Analyzing Sports Fan Identification

This assignment delves into the topic of sports fan identification, examining various studies that explore how fans' emotional attachment to their teams influences their behavior and attitudes. The provided references encompass research on BIRGing and CORFing tendencies, the measurement of team identification, and the role of social networks in shaping fan loyalty. Students are expected to critically analyze these scholarly works and draw conclusions about the multifaceted nature of sports fan identification.

Running head: QUALITATIVE LITERATURE
Critical analysis of qualitative literature
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1QUALITATIVE LITERATURE
Executive summary
The report is a critical analysis of 4 peer reviewed journals on qualitative research. It will focus
on methods of sample selection, collection of data, analysis of the results and the limitations
associated with the study. It would assess the validity of the tools used to collect the data. The
contextual nature of the qualitative research would help in formulating the implications of the
results in other socio-cultural settings. The four articles reviewed in this report are on incidence
of stroke in the UK, analysis of identification of club members with a new soccer team,
identification of factors that govern the selection of accommodation at hotels by people with
disabilities and the identification of child abuse by primary school teachers and healthcare
workers.

2QUALITATIVE LITERATURE
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Article 1...........................................................................................................................................3
Article 2...........................................................................................................................................5
Article 3...........................................................................................................................................6
Article 4...........................................................................................................................................8
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................10
References......................................................................................................................................11

3QUALITATIVE LITERATURE
Introduction
The assignment aims to critically analyse 4 peer reviewed qualitative journal articles.
The report will contain my opinion on the trustworthiness and reliability of the articles reviewed.
Furthermore, it will also elaborate on the strength and weakness of each article. The four articles
that will be critically analysed are on incidence, mortality and risk management of stroke across
U.K, new sports team’s member identification, tourism accessibility, and identification of child
abuse by primary school teachers and healthcare professionals.
Article 1
Lee, S., Shafe, A. C., & Cowie, M. R. (2011). UK stroke incidence, mortality and cardiovascular
risk management 1999–2008: time-trend analysis from the General Practice Research
Database.
This study investigated the recent epidemiological trends of stroke in the UK. It was a
time trend analysis carried out from the year 1999 to 2008 in the UK General Practice Research
Database. Evidence from other studies suggested that stroke is a major reason for mortality and
morbidity in the UK. The prevalence rates are as high as 110,000 per year (Syme et al., 2005). A
higher proportion of aged population was cited as a major contributor to the prevalence of this
cardiovascular disorder. The primary objectives of the study were to assess the recent trends
along with the risk factors that were found associated with first and second strokes, along with
the pharmacological therapies (Lee, Shafe & Cowie, 2011). The validity of the GPRD database
used for the study has been confirmed by several other studies, which state the presence of high
quality data in the database (Herrett, Thomas & Smeeth, 2011). The respondents were aged 18

4QUALITATIVE LITERATURE
years or above and had reported incidence of first stroke between 1999 and 2008. However,
haemorrhagic and ischemic strokes could not be distinguished. To ensure that the initial stroke
event was not reconsidered during follow-up as second stroke, codes for stroke rehabilitation or
monitoring were excluded.
The study extracted data using GPRD GOLD online version. These were then analysed
using SAS V.9.02. Calculations for incidence and prevalence rates were done based on cohort.
Read codes were used to identify co-morbidities and the pharmacological therapies that were
prescribed a year before incidence of first stroke were recorded. Second strokes included
cardiovascular events that occurred 56 days after the first stroke. 32,151 patients without
previous cardiovascular history reported first strokes from 1999-2008. Stroke incidence reduced
by 30% during this period, from 1.48/1000 person per year in 1999 to 1.04/1000 person per year
in 2008 (p<0.001). Patients aged more than 80 years showed a 42% reduction from 18.97-
10.97/1000 person per year (p<0.001). However, the prevalence increased by 12.5% from
6.4/1000 to 7.2/1000 persons during the same time period. It was found that 15% first strokes
were fatal and mortality was high in women (18.6% in women; 11.3% in men). On a follow-up
of 5 years, 24% respondents showed occurrence of second cardiovascular events of which 75%
was stroke.
The study further found that 65% patients had hypertension and of them 67% were
treated with antihypertensive agents a year before the stroke. 96.6% women and 97.4% men with
hypertension ayear after stroke were found to receive antihypertensive therapy by 2008. The
results also found that 11% patients had AF before first stroke and of them 25% were under
anticoagulant prescriptions. The results were consistent with other studies (Heuschmann et al.,
2008) (Feigin et al., 2009) The strength was the use of GPRD, which is the largest primary care

