Seyed Hosein Marashian; amin khatibi; Esmaeel Veisia
Abstract
Objective: This research investigatesed the effect of sport in religion, sectarian and religious diversity in Khuzestan province.Methodology: This was exploratory blend research. In the qualitative section, semi-structured interviews with expertise were conducted and with the aid of theoretical sampling, ...
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Objective: This research investigatesed the effect of sport in religion, sectarian and religious diversity in Khuzestan province.Methodology: This was exploratory blend research. In the qualitative section, semi-structured interviews with expertise were conducted and with the aid of theoretical sampling, the interviews proceeded to theoretical saturation. Based on the results of the first section, a questionnaire for sports role and divergence was prepared. The validity of the research instrument was reviewed and verified by eight experts. Reliability index was also calculated and validated using Cronbach's alpha test (α>0.7). In the quantitative section, the statistical population is consisting of all the people living in Khuzestan province within the range of 14-65 years old (N=4853000). According to Morgan's table, the sample size was 384 instants and Cluster random sampling method was hired. For data analysis, structural equations with partial least squares method was used.Results: The results showed that professional sports on religious and ethnic identity has a significant effect and also through the effect on religious identity can reduce religious divergence as well as sectarian and religious divergence.Conclusion: According to the results of this research, it’s recommended to adopt the necessary decisions for sports development (especially professional sport) in Khuzestan province, to help reducing religious divergence.
