ISSP Position Stand: Culturally competent research and practice in sport and exercise psychology

TLDR

The multicultural landscape of sport demands a rethinking of research and practice through a culturally inclusive lens, highlighting hidden ethnocentric assumptions, relational ethics, and a focus on meaning rather than cause. The Position Stand synthesizes existing scholarship to outline a roadmap for culturally competent sport and exercise psychology, offering conceptual overviews, a step‑by‑step project framework, and practical recommendations. It presents an overview of cultural competence concepts, a step‑by‑step approach for developing projects, and a focus on cultural praxis that blends theory, research, and lived practice. The paper concludes with nine postulates and actionable recommendations to enhance cultural competence in the field.

Abstract

The multicultural landscape of contemporary sport sets a challenge to rethink sport and exercise psychology research and practice through a culturally re␣exive lens. This ISSP Position Stand provides a rigorous synthesis and engagement with existing scholarship to outline a roadmap for future work in the ␣eld. The shift to culturally competent sport and exercise psychology implies: (a) recognizing hidden ethnocentric philosophical assumptions permeating much of the current theory, research, and practice; (b) transitioning to professional ethics in which difference is seen as not inherent and ␣xed but as relational and ␣uid; and (c) focusing on meaning (instead of cause) in cross-cultural and cultural research projects, and cultural praxis work. In the paper, we ␣rst provide an overview of the concepts of cultural competence and ethics of difference. Second, we present a step-by-step approach for developing a culturally competent project rooted either within cross-cultural or cultural research. Third, we focus on cultural praxis as a project that blends theory, research, and lived culture of practice. Finally, we summarize main points in nine postulates and provide recommendations for enhancing cultural competence in the ␣eld of sport and exercise psychology.