5QUALITATIVE LITERATURE
database containing record for more than 3 million patients. Limitations were the unavailability
of secondary care prescription data.
Article 2
Lock, D., Darcy, S., & Taylor, T. (2009). Starting with a clean slate: An analysis of member
identification with a new sports team.
Significant changes have been observed in Australian professional soccer since 2003.
These changes culminated in replacing National Soccer League (NSL) with A-League. The
sports environment in Australia is highly contested and congested. On comparing the attendance,
it was found that the A-league was relatively successful than the NSL (Lock, Taylor & Darcy,
2008). This study aimed to investigate the strength of identification of club members with new
sports teams, the possible factors that can affect this identity and the nature of the relationship
the members shared with the team (Lock, Darcy & Taylor, 2009). A 7-item Spectator Identity
Scale (SSIS) was used to measure sports fan identity with an established team (Wann &
Branscombe, 1993). The scale helped to ascertain significant differences that existed based on
gender, age, and salary and employment status. Responses were collected from male respondents
(91.8%) who were employed full time (71.8%). Most of the respondents belonged to the age
group 21-35 years (51.4%). They were made to rate the 7 items on a scale of 1-8. A high rating
indicated greater identification with the team. The mean ID scores for the participants was found
to be higher than the score reported by previous research (42.94 for the present study compared
to 39.3 for the prior study). An online questionnaire was developed and distributed (Dillman,
2011).

6QUALITATIVE LITERATURE
The differences based on gender, age, membership category, salary and employment
were calculated using a one-way ANOVA test. Significant differences were observed between
groups for and salary and age. No significant results were observed for gender, employment
status and membership category on identification with a team. Fan identity was found to be
stronger among younger members of Sydney FC (Fink, Trail & Anderson, 2002). A noticeable
plateau was observed among members belonging to the age group 36–55 years. A factor analysis
was used to validate the reliability of the observed in the SSIS scales. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin
and Bartlett’s test of sphericity were used to confirm the accuracy of the results. Each of the 7
variables displayed factor loading ≥ 0.50, which validated inclusion of 7 statements in relation to
identification with new sports team.
However, it was evident from the results that 2 elements related to display of Sydney
FC’s insignia or name at workplace, clothing or home and degree of dislike towards the greatest
rivals of the team showed weaker communalities to fan identity. They were not consistent with
previous study results (Wann & Branscombe, 1990). Therefore, it can be stated that the Sydney
FC attracted greater members compared to NSL (44.9%). Most of the members were new
supporters. The strength of the study lies in the fact that it evaluated the strength of identification
of members with the new soccer team. Furthermore, it successfully established the relationship
between low incomes with higher identification. However, the limitation lied in the use of online
survey as majority of homes may not have sufficient access to the internet.
Article 3
Darcy, S. (2010). Inherent complexity: Disability, accessible tourism and accommodation
information preferences.

7QUALITATIVE LITERATURE
Much research has been carried out to investigate the key factors that may contribute in
selection of hotels by consumers. In addition, a series of well-documented problems and
constraints, encountered by disabled people, while selecting tourist accomodation (PwD) have
been identified. Hotel rooms are not promoted in an appropriate manner to assist diabled people
in making accommodation choices (Tantawy, Kim & Pyo, 2005). Furthermore, low occupancy
has been reported for accessible rooms and results from studies show that non-disabled
customers disliked using such rooms. The study investigated the key selection criteria that enable
PwD to make decisions on rooms, which suit their needs (Darcy, 2010). Difference in responses
with respect to demographic variables and type of disability were evaluated. Electronic
snowballing technique was used to draw the sample for the online questionnaire developed for
the research. The respondents belonged to PwD population who used accessible rooms while
travelling that was designated under the Building Code of Australia.
The relative importance of room selection criteria was analyzed and the determinants for
the accommodation choices were identified. A 5 point likert Hotel Accessibility Scale (HAS)
was used to evaluate room criteria importance for the respondents. 55 individual items were
tested and the internal reliability was validated using the Cronbach α coefficient (Kuijpers, Ark
& Croon, 2013). The online and paper based questionnaire prepared for the sample group
contained questions on the demographic profile, accommodation preferences, attributes,
impairment profile and travel patterns (Dillman, 2011). 566 completed questionnaires were
obtained from the 1070 participants. The sample was found to be well educated, 33% were
employed full-time and displayed a greater proportion of mobility disabilities and low proportion
of people with mental retardation, when compared to the Australian statistics. Statistically
significant results (95%; p < 0.05) were observed while assessing relationship between

