To see the other types of publications on this topic, follow the link: Recreation and leisure studies.
Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Recreation and leisure studies'
Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles
Consult the top 50 dissertations / theses for your research on the topic 'Recreation and leisure studies.'
Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.
You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.
Browse dissertations / theses on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.
1
Falconer, Catherine. "The metabolic and environmental determinants of obesity in childhood : observational and interventional studies." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2010. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/945/.
Full textAbstract:
The prevalence of obesity in childhood and adolescence is increasing and is often accompanied by poor physical and psychological health. Cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension and impaired glucose tolerance are prevalent in up to 30% of obese children whilst psychological impairments such as low self-esteem and depression are also commonly observed. Numerous factors have been implicated in the development of obesity, and include both metabolic and environmental factors. This thesis explored these determinants with particular reference to the role of physical activity, dietary intake and cardiorespiratory fitness. Obese children and adolescents demonstrated very low levels of physical activity, reduced cardiorespiratory fitness and significant psychological impairments. Many interventions have been employed to counteract obesity in childhood; however most are limited by high attrition rates. Children and young people are unwilling to give up sedentary behaviours and therefore the development of interactive media games offers a potential strategy to increase physical activity. This thesis identified dance mat exercise as being sufficiently intense to improve cardiorespiratory fitness in obese, sedentary children and young people. Furthermore 12 weeks of dance mat exercise promoted favourable changes in body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness and psychological well-being; all of which point towards an improved quality of life.
2
Li, Mohan. "Tourist photography and the tourist gaze : an empirical study of Chinese tourists in the UK." Thesis, University of Central Lancashire, 2015. http://clok.uclan.ac.uk/12879/.
Full textAbstract:
This study seeks to deepen knowledge and understanding of the tourist gaze and tourist photography. The original concept of the ‘tourist gaze as proposed by John Urry is inherently Western-centric and, as a consequence, it is arguably of limited value as a conceptual framework for appraising the tastes, gazes and, more generally, the visual practices of the increasing number of non-Western tourists’. At the same, despite the fact that, in recent years, smart phone cameras have become widely used by people both in their everyday lives in general and in their travels in particular, few attempts have been made to explore and analyse the potential transformations brought to the landscape of the tourist photography by the increasing use of smart phone cameras. The purpose of this thesis, therefore, is to re-conceptualise and study empirically the tourist gaze and tourist photographic behaviour, as influenced by a variety of social, cultural and technological factors, amongst non-Western tourists. More specifically, it aims to explore the visual preferences of Chinese tourists in the UK, to consider critically what and how they take photographs of, and to evaluate the extent to which their gazes, their performance of gazing and their photographic practices are shaped by social, cultural and technological factors. In order to meet this aim, the qualitative research method of visual autoethnography is employed during two field studies with Chinese tourists in the UK. More precisely, a first field study was based on a seven-day package tour undertaken with eighteen Chinese tourists, visiting a total of thirteen destinations around British destinations. The second field study, in contrast, involved the researcher undertaking a five-day holiday with six Chinese tourists to the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England. During these two field studies, the researcher adopted the role of ‘researcher-as-tourist’, engaging in travel with the respondents, staying in the same accommodation, joining in with their activities and taking photographs with them. These first-hand travel and photographic experiences conspired to become an integral part of the resultant data resources which were not only analysed but also shared with the respondents during interviews with them. From the data collected during the two field studies and, indeed, the autoethnographic experiences of the researcher, it became clearly evident that smart phone cameras had become the principal means of taking photographs amongst Chinese tourists. Moreover, smart phone cameras have also altered the landscape of tourist photography, primarily by de-exoticising this practice and further enhancing its ‘playfulness’ and increasing its social functions. During the field studies, the Chinese tourist respondents engaged in a variety of visual and photographic activities, purposefully including but by no means being confined to an interactive game of photo-taking and photo-sharing, imagining authenticity, sensing the passing of time from gazing on natural spectacles, and deliberately observing what they considered to be ‘advanced’ aspects of the toured destination. Based upon these identified performances and practices, this thesis proposes the concept and framework of the Chinese tourist gaze. That framework essentially establishes what Chinese tourists prefer to see during their travels and seeks to explain why and how they see certain specific spectacles or tourist objects. At the same time, it theoretically re-situates both their gazes and their ways of gazing within a network of influential social, cultural and technological factors, including: the travel patterns of the élite in pre-modern China; the cultural characteristics of Chinese people; the intertwining of contemporary communication and photography technologies; and, the fusion of the Chinese nation-state, its economic policies policies and the resultant social and environmental problems that have emerged over the last three decades. Moreover, the framework points to potential future transformations in the Chinese tourist gaze, such as the de-exoticisation of that tourist gaze. The principal contribution of this thesis to extant knowledge is the concept and framework of the Chinese tourist gaze, as this may provide future researchers with the foundation for continuing to study and more profoundly understand the tastes, gazes, practices of gazing and other visual activities, including photography, of Chinese tourists. Indeed, given the inherent Western-centric bias in the relevant literature, an appropriate theoretical framework enabling them to do has, arguably, not previously existed. In addition, the dimensions and characteristics of tourist smart-phone-photography revealed in this research are of much significance, contributing to a deeper, richer understanding of transformations in the practice of tourist photography and, in particular, of why and how contemporary Chinese tourists take photographs. Furthermore, through identifying and exploring how the Chinese respondents in this study shared their photographs, greater knowledge and understanding has emerged of Chinese tourists’ technological travel communication and connections as well as their attitudes towards and use of the multiplicity of social networking sites and mobile-apps.
