Topic: Can sports serve as a social space to overcome social division? 

An investigation into the significance and effectiveness of combined sports and dialogue formats with regard to fostering social cohesion and the ability to question one’s own beliefs and acknowledge other perspectives.

Background:

Social polarization in Germany is increasing with regard to key conflict and trigger issues—such as migration, income distribution, the treatment of minorities, gender-neutral language, and climate change. Studies on group-focused hostility (GFH) and social cohesion suggest that derogatory attitudes toward “others” or “out-groups” are not limited to the political fringe but are also widespread in mainstream society.

Objectives:

The goal of the theses is to examine, qualitatively and/or quantitatively, the significance and effectiveness of sports and dialogue formats for the development of social cohesion and the ability to reflect on one’s own viewpoints, based on a specific practical project. Building on this, practice-oriented recommendations for action are to be developed for sports organizations and civil society initiatives in order to use sports specifically as a tool against polarization.

Possible research questions:

1. To what extent can participation in sports and dialogue formats promote social cohesion as well as the ability to question one’s own beliefs and acknowledge differing perspectives?

2. To what extent does participation in sports and dialogue formats change openness toward other opinions and the perception of different social groups?

3. What role do social categorizations (e.g., background, gender, political views) play in group formation and interpersonal experiences within the sports and dialogue formats under study?

4. What conditions must sports and dialogue formats meet in order to function as “safe spaces” for the exchange of differing opinions?

5. What limitations arise when attempting to use sports as a space for interaction and dialogue?

The final selection and refinement of the research question(s) will take place in consultation with the advisor and depending on the chosen study design.

Possible Theoretical Foundations and Concepts

The research should be conceptually grounded in theories and concepts from diversity, prejudice, and democracy studies, e.g.:

• Contact/Intergroup Contact Hypothesis (e.g., Allport, 1954; Pettigrew & Tropp, 2006): 

examines the conditions under which contact can reduce prejudice between different social groups,

• The “bridge-building social capital” approach (e.g., Putnam, 2000): analyzes the extent to which social relationships and trust between individuals from different social groups can be established through sports,

• Concept of intellectual humility (e.g., Knöchelmann & Cohrs, 2024): describes the ability and willingness to acknowledge the limits of one’s own knowledge and perspective and to revise one’s own beliefs in light of new experiences or opposing perspectives,

• Group-focused hostility (GFH) (e.g., Zick et al., 2025): measures how widespread derogatory attitudes toward marginalized groups are in society (e.g., racism, sexism, classism),

• Democracy-related approaches: examine, among other things, the extent to which one’s own experience of participation and negotiation processes in sports strengthens one’s capacity for democratic action,

• Diversity Studies (e.g., Bartsch & Rulofs, 2023): examine whose perspectives are actually heard in these settings and which inequalities and power dynamics persist in supposedly open social interactions in sports.

Possible study designs:

• Pre-post design with a standardized quantitative survey of participants (e.g., assessment of GMF attitude dimensions, democracy-related attitudes, and dimensions of intellectual humility before and after participation in the sports and dialogue formats),

• Qualitative survey of participants (e.g., guided interviews) regarding subjective experiences, interactions, and any perceived changes,

• Participant observation of the sports and dialogue formats to analyze interaction and group dynamics.

Supervision and Practice Partners: 

Supervision of the thesis will be provided by staff members of the Institute for Sociology and Gender Studies, Department of Diversity Research. The project will be carried out in cooperation with “Deutschland bewegt sich” as the provider of combined sports and dialogue formats. Please direct expressions of interest, along with initial ideas, to Dr. Fabienne Bartsch (f.bartsch(at)dshs-koeln.de) or Diana Emberger (d.emberger(at)dshs-koeln.de).

Key References:

Allport, G. W. (1954). The Nature of Prejudice. Addison-Wesley.

Bartsch, F., & Rulofs, B. (2023). Diversity in Organized Sport. In M. Funder, J. Gruhlich, & N. Hossain (Eds.), Diversity and Organizational Research: A Handbook for Science and Practice (pp. 519–538). Nomos.