8QUALITATIVE LITERATURE
sociodemographic variables and access room criteria. People with disability in vision, mobility,
hearing and cognitive skills showed significant variations in criteria preference. Preferences for
access information showed a greater rank for floor plan with digital photography (70%, mean=
1.54) followed by textual icons and AAA icons. However, digital photography did not prove
useful for visually impaired people (Eichhorn et al., 2008).
The study further confirmed that consideration of bedrooms and detailed information of
bathrooms influenced the determination of appropriateness of an accommodation. More than half
of the respondents wanted a detailed photography of the rooms and bathrooms to assist them in
selecting the hotels, compared to photographs of the general property. Thus, the strength of the
research lies in the fact that it highlighted the complex information that is needed by people to
make informed decisions about hotel accommodations (Warnken, Bradley & Guilding, 2005). It
emphasized on detailed information and defined criteria for accessibility of rooms. Use of
electronic snowballing technique was a limitation owing to less internet access and irregular
checking of organizational websites.
Article 4
Schols, M. W., De Ruiter, C., & Öry, F. G. (2013). How do public child healthcare professionals
and primary school teachers identify and handle child abuse cases? A qualitative study.
Child abuse is a significant health concern globally. Results from different studies show
that the prevalence of child maltreatment did not decrease when compared to previous national
surveys (Dakil et al., 2012). Evidence from several research suggest that children aged between 0
and 11 years, are most vulnerable to become victims of child abuse (Euser et al., 2010). Primary
school teachers and child healthcare workers play an essential role in identifying and preventing

9QUALITATIVE LITERATURE
incidents of child abuse among children who are at risk. The study aimed to focus on strategies
for primary and secondary prevention of child abuse (Schols, De Ruiter & Öry, 2013). Primary
prevention included identification of risk factors for increasing the likelihood of abuse and its
subsequent detection. 2 local health service organizations and 3 primary schools were enlisted in
the study. The study involved voluntary participation of the primary school teachers and the
healthcare workers. A low average income and lower than average number of migrants were
found in the municipalities where the study was conducted (Alink et al., 2011). Prior approval
was taken from the principal of each school. Participants included 11 public child healthcare
nurses, 6 child healthcare physicians, 15 primary school teachers and 1 school principal.
Recruitment was done by distribution of hard copy leaflet or through emails. 6 focus group
interviews were taken for an average duration of 90 minutes. The interview consisted of open
ended questions that allowed the volunteers to voice their opinion and experiences on child
abuse. The interviews were led by 2 trained interviewers who questioned the participants on
signs of child abuse, value of the risk detection tool and responsibilities associated with reporting
child abuse incidents.
The responses were audio-recorded, transcribed and reviewed several times. The key
issues were identified using the I-change model. Several predisposing factors such as
information source, cultural factors, action cues and knowledge level influenced the awareness
on child abuse (van Stel et al., 2012). The results further revealed that teachers became aware by
observing behavioral changes or actual signs such as bruises in the child. Knowledge on signs of
abuse, physical or mental neglect and reporting procedures also proved essential in identification
of abuse incidents among children (Staal et al., 2013). Strength of the study was in its
identification of attitude, self efficacy, risk perception and barriers in child abuse identification.

10QUALITATIVE LITERATURE
However, one limitation was in selection bias. The participants might have been more willing to
prevent child abuse than average healthcare workers and school teachers.
Conclusion
The first study will underpin my research and help me to identify management techniques
of vascular risk factors (Lee, Shafe & Cowie, 2011). The second study will provide an insight
into factors that govern identification of club members for new soccer team (Lock, Darcy &
Taylor, 2009). The third article will assist me in understanding the importance of digital
photography of rooms and detailed information on room access in influencing choice of
accommodation by disabled people (Darcy, 2010). The fourth article will provide a deeper
understanding of the different cues, physical signs behavioral and attitude changes that help in
child abuse identification (Schols, De Ruiter & Öry, 2013).