3
Theobald, Graham. "An investigation of the biomechanical efficacy and clinical effectiveness of patello-femoral taping in elite and experienced cyclists." Thesis, University of Central Lancashire, 2015. http://clok.uclan.ac.uk/12866/.
Full textAbstract:
Considering that Patello-Femoral Pain (PFP) is responsible for over 25% of all road cycling related injury and over 65% of injuries in the lower limb, alongside trauma related pain it remains the main injury affecting experienced and elite cyclists and is commonly treated using taping. Taping can broadly be categorised into ‘McConnell’ and ‘Kinesiology type tape’ (KTT) as these are seen as recognised clinical approaches in dealing with patella tracking and pain issues. The aim was to collect specific data to inform and develop a study into current taping techniques used in cycling related knee pain. An online questionnaire determined the techniques used by clinicians treating elite and experienced cyclists. Recruitment was through professional networking and the social network Twitter™. The questionnaire indicated a clear preference for the use of KTT. A specific taping technique was identified for use in a laboratory-based study. Respondents indicated their rationale for using tape, which included pain reduction, neuro-muscular adaptation, placebo and altered biomechanics. A subsequent study then investigated the interventions, KTT, neutral tape and no taping, alongside comparing asymptomatic (n=12) and symptomatic (n=8) cyclists. Each cyclist conducted three separate and randomised intervention tests at three powers (100W,200W,300W) on a static trainer. Kinematic data were collected using a 10-camera Oqus 3 motion analysis system. Reflective markers were placed on the foot, shank, thigh and pelvis using the CAST technique. This study showed significant differences in the knee, ankle and hip kinematics between cyclists with and without knee pain. The knee had increased ROM (coronal) in those with knee pain (p=0.005 or 18% change) whereas in the hip, those with knee pain had less movement (p=0.001 or 26% change). The ankle however had an increase in movement (transverse) in those with knee pain (p=0.034 or 14% change). Significant differences in hip, knee and ankle kinematics on the application of KTT were found, however these had no identifiable pattern that suggested any clinical indication. Interestingly, similar levels of differences were also found with the neutral taping application, which indicated that a specific technique might not be critical. It was also noted that 200 watts of power produced the most pain response during testing (33% change) which may have a practical application to future taping related clinical testing. If we are looking to establish a biomechanical change using KTT, ROM may indeed be reduced, however individuals had different patterns of movement, which did not appear to indicate a consistent or predictable effect. This may mean that pain reduction is more likely through a mechanism of neuromuscular adaptation or proprioception. It appears unclear whether a specific technique of application is fundamental to outcome. The hip, knee and ankle variants may aid clinical application when treating cycling related knee pain through screening and testing. This variation in movement may be linked to increased patello-femoral (PF)/tibio-femoral contact areas and PF stress when significant power is applied during cycling. The findings indicated a proximal to distal relationship, which is in line with current evidence and has implications to rehabilitation. Taping reduced pain, however it is likely that this effect is not what the anecdotal rhetoric presumes. If the intent is to use the tape to elicit specific biomechanical changes then this is difficult to substantiate and measure. If the expectations are purely around pain then it is likely that pain will be decreased using KTT, albeit short term. Further work is clearly required in the area of PFP and cycling.
