Department of Sports Science, RKMVERI, Belur.

The workshop commenced with a prayer and inauguration by the chief guest, Swami Virahananda Ji Maharaj, Assistant Administrative Head, RKMVERI, GAPAEY.  

Four sessions were conducted each day, with the final session dedicated to hands-on practice. These sessions were facilitated by esteemed speakers from various institutions. The day-by-day details of speakers and sessions are as follows:

Day 1:

• Dr. Amritashish Bagchi (Assistant Professor, Symbiosis School of Sports Sciences, Symbiosis International University, Pune).
• Session I: Research Philosophy
  Session II: Writing Research Proposal
• Dr. Bagchi delved into the meaning and philosophy of research, covering related topics such as search strategies, selecting journals for publication, and more.
• Afternoon sessions were led by Dr. Vijmendra Kumar Grover, who explained the concept and principles of data visualization and its application in sports. The last session of the day provided a practical opportunity for participants to apply these concepts using different statistical software.

Day 2:

• Dr. Amritashish Bagchi delivered lectures on two topics:
  • Plagiarism, Citations, and Appropriate Use of Chat GPT in Research
  • Social Media in Research
• Dr. Bagchi illustrated unethical practices in research using examples and highlighted the potential of using AI to enhance research quality. He also discussed the advantages of research collaborations and demonstrated how social media can be a powerful tool for making an impact in research. 
• The afternoon session was conducted by Dr. J. Viswanathan, providing insights into parametric statistics. The final session of the day, led by Dr. Vijmendra, focused on the impact of assumption violations on study results, offering hands-on experience in checking assumptions for different datasets.

Day 3:

• Dr. J. Viswanathan initiated the day with an introduction to non-parametric statistics in the first session.
• Dr. T. Yuvaraj, Assistant Professor and Head of the Department of Psychology at Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, conducted two sessions:
  • Testing of Hypothesis (Session II)
  • Power & Sample Size Determination (Session III)
• Dr. Yuvaraj began by addressing the identification of a research problem and progressed to the formulation and testing of hypotheses. In the afternoon session, he delved into the concept of power in hypothesis testing and provided insights into calculating sample size using various software tools.

Day 4:

• Dr. Vijmendra explained Correlation and Regression Analysis in the first session. In the second and third sessions, Dr. J. Viswanathan conducted sessions to elucidate the concepts of Logistic Regression and Discriminant Analysis. 

Day 5:

• Dr. Ashutosh Acharya (Assistant Professor and Head, Department of Sport Psychology, Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education, Thiruvananthapuram) delivered lectures on the following three topics:
  • Experimental Research and Designing Experiments
  • Factorial Designs
  • MANOVA
• He covered the basics of experiments, threats to research validity, various experimental designs, statistical designs, and MANOVA. In the hands-on practice session, Dr. Vijmendra Kumar Grover provided a data sheet, explained how to solve problems with an example, and demonstrated how to interpret the results.

Day 6:

• Dr. A. Thangaraja (Assistant Professor), Department- Marketing, VIT Business School (Chennai Campus) 
• Topics Covered:
  • Factor Analysis
  • Confirmatory Factor Analysis
  • Structural Equation Modelling
• Dr. Thangaraja presented a clear and simplified explanation of the concept of factor analysis. He elucidated the statistical intricacies using examples, providing a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter. 

Day 7:

• Dr. S. Sethu (Assistant Professor), Department of Physical Education and Sports, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli.
• He delivered lectures on two important topics:
  • Qualitative Research Methods
  • Developing a Research Problem
• During the sessions, Dr. Sethu elaborated on the various types of qualitative research methods, providing insights into the analysis of qualitative data. Additionally, he delved into the process of selecting a research problem, offering valuable guidance.
• Following the informative sessions, the valedictory function took place, with Swami Virahananda Ji Maharaj gracing the occasion as the chief guest. Certificates were presented to the participants. Vote of thanks was delivered by Dr. D. Yuvaraj. 

Feedback from the participants:

Feedback from participants highlighted the effectiveness of the sessions, praising the expertise of the speakers and the relevance of the content. Many participants expressed their appreciation for the practical exercises, emphasizing the hands-on approach that enhanced their learning experience.