Underrepresented on the Field and in the Literature: A Scoping Review of Latinas in Sport

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to conduct a scoping review of Latinas in sport. Such analyses are particularly useful when a body of research has not been thoroughly reviewed. The authors searched four databases (Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, and Academic Source Complete) for studies focusing on Latinas in sport and that were U.S.-based studies, published from 1980 to 2020, in academic journals, in English, and with full-text available. The search yielded 85 articles. Further results indicated (a) only 14 studies had a specific focus on Latinas in sport; (b) most researchers (74.1%) adopted a quantitative approach; and (c) over half of the scholars did not explicitly state the theoretical lens from which they were drawing, and the researchers who did use theory to frame their work most commonly drew from psychological or sociological theories. The authors discuss the contributions of the research, offer implications, note limitations, and advance areas for future research.