4
Hirschi, Rebecca. "Adolescents' Use of Discretionary Time: A Time Use Study of the Central Utah Area." Diss., CLICK HERE for online access, 1995. http://patriot.lib.byu.edu/u?/MTGM,13991.
Full text
5
Yule, Jean. "Leisure, patriarchy and policy : an examination of processes and ideologies in the local state." Thesis, Leeds Beckett University, 1995. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.283089.
Full textAbstract:
The research presented in this thesis sought to explore the ways in which patriarchal relations are constructed and contested within and through the leisure policy process. Drawing on structuration theory, socialist feminism and malestream critical sociological analyses, a methodology was developed for examining the situated practices of leisure professionals and local politicians in the local state at a time of economic and political restructuring in the late 1980s. The research explored the gender dimensions of recruitment to and experience of local government leisure professional and party political groups, and the extent to which women and men as gendered subjects were able to influence the leisure policy process. Of particular concern was the significance of leisure policy in feminist struggle. Also explored in the research were the kinds of gender ideologies circulating and the articulation of professional and party political ideologies with gender ideologies. An important consideration was the kinds of ideologies which were emerging and gaining ascendancy during the period of economic and political restructuring. Arts and recreation policy in two local authorities were selected for detailed study. The main method of inquiry was semi-structured interviews with a number of local professional officers (n=30) and local politicians (n=37). Visits to sports centres and art galleries provided additional sources of data, as did policy documents and observations of council and relevant committee and sub-committee meetings. The contribution of the research presented in this thesis is twofold : the development of a methodology for exploring the gender dimensions of the leisure policy process; and the generation of knowledge of the gender dimensions of leisure policy process. The research methodology implies a strategic relations approach to analysis of the state in which the state is theorised as a set of distinct institutions which at any one moment reflect the outcome of former struggles and provide the context for future struggles. The research thus gives an indication of the complex configurations of struggles within the local state leisure policy process, and brings into focus the articulation of some key dimensions of those struggles - gender, professional, party political, and local-central relations.
6
Lee, Ki-na Christina, and 李琪娜. "Leisure patterns and leisure places: creatinga better place for the physically disadvantaged." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2001. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31260585.
Full text
7
Aman, Mohd Salleh. "Leisure policy in New Zealand and Malaysia: a comparative study of developments in sport and physical recreation." Lincoln University, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10182/1768.
Full textAbstract:
This comparative study assessed the usefulness of the convergence thesis as a tool for understanding developments in leisure, recreation and sport in New Zealand and Malaysia. The study examined the interrelationship between 'global' and 'local' or 'contingent' factors and their impact upon leisure behaviour, leisure policy and leisure structures. 'Local' factors included institutional arrangements (notably political ones) and national cultural practices. A social history of New Zealand and Malaysia with particular reference to leisure, sport and recreation and national cultural practices was provided as a context for discussion of these issues. The study utilised a mixture of archival and library research and semi-structured interview, and was guided by an explicit comparative framework, concentrating on the development of leisure, sport and recreation in the two countries between 1970 and 2002. Interviews with 'key players' in both countries captured valuable data in the form of 'insiders' views' on leisure behaviour, policy and structure. These data were analysed with the relevance of the convergence thesis in mind. This study shows that contemporary leisure behaviour in New Zealand and Malaysia is shaped by the media and is highly commercialised, placing a high value on entertainment, and involves increasingly passive forms of participation. Informal sport and individualised recreational activities are replacing organised team-based sports in popularity. Leisure behaviour trends have led governments in both countries to encourage greater participation in sport and physical activity and to encourage private sector ventures into leisure-related products, services and infra-structures in the form of private-public partnerships. In terms of leisure policy, developments in leisure, recreation and, noticeably, sport, in Malaysia and New Zealand have been shaped by the wider agendas of the governing political parties. This is particularly noticeable at central government level. Individual political leaders in both countries have been influential in setting leisure-related policy. They had the vision to see that sport in particular might serve wider, national interests and that investments in sport could help raise the profiles of their countries in international markets and among trading organisations and the regulatory bodies that oversee trading practices. Malaysian and New Zealand governments seek to make leisure, sport and recreation policy supportive of other priorities. In Malaysia, the government legitimises its control over the policies which affect people's lives by appeals to Islamic principles and the need to put collective needs of nation building ahead of individual concerns for freedom. In terms of institutional, political, arrangements, this impacts at both central and local government levels in Malaysia. New Zealand, following a pluralist, Westminster, tradition of political representation, experiences regular changes in political management at central government level and a system of local government whereby local autonomy is jealously protected. Malaysia has resisted 'the global', by virtue of the nation-building policies of the Barisan Nasional, which has been in power since 1957. New Zealand's 'resistance' stems in part at least from the autonomy which local government enjoys. These experiences demonstrate that resistance to 'global' change can take varied forms at the 'local', contingent, level (Thorns, 1992). Differences in leisure structures reflect, once again, different agendas stemming from different political arrangements. The Malaysian government's approach is multi-Ministry, and micro-managed. In New Zealand, a 'hands off' approach via a quasi-autonomous non-government organisation (‘Quango'), became the favoured means of structuring central government leisure provision in the 1980s and 1990s. This was with a view to encouraging stability and consistency in leisure policy and provision in a pluralistic political system. Overall, and 'cautiously', this study provided support for the convergence thesis as a way to explain development in leisure, recreation and sport in New Zealand and Malaysia over the past 32 years. Although institutional arrangements and national cultural practices have provided some resistance to convergence processes, changing consumer sentiments may weaken such resistance in future.
