Defining and collecting data is seldom, if ever, a neutral, apolitical exercise, as many Indigenous sport organizations have experienced.

Surveys, statistical analysis, interviews and other metrics used to evaluate program effectiveness have been developed by non-Indigenous entities whose “objectives for sport development do not necessarily align with those of Indigenous organizations,” says Taylor McKee.

The Assistant Professor of Sport Management is heading a national research team that has partnered with two Indigenous sport organizations on a project, “Making us whole again: Developing culturally appropriate, evidence-driven evaluations for Indigenous sport organizations in Canada.”

The project has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)’s Insight Development Grant (IDG) program, the national results of which were announced Nov. 16 by federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne.

McKee is one of seven Brock University researchers to be awarded IDG grants totalling $385,349.

“SSHRC’s investment in Brock is a welcome indication of the impact our research and scholarship are making in society,” says Tim Kenyon, Vice-President, Research.

McKee, his research team, the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships (NAHC) and the Aboriginal Sport Circle (ASC) will use the tenets of Indigenous Data Sovereignty (IDS) to guide them on creating “culturally ­appropriate, evidence-­driven evaluations” to produce data that the ASC will control and distribute, he says.

“These new evaluative metrics, and the results they produce, will thus empower these Indigenous sporting communities to more effectively target their specific needs, especially relating to new and existing youth programs,” says McKee.

The seven Brock researchers awarded IDG grants in the latest round are:

• Nicole Goodman, Associate Professor, Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, “When Digital Elections Go Wrong”
• Jin Lei, Associate Professor, Finance, Goodman School of Business, “Customer-Supplier Relationships and Corporate Diversification”
• Taylor McKee, Assistant Professor, Sport Management, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, “Making us whole again: Developing culturally appropriate, evidence-driven evaluations for Indigenous sport organizations in Canada”
• Robert Millington, Assistant Professor, Kinesiology, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, “Sport and Environmental Action in Canada: Scoping the Organizational Field”
• Waqar Nadeem, Associate Professor, Marketing, Goodman School of Business, “The Metaverse: Understanding Ethical Risks and Opportunities for Businesses and Consumers”
• Ali Vaezi, Assistant Professor, Operations Management, Goodman School of Business, “Railroad Transportation of Dangerous Goods in Canada: Data-Driven Risk Analysis and Emergency Management”
• Anthony Volk, Professor, Child and Youth Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, “The Development of HEXACO Personality”

Insight Development Grants support research in its initial stages. The grants enable the development of new research questions, as well as experimentation with new methods, theoretical approaches and ideas.

Funding is provided for short-term research development projects of up to two years that are proposed by individuals or teams.