Knöchelmann, L., & Cohrs, J.C. (2024). Effects of Intellectual Humility in the Context of Affective Polarization: Approaching and Avoiding Others in Controversial Political Discussions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 129(1), 91–117.

Pettigrew, T. F., & Tropp, L. R. (2006). A meta-analytic test of intergroup contact theory. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90(5), 751–783

Putnam, R.D. (2000). Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Simon & Schuster.

Zick, A., Küpper, B., Mokros, N., & Eden, M. (Eds.). (2025). The Tense Middle: Right-Wing Extremists and Attitudes Threatening Democracy in Germany 2024/25 (F. Schröter, ed., for the Friedrich Ebert Foundation). J. H. W. Dietz Publishing House

• Theoretical Focus: Analysis of concepts such as diversity management, inclusion, intersectionality, critical whiteness, as well as practices of “doing gender” and “doing diversity.”

Examples to inspire your research question:

• Intersectionality: “Intersectional Intertwining of Dimensions of Diversity and Gender: An Analysis of Selection Mechanisms in the Filling of Leadership Positions in German Sports Federations.”
• Diversity management: “Analysis of barriers and opportunities in the implementation of inclusion concepts in recreational sports clubs: A qualitative case study.”

• Focus: The structure and culture of sports organizations in the context of abuse of power and violence; prevalence, forms, and patterns, as well as particularly high-risk conditions in sports.
• Key aspects: Analysis of prevention and intervention mechanisms, organizational risk conditions; development and evaluation of protection strategies; the role of coaches and instructors (managing proximity and distance).

Examples of inspiration for your research question:

• Role of coaches: “The perception of proximity-distance regulations by young competitive athletes – A qualitative interview study.”
• Protection strategies: “Implementation of prevention strategies in small sports clubs—A focus group analysis.”
• Emotional abuse: “‘Performance at any cost?’—A quantitative study on the acceptance of emotional abuse practices in elite sports from the perspective of coaches.”

• Focus: Studies on acceptance, treatment, and experiences of discrimination faced by LGBTIQ* individuals in sports.
• Differentiation: Analysis by sexual orientation (homosexuality/bisexuality) and gender identity (trans, intersex, and queer identities).

Examples to inspire your research question:

• Gender diversity: “The new 2026 IOC guidelines on gender equality – A document analysis of implementation in national governing bodies.”
• Queer visibility: “Visibility of trans* people in physical education – A qualitative content analysis of current physical education curricula.” 

• Focus: Media construction of gender relations and stereotypes.
• Research topics: Traditional media: newspaper coverage and live commentary (e.g., the Olympic Games); Digital media: athletes’ self-presentation on social media.

Examples to inspire your research question:

• Social Media: “Self-branding of top female athletes on Instagram – Between athletic professionalism and traditional portrayals of femininity.”
• Coverage: “Gender Marketing at the Olympic Games – A Comparative Content Analysis of Coverage of Male and Female Team Sports.”
• Language in commentary: “Unconscious biases? A quantitative analysis of the linguistic evaluation of athletes in live commentary during major sporting events.”

• Possible areas of focus: Refugees’ experiences of acceptance and belonging in sports, sports in initial reception centers, physical education classes with refugee students

Examples to inspire your research question: 

• What role does sports play in well-being and the structuring of daily life in initial reception centers?
• How do participation and exclusion of refugee students manifest in physical education?
• What is the current state of international research on refugee students in physical education?

• Possible areas of focus: Experiences of racism in sports, racist portrayals in sports journalism, anti-racist practices by teachers and coaches 

Examples to inspire your research question:

• To what extent do students of color experience racism in physical education classes?
• How are athletes of color represented in sports media?

• Possible areas of focus: Experiences of classism in sports, sports clubs as institutions of the middle class, classism in the actions of teachers and coaches 

Examples of inspiration for your research question:

• How do students from socioeconomically marginalized backgrounds experience physical education, and what experiences of inclusion or exclusion do they encounter?
• To what extent do sports clubs reproduce classism through their structures, costs, and norms?
• To what extent do classist and racist mechanisms intersect in access to sports and sports clubs?