2019-2020: Research project NSRF. Sports and social integration of refugees: Do refugees' aspirations converge with Greek expectations?
Responsible: Eleftheria Morela, Professor A. Hatzigeorgiadis, Professor Y. Theodorakis
Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences. University of Thessaly.
Aim: The purpose of this research is to explore refugees’ acculturation goals and hosts’ acculturation expectations and identify the degree of fit through concordance and discordance in acculturation attitudes and perceptions
Funding: NSRF (2014-2020)
 
The purpose of this research project is to investigate the process of acculturation both on the part of the refugees and on the part of the Greeks and specifically to focus on the convergence between the cultural pursuits of the former and the expectations of the latter. In addition, the role of sports participation in relation to convergence and the parameters of the incentive environment that can promote convergence will be examined. Specifically, the research questions of the proposed research project focus on (a) exploring the aspirations of refugee culture as well as the difficulties of achieving these aspirations, (b) examining the role of sports participation for refugees, the barriers to participation, the benefits, and the difficulties, as well as the ways to facilitate them, (c) in exploring the expectations of Greeks for the acculturation of refugees and their experiences through interaction with refugees, (d) in examining the views of Greeks on the participation of refugees in sports teams, the possible difficulties and the ways of dealing with them in order to facilitate the effective interaction within the teams, and (e) to investigate the convergence of the aspirations of the refugees and the expectations of the Greeks and to highlight the conditions of the sports environment that can to support convergence.