8
Graham, Sarah. "Retirement: self-esteem and leisure lifestyles." Lincoln University, 1992. http://hdl.handle.net/10182/859.
Full textAbstract:
The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between participation in leisure activities and the self-esteem and life satisfaction of retired New Zealanders. A mail questionnaire and interviews were used to gather information from 100 retirees in Christchurch, New Zealand. The issues examined were: the individual's perceived self-esteem and life-satisfaction levels, their pre- and post-retirement leisure activities and their own personal characteristics that may be related to the types of leisure activities in which they participate. A number of hypotheses were proposed. Results from this research supported the proposed hypotheses at a 95% confidence level. There were no significant differences between catagories of retirees, classified according to such things as their leisure activities, life satisfaction and self-esteem. Results showed that although there was no relationship at such a high confidence level, there were relationships at a lower confidence level. Those retirees who participated in the questionnaire and interviews appeared to be well adjusted to retirement, and involved in a wide range of leisure activities. Overall, there was an increase in the number of activities regularly participated in after retirement. The majority rated themselves as being in very good or excellent health. Not only do those who are married and live with others participate in all types of activities, but so do those who are widowed, never married and live alone. For those who live alone, their leisure participation provides the opportunity for social interaction and skill development. "Just as the ancient Greeks believed the life of leisure required extensive preparation, so too does retirement" (Godby, 1985:179). My research suggests that those with a wide range of recreation and leisure skills adapt best to retirement. There is a need for leisure activity to be a part of pre-retirement planning. Those with limited leisure interests may need to rekindle old interests or develop new leisure pursuits so that, in retirement, they will enjoy some continuity of lifestyle.
9
Cessford, Gordon R. "Recreation in the Greenstone and Caples Valleys: for whom and how?" Lincoln College, University of Canterbury, 1987. http://hdl.handle.net/10182/1365.
Full textAbstract:
This study investigates issues of changing recreation use and management in the Greenstone and Caples Valleys. Its underlying research themes are the differing characteristics and activities of four distinct user-groups, how such differences could contribute to conflict in recreation use and management, and the implications of such for management. The conceptual framework used to deal with these issues is the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS), which is based upon the assumption that quality in recreation experiences and management is best achieved through provision of a range of recreation opportunities. This recognises that objective research input into recreation management cannot substitute for the ultimate subjectivity required in decision-making. Management has two roles here. First, to maintain and/or enhance the range of recreation opportunities availible. Second, to provide users with appropriate signals regarding the availibility of opportunities, and the acceptable norms of use and behaviour. Thus user choice of area and activities undertaken within becomes more a consequence of management action. This differs from most recreation management to date, which has tended to be in response to changing conditions (eg'demand-driven'). The absence of an equitable management approach results in selective reduction of opportunities for certain experiences, as evident from research into effects of conflict/crowding perceptions. In contrast, approaches such as the ROS emphasise management for such opportunities. On this basis and from research results, this study found that maintenance of experiences associated with angling and hunting opportunities in the study area, should be the basis for its management. These opportunities were exploited by relatively more experienced participants. For anglers in particular this was reflected by their characteristics of high activity specialisation. Greater experience and specialisation involved more specific resource requirements and norms of appropriate behaviour. Thus opportunities for hunting and angling in the study area were more susceptible to negative impacts from other uses and users. These impacts would be greatest for angling experiences. This would be more a consequence of perceived inappropriate behaviour by less specialised anglers than a consequence of physical crowding. For hunters these impacts would be primarily a result of concern about the increased presence of others on hunting management, rather than their actual presence. Experiences from the tramping and commercial guided walking opportunities availible are also important, but their participants were relatively less experienced and their recreation opportunities less unique in the region. In the context of an equitable regional ROS approach, there is greater flexibility for their provision elsewhere than there is for experiences from hunting and fishing opportunities. For maintenance of a spectrum of opportunities in the regional ROS, these hunting and angling opportunities should be emphasised in management decision-making. Within the study area itself, management for a regional ROS requires that the Greenstone and Caples Valleys be managed differently. It was clear that the Caples was perceived as providing more 'back-country'-type experience opportunities. In the regional ROS context, management should emphasise maintenance of such opportunities there. Along with this should be noted the greater preference for the CapIes by hunters, and for the Greenstone by anglers.
