Identification and Analysis of Factors Affecting the Institutionalization of Environmental Culture in Sports

This study aimed to identify the factors affecting the institutionalization of environmental culture in sports in a combined (sequential-exploratory) method, in two qualitative and quantitative steps. In the first step, to identify the factors affecting the institutionalization of environmental culture in sports, a qualitative method was used. The study population in the qualitative section consisted of experts in the field of sports and the environment (experts of specialized committees on sports and the environment in sports federations, the National Olympic Committee, and the Environmental Protection Organization) who used purposive sampling method of 25 Samples were studied. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews until data saturation was reached. Analysis of field interviews was performed using the content analysis method with an inductive approach. In the second step (quantitative approach), the effect of various factors on the institutionalization of environmental culture in sport was evaluated. The statistical population consisted of a small number of government employees, university professors, students, and other professions related to sports and the environment. Using simple random sampling, 412 of them were selected as the statistical sample. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire based on the results of the qualitative section. The content validity of the questionnaire was performed by expert assessors in the current field of study and also, its stability was confirmed using Cronbach’s Alpha (0.7≤α). Four factors, motivational-supportive, government-managerial, cultural-social, and policy-supportive, were extracted from analyzing the database on the Exploratory Factor Analysis method which supports 65.66% of the variance in the institutionalization of environmental culture in Sports in Iran. The media’s impact on public opinion about environmental culture especially in Sports due to its power of informing and building discourse in society cannot be neglected.