HOW TO WRITE "INTRODUCTION" (A RESEARCH PAPER)

(adaptasidari Taylor, 2000)

	Chapter I Introduction
Advance organizer	In this chapter the background to the present study will be provided along with an outline of the principal theoretical propositions. The chapter will also set out the research problem and the associated research questions that the writer seeks to answer. The justification for the research statement of the contribution this research makes to the field of sports studies follows.
Occupying a niche	This thesis is an investigation of the sporting experiences of women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in Australia. Women from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds are subpopulation that has been identified as ‘the others’ in previous research (Hooks, 1989; Prakash, 1994).
Establishing a research territory	Sport theorists that have researched ‘otherness’ suggest that individuals and groups from outside the mainstream have been historically marginalized in dominant discourses of sports (Bhandari, 1991; Hargreaves, 1992; Long et al, 1997).  In Australia, the underrepresentation of this sub-group of women has been quantitatively documented across all dimensions of sports involvement. Previous studies have indicated that women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are significantly less likely to participate in sports activities (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1998), engage in phisycal activity (Amstrong, Bauman, Davies 2000), or become sports spectators (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1998).
Establishing a niche	Women form culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are also less likely to hold either volunteer roles or paid positions in sports organisations (Fitzpatrick and Bromage, 1998).
Occupying the niche	However, existing research does not explore on why this under-representations occur. Neither does it comment on how females from culturally and linguistically diverse background think about and experience sports. The research undertaken for this thesis seeks to explore how the construction of sports discourses and the organization of sports have influenced women’s sports experiences. It will be argued that the formation of gender and ethnicity relations in sports organisations has been constituted bu culturally institutionalized menings, actions and explanations that are systematically exclusionary of women from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Establishing a niche	As such, this thesis responds to the call to action by many sports studies academics who have suggested that research about migrant women and sports has been neglected for far too long (Costa and Guthrie, 1994; Hall, 1996; Hargreaves, 1994; Theberge and Birrell, 1994a).
Occupying a niche	The research focuses on the intersection domains of gender, sports and ethnicity and the implications thereof sports theory and practice.
Indicating the gap	It has been previously indicated that existing research on this topic sparse (AdairandVarnplew, 1997; Australian Sports Comission, 2000; Booth and Tatz, 2000; Hall, 1996; Mosely, 1997; Rowe and Lawrence, 1996). Given the identified gap insports studies, this thesis has the potential to provide a better theoretical and practical understanding of sports, gender and cultural diversity.