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Old 07-05-2015, 07:14 AM   #1
makuchg
 
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Aikido Study for PhD

I'm conducting a study on the affect of Aikido on the spirituality of American Aikidoka for my PhD in Humanities from Salve Regina University. The study is entirely voluntary and takes about 30 minutes. If you'd like to help, please complete the survey at the link below.

You could win a Kingfisher bokken, jo, or weapons slip. Thanks in advance!

https://www.esurveycreator.com/s/Aikido_Survey

Gregory Makuch
Wandering Ronin
Spring Hill, FL
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Old 07-05-2015, 12:29 PM   #2
Cliff Judge
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Re: Aikido Study for PhD

How could you not explicitly include Shinto in the religion choices? It is weird that the actual religious foundation of Aikido wasn't included.
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Old 07-05-2015, 08:02 PM   #3
Cliff Judge
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Re: Aikido Study for PhD

*bump*

You may want to cross post this to another subform so people see it. Post it over on ebudo and stuff too.
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Old 07-05-2015, 08:11 PM   #4
makuchg
 
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Re: Aikido Study for PhD

To stay consistent with other academic studies into religious identity in Americans, I used the Pew Research religious identity categories. Because Shinto is not statistically significant among Americans, I did not include it as its own category but those who adhere to Shinto will fit under the "Other" category. Not a perfect fit, but I had to rely on other works for baseline data, so my categories had to align.

Greg

Gregory Makuch
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Spring Hill, FL
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Old 07-05-2015, 08:12 PM   #5
makuchg
 
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Re: Aikido Study for PhD

Grest point, I'll post elsewhere.

Greg

Gregory Makuch
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Old 07-05-2015, 10:45 PM   #6
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Re: Aikido Study for PhD

Quote:
Gregory Makuch wrote: View Post
To stay consistent with other academic studies into religious identity in Americans, I used the Pew Research religious identity categories. Because Shinto is not statistically significant among Americans, I did not include it as its own category but those who adhere to Shinto will fit under the "Other" category. Not a perfect fit, but I had to rely on other works for baseline data, so my categories had to align.

Greg
Interesting. I wonder if that corresponds to Japanese and Japanese Americans being a statistically insignificant population in America too.
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Old 07-06-2015, 01:39 AM   #7
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Re: Aikido Study for PhD

Such surveys generally only allow a single choice, too, but it is not at all unusual for Japanese people to follow various Shinto traditions while still considering themselves Buddhist or Christian. If a person has a kamidana in their home, but visits a Buddhist temple on important occasions, which box should they check?

Katherine
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Old 07-06-2015, 01:58 AM   #8
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Re: Aikido Study for PhD

FWIW, I abandoned the survey halfway through, because I found the questions nonsensical.

Specifically, it seems to assume that any changes in my spiritual beliefs over the time I've been studying aikido must be *because* of aikido, even though the differences in spiritual emphasis among the various aikido lineages (and between dojos in the same lineage) are vast, and even though any intellectually curious person will seek out a wide range of influences.

Katherine
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Old 07-06-2015, 05:04 AM   #9
makuchg
 
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Re: Aikido Study for PhD

I'm sorry you abandoned the survey. The intent was to identify if any correlation could be determined between Aikido and changing spirituality. At the end there were questions about other factors that might have affected your changing spirituality. There is rarely one catalyst for changing spiritual beliefs, but I believe Aikido contributes. As with most research conducted in the US, or elsewhere for that matter, it is very difficult to create categories for all belief systems; individuals have to self-identify. In the US the number of people who follow multiple beliefs is also statistical ly insignificant, so I limited responses to one religion. Eventually, I will conduct more indepth interviews to better understand identified trends in changing spirituality where Aikido is considered the primary cause by the respondents.

Greg

Gregory Makuch
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Old 07-06-2015, 05:16 AM   #10
makuchg
 
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Re: Aikido Study for PhD

In addition, the survey tries not to make any assumptions except to offer the idea that Aikido may have contributed to these changes. The survey is really about self-identified changes that have occurred and mathematical correlation that may show Aikido as a contributing factor.

Greg

Gregory Makuch
Wandering Ronin
Spring Hill, FL
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Old 07-06-2015, 09:46 AM   #11
kewms
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Re: Aikido Study for PhD

Maybe if the questions about other factors were at the beginning of the survey? Maybe if you asked whether participants themselves consider aikido a contributing factor?

In my view, religion and aikido are focused on completely different domains. (My lineage of) Aikido doesn't have much to say about the existence and nature of a Supreme Being, the existence and nature of an after life, the elements of a moral life, etc. (My) Religion doesn't have much to say about practical tools for moving through the world in a balanced, non-combative way. And so I found questions like "how does aikido align with your religious beliefs" impossible to answer.

Best of luck with your research.

Katherine
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Old 07-06-2015, 01:34 PM   #12
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Re: Aikido Study for PhD

I understand your points and appreciate your feedback.

Greg

Gregory Makuch
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Old 10-04-2015, 09:10 AM   #13
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Re: Aikido Study for PhD

Hi Gregory, can an ex-aikidoka take part??

John Robinson
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