10
Dowsing, V. A. "The provision of recreation opportunities for people with disabilities : a tale of two cities." Diss., Lincoln University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10182/672.
Full textAbstract:
Disabled people comprise seventeen per cent of all New Zealanders and face barriers to participation in community life. This research examines the ways in which two local authorities - Manukau City Council and Christchurch City Council - provide recreation opportunities for people with disabilities and how these local authorities implement national legislation, policies and strategies which bear upon the provision of recreation services for the disabled. To achieve these aims, a comparative method which uses primary (interview) and secondary (documentary) data, is adopted. Central government plays an important role in the provision of recreation to communities, including the disabled community. It develops legislation, strategies and policies that guide the provision of recreation services for people with disabilities at a local level. Local authorities provide ‘spaces’ for recreation including parks, waterways and facilities, as part of their wider services and programmes. Their services respond to broader, including national, concerns, but also reflect local priorities and needs, including those of other ‘special’ populations. The results of this research indicate that Manukau and Christchurch Cities consult the disabled community and its representatives and address the specific needs of this community. Both local authorities have policies which outline how disability issues will be addressed; a disability-specific position which acts as an “internal advocate” for the disabled community; and a reference group made up of members of the disabled community. In the case of Christchurch City Council, the “KiwiAble” programme, “KiwiAble Recreation Network”, “KiwiAble Leisure Card” and Inclusive Communities Coordinator are all disability-specific mechanisms that focus on the recreational needs of the disabled community. However, only one policy in these two cities - the Manukau City Council Disability Policy and Action Plan – draws explicit links to a national strategy. On the basis of these results, a number of recommendations are made for future research and local authority action. It is hoped that the current study will provide practical advice and examples which local authorities can adopt, to further enhance recreational provisions for people with disabilities.
11
Wilson, William Richard. "Are Rock Climbers Crunchy? : Serious Leisure, Place Attachment and Environmental Concern in the Shawangunks." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1366130272.
Full text
12
Horn, Chrys. "Conflict in recreation: the case of mountain-bikers and trampers." Lincoln University, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/10182/1554.
Full textAbstract:
Conflict in recreation is a major problem for recreation managers who are trying to provide satisfying experiences for all recreationists. This thesis is about conflict between mountain-bikers and trampers. Mountain-biking has grown in popularity in New Zealand over the last ten years, and these increasing numbers have threatened the quality of walkers' and runners' recreational experiences, particularly in peri-urban areas. Conflict is a complex social interaction process which occurs around times of change. It involves the interplay of perceptions and attitudes, behaviour, and an incompatible situation. This complexity required the use of a range of methods to successfully understand the conflict between walkers and mountain-bikers. Like many other recreational conflicts, the conflict between bikers and trampers is asymmetrical - walkers dislike meeting bikers much more than bikers dislike meeting walkers. A majority of walker respondents disliked or strongly disliked meeting bikers on walking tracks. Walkers' questionnaire answers indicated that their greatest concerns with mountain-biking are (in order of decreasing importance) track damage and other environmental damage, personal safety, and the feeling that bikes interrupt their peace and quiet. Further exploration during in-depth interviews show that the perception of these problems are closely related to the way different users feel about that places that they use, and the way meetings with other users can be incorporated into the experiences of the recreationist. For walkers, meeting bikers is far more intrusive than vice-versa. Political activity aimed at eliminating bikers from many front country areas means that bikers are now developing a dislike of trampers who they see as intolerant and arrogant. Therefore, behaviour affects the escalation of conflict. In addition, wider social change has had an influence on this conflict. Changing economic wellbeing, less regular work hours, a perceived lack of time and a wider choice of activities have all impacted on recreation patterns in peri-urban areas, and on this conflict situation. In addition, this study has indicated that the concepts of specialisation and substitution may need modification. The use of qualitative methods has highlighted the narrow focus that researchers have used when studying these concepts. Both must be seen more broadly in the context of individuals' changing recreational needs both over the life cycle, and in the face of social change as outlined above.
13
Hansen, K. M. "Different places for different faces : optimising the beneficial outcomes of Christchurch parks." Diss., Lincoln University, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10182/99.
Full textAbstract:
Local authorities exist to promote the social, economic, environmental, and cultural wellbeing of communities. Parks provide a means of achieving this purpose. This study investigates community preferences for Christchurch parks using the Beneficial Outcomes Approach. Outcomes desired by the community are identified, together with the park settings required to achieve them. Different attitudes and preferences of three socio-economic areas are compared. Information was gathered from a household survey of 600 residents from three diverse socioeconomic areas of Christchurch selected by using the New Zealand Deprivation Index. Results show that the overwhelming majority of Christchurch residents regularly use Christchurch parks for a diverse range of activities. Parks fill many different roles associated with the activity, aesthetic and environmental values ascribed to parks by the Christchurch community. The Christchurch community perceives and wants a diverse range of personal, social/cultural, environmental, and economic benefits from parks. Differences were found between the three socio-economic areas in the way they valued and used parks. Respondents from the low socio-economic area were more inclined to use parks as a special place to visit for weekend outings and relaxation in contrast to respondents from the high socio-economic area who were more likely to use parks for daily exercise. Respondents from the medium socio-economic area had mixed use patterns. The study concludes that a city-wide network approach to park provision is required to cater for the diverse range of experiences, settings and activities preferred by the Christchurch community and to optimise the beneficial outcomes of Christchurch parks. The BOA provides a useful method of prioritising outcomes and guiding management actions to be more responsive to community needs.
14
Campbell, Jennifer. "Adolescent Identity Development: The Relationship with Leisure Lifestyle and Motivation." Thesis, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/3222.
Full textAbstract:
Identity development is a crucial process which occurs during the period of adolescence (Erikson, 1950, 1968). Researchers have suggested that the adolescent period is becoming prolonged due to increasing numbers of individuals pursuing post-secondary education (Kerckhoff, 2002; Larson, 2002; Mortimer & Larson, 2002). During this period known as “post-adolescence”, further identity formation is believed to take place (Mortimer & Larson, 2002). Despite these suggestions, little research has been performed regarding identity development during post-adolescence. In addition, the role of leisure during the identity formation period has largely been overlooked. The few studies that have been conducted on this topic focus on the relationship between leisure participation and identity development, while failing to acknowledge the role of other salient leisure lifestyle variables such as leisure experience, motivation and meaningfulness. In addition, previous studies have used global measures of identity, rather than considering separate dimensions of personal and social identity. The present study expands upon previous literature by investigating personal and social identity development during post-adolescence, and the relationship between identity and a variety of leisure lifestyle variables.
Participants included 465 students from the University of Waterloo. Questionnaires were completed regarding leisure participation, meaningfulness derived from participation, leisure experience, motivation and identity. Results of the study indicate that identity development is still occurring during the period of post-adolescence. Leisure participation, meaningfulness, leisure experience and motivation all displayed some degree of a relationship with identity. Personal and social identities yielded differing associations with these leisure lifestyle factors. Personal identity was most strongly related to leisure experience, while social identity was associated with leisure motivation. Although causality cannot be inferred from the results of this study, indications do exist that these leisure lifestyle variables may exert some influence on the identity development process.
15
Rae, Kimberley. "Management of a River Recreation Resource: Understanding the Inputs to Management of Outdoor Recreational Resources." Thesis, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/3169.
Full textAbstract:
Research into the use of natural resources and protected areas for the pursuit of outdoor recreational opportunities has been examined by a number of researchers. One activity with growth in recent years is river recreation, the use of rivers for rafting, kayaking, canoeing and instructional purposes. These many uses involve different groups of individuals, creating management complexity. Understanding the various inputs is critical for effective management The Lower Kananaskis River, located in Kananaskis Country in Southwestern Alberta, was area chosen to develop an understanding the inputs necessary for effective management. Specifically, this study explored the recreational use of the river in an effort to create recommendations on how to more effectively manage use of the Lower Kananaskis River and associated day-use facilities in the future. Kananaskis Country is a 4,250 km2 multi-use recreation area located in the Canadian Rocky Mountains on the western border of Alberta. Since its designation, the purpose of the area, has been to protect the natural features of the area while providing quality facilities that would complement recreational opportunities available in the area. Over the years, the multi-use goal of the area has led to issues surrounding the management of the recreational opportunities available, including the multiple use of the Lower Kananaskis River. The Lower Kananaskis River is a section of the larger Kananaskis River, one of six rivers flowing through Kananaskis Country. The Kananaskis River flows for 84 km. northward in the Kananaskis Country from the Upper Kananaskis Lake through the development of the Lower Kananaskis Lake and Barrier Lake to the Bow River. This thesis was only concerned about a small section of this river, the lower portion. The Lower Kananaskis River is a 2 km stretch of the river located within Bow Valley Provincial Park, with an additional 4 km of river outside of the park that many users utilize. This river has become a widely used and well-known recreational paddling destination in Kananaskis Country and Bow Valley Provincial Park and with this has come concerns over its use and management. A mixed methods approach was implemented to examine current use levels Both surveys and participant observations were used to develop a better understanding of current use levels (i.e. time, type) and to gather information from users. At the same time, structured interviews were held with key policy leaders to further explore current management issues and concerns surrounding the Lower Kananaskis River. Analysis of the data collected from river users revealed that the area is widely used by both commercial and recreational users. These two groups of users have learned to adapt to one another’s activities. Both groups expressed high level of satisfaction, but continued growth in use will probably pose problems with user’s experience and satisfaction. In many cases, users also recognized the need for improvements to river infrastructure both on and off the river. Users indicated that changes were needed in the parking areas to accommodate all of the vehicles and users, work was needed at the put-ins and take-outs to accommodate the increases in users along with work on the river features and at the day use sites. Users also recognized that the area is becoming more widely used and feel that changes are needed in how the area is maintained and managed in order to deal with its continued growth. The interviews with policy leaders emphasized the well-known nature of the issues of the area and emphasized issues within the current management structure. Policy leaders were more critical of the current management structure of the river than the users. The critical comments from the policy leaders were expected, as they are more aware of the management issues than recreational users. The policy leaders made many insightful comments for change in the interviews and recognize that park management has shown low levels of understanding and responses to the expressed needs of the users, and recommendations of previous research. This research found several examples of management ineffectiveness. It was concluded that the low levels of response from management is due to the lack of management capability. With the continued growth of the area new management demands can be expected. This in tern will require improved management framework and guideline. With this, it was recommended that increased management capability is required. In order to assist in the development of this capability the research developed an adapted outdoor recreation management framework. Application of this framework would help to ensure that the area is managed more effectively in the future.
16
Graham, Alyssa. "Caregivers of long-term cancer survivors: The role leisure plays in improving psychological well-being." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/6939.
Full textAbstract:
Cancer rates are on the rise and there is also an increase in the number of cancer survivors. This results in an increase of caregivers for those survivors. Many caregivers experience negative impacts of caregiving, including decreased mental health. The purpose of this study is to gain an understanding of how the fulfillment of leisure needs impacts caregivers’ mental health. Using data from The Cancer Support Person’s Unmet Needs Survey (Campbell et al., 2009), secondary data analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between unmet leisure needs and mental health, as well as examining the mediation of social and physical aspects of leisure. The sample consisted of 718 support persons (self-selected by the survivors, who were asked to give their caregivers the survey) from the Cancer Registry run by CancerCare Manitoba. Results revealed that fulfilling leisure needs decreased level of caregiver depression, anxiety, and stress. Fulfilling social needs showed a decrease in caregiver depression, and having higher levels of physical functioning had a positive impact on caregiver’s level of depression, anxiety, and stress. This study provided practical applications for practitioners and caregivers on how to improve caregiver mental health through the fulfillment of leisure needs.
17
Fung, Juliana. "An Exploration of the Shopping Experience." Thesis, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/5157.
Full textAbstract:
Recreational shopping has long been of interest to business academics and practitioners, but research on it has been underdeveloped in the leisure field. Although the leisure literature and business literature represent distinct perspectives, there appears to be many significant parallels between recreational shopping and leisure. The purpose of this study was to examine the intrinsic meanings of shopping; to explore the experiential aspects of the recreational shopping experience (including the influences of the retail environment on individuals who regularly engage in recreational shopping). This study took place in Toronto, Ontario. The sample included five female self-proclaimed recreational shoppers. The researcher accompanied each participant on a shopping excursion which took place at a shopping mall selected by the participant. Data were collected through three qualitative methods. First, participant observation involved the researcher walking alongside the participant as she shopped. Following the shopping session, the researcher conducted an in-depth face-to-face interview with each participant; the interview was guided by a set of open-ended questions. In addition, this study utilized photo-elicitation in which the participants were asked to photograph ‘anything’ that made an impression during their visit to the mall. The photographs offered tangible illustrations of shopping experiences and were used as a catalyst for discussion during the interviews. The data was analyzed using Grounded Theory coding which lead to the identification of two main themes and six respective subthemes. The emergent themes are all connected to the key idea that shoppers are motivated by their expectations and desires when they partake in the recreational shopping activity. Shopping offers numerous opportunities that provide immediate hedonic pleasure as well as intrinsic rewards. Such opportunities often include, the ‘before and after’ phases of experiences of acquisition and unexpected discoveries, the positive interactions which occur both inside and outside a retail environment, and lastly, the individual’s use of shopping as a means of self-expression and a tool to manage their self image. Satisfaction, spontaneity, familiarity, mastery, accomplishment, and feelings of escape were all present in these shopping experiences. The findings also described the role of shopping malls as a leisure space and as facilitators of recreational shopping activities. Furthermore, this study demonstrated that shopping can offer a profound leisure experience for many people and the activity should not only be researched in terms of just ‘recreational shopping’ or ‘utilitarian shopping.’ Rather, the findings indicate several overlaps between the two types of shopping and further research is needed to more fully understand the complexities of the activity.
18
Gebhardt, Amber. "Parks and Recreation Master Plans in Ontario: Determining Factors that Lead to Implementation." Thesis, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/5666.
Full textAbstract:
Recreation planning occurs in many Ontario municipalities, yet there is little research on the factors leading to successful implementation. Recreation departments are often asked to do more with less, which is difficult without a comprehensive plan. The current study examined nine Ontario municipalities to determine the factors that lead to implementation of their recreation master planning. Results revealed that there are many factors required for implementation, including: creating a comprehensive terms of reference, educating staff on planning principles, working with a planning consultant, working successfully with other municipal departments, involving a variety of stakeholders in the process, having the plan available to the public, and creating a method for reviewing and updating the plan. The study also found that the planning process should include: thoughtfulness when creating the terms of reference, extensive public consultation, effective staff consultation, frequent council input, consultation with a recreation planner, and a method for updating and reviewing the plan. The research also found that the plan content should include: goals, background information, internal and external resource, facility and program inventory, public consultation results, and an extensive implementation section.
19
Pearce, Kathryn. "Tell Me a Story About Your Child: A Narrative Exploration of Disability in Recreation." Thesis, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/5148.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to explore how parents understand and experience their child’s involvement and non-involvement in community leisure experiences. The study involved five parents with children between eight and twenty-one years of age, and asked them about the recreation experiences of their child who had a cognitive and/or physical disability. Narrative methodology enabled a holistic, comprehensive and personal approach to exploring their experiences. Each parent completed two narrative interviews, the first to produce a narrative account and the second to explore the meaning of his or her narrative. This study used a two step analysis process to explore the narratives. The descriptive analysis focused on establishing the context, and creating the narrative account using the interview transcripts and my interpretation of the stories. An interpretive analysis was completed in three phases to explore the purpose of the story, the order and sequence and presentation of self, and explored the cultural practices of the narratives. From the narratives I found many parents told their stories for other parents or recreation practitioners. The key message from the stories was the importance of recreation for social networking for both parent and child. Important spaces from the stories were identified: space to be social, space to succeed and space to be engaged or included. Other characters played critical roles in the recreation experiences. Internal conflict was often experienced by parents where the desire for the child to participate clashed with the parents’ hesitation, concern, or schedule. The final phase of analysis revealed a difference between my understandings of key terms (segregation, integration and inclusion) and the parents’ understandings of those terms. Many parents and children had experienced a level of exclusion both from and within recreation experiences. Inclusion was found to be an enabling and disabling practice. I found gains in political power developed through increases in social and psychological power. Levels of trust and the phases of empowerment were important to the parents’ understandings of inclusion. The conclusions identified the parents as being responsible for negotiating recreation, and the children had an