11QUALITATIVE LITERATURE
References
Alink, L., Iron Horn, RV, Bakermans-Kranenburg, MJ, Pannebakker, F., Birds, T., & Euser, S.
(2011). Child abuse in the Netherlands in 2010. The Second National Prevalence Study
of Child and Youth Abuse (NPM-2010).
Dakil, S. R., Cox, M., Lin, H., & Flores, G. (2012). Physical abuse in US children: risk factors
and deficiencies in referrals to support services. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment &
Trauma, 21(5), 555-569.
Darcy, S. (2010). Inherent complexity: Disability, accessible tourism and accommodation
information preferences. Tourism Management, 31(6), 816-826.
Dillman, D. A. (2011). Mail and Internet surveys: The tailored design method--2007 Update
with new Internet, visual, and mixed-mode guide. John Wiley & Sons.
Eichhorn, V., Miller, G., Michopoulou, E., & Buhalis, D. (2008). Enabling access to tourism
through information schemes?. Annals of Tourism Research, 35(1), 189-210.
Euser, E. M., van IJzendoorn, M. H., Prinzie, P., & Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J. (2010).
Prevalence of child maltreatment in the Netherlands. Child Maltreatment, 15(1), 5-17.
Feigin, V. L., Lawes, C. M., Bennett, D. A., Barker-Collo, S. L., & Parag, V. (2009). Worldwide
stroke incidence and early case fatality reported in 56 population-based studies: a
systematic review. The Lancet Neurology, 8(4), 355-369.
Fink, J. S., Trail, G. T., & Anderson, D. F. (2002). An examination of team identification: Which
motives are most salient to its existence?. International Sports Journal, 6(2), 195.

12QUALITATIVE LITERATURE
Herrett, E. L., Thomas, S. L., & Smeeth, L. (2011). Validity of diagnoses in the general practice
research database. Br J Gen Pract, 61(588), 438-439.
Heuschmann, P. U., Grieve, A. P., Toschke, A. M., Rudd, A. G., & Wolfe, C. D. (2008). Ethnic
group disparities in 10-year trends in stroke incidence and vascular risk
factors. Stroke, 39(8), 2204-2210.
Kuijpers, R. E., Ark, L. A., & Croon, M. A. (2013). Testing hypotheses involving Cronbach's
alpha using marginal models. British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical
Psychology, 66(3), 503-520.
Lee, S., Shafe, A. C., & Cowie, M. R. (2011). UK stroke incidence, mortality and cardiovascular
risk management 1999–2008: time-trend analysis from the General Practice Research
Database. BMJ open, 1(2), e000269.
Lock, D., Darcy, S., & Taylor, T. (2009). Starting with a clean slate: An analysis of member
identification with a new sports team. Sport Management Review, 12(1), 15-25.
Lock, D., Taylor, T., & Darcy, S. (2008). Soccer and social capital in Australia: Social networks
in transition. Sport and social capital, 317-338.
Schols, M. W., De Ruiter, C., & Öry, F. G. (2013). How do public child healthcare professionals
and primary school teachers identify and handle child abuse cases? A qualitative
study. BMC public health, 13(1), 807.
Staal, I. I., Hermanns, J. M., Schrijvers, A. J., & van Stel, H. F. (2013). Risk assessment of
parents’ concerns at 18 months in preventive child health care predicted child abuse and
neglect. Child abuse & neglect, 37(7), 475-484.

13QUALITATIVE LITERATURE
Syme, P. D., Byrne, A. W., Chen, R., Devenny, R., & Forbes, J. F. (2005). Community-based
stroke incidence in a Scottish population. Stroke, 36(9), 1837-1843.
Tantawy, A., Kim, W. G., & Pyo, S. (2005). Evaluation of hotels to accommodate disabled
visitors. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, 5(1), 91-101.
van Stel, H. F., Staal, I. I., Hermanns, J. M., & Schrijvers, A. J. (2012). Validity and reliability of
a structured interview for early detection and risk assessment of parenting and
developmental problems in young children: a cross-sectional study. BMC
pediatrics, 12(1), 71.
Wann, D. L., & Branscombe, N. R. (1990). Die-hard and fair-weather fans: Effects of
identification on BIRGing and CORFing tendencies. Journal of Sport and Social
issues, 14(2), 103-117.
Wann, D. L., & Branscombe, N. R. (1993). Sports fans: Measuring degree of identification with
their team. International Journal of Sport Psychology.
Warnken, J., Bradley, M., & Guilding, C. (2005). Eco-resorts vs. mainstream accommodation
providers: an investigation of the viability of benchmarking environmental
performance. Tourism Management, 26(3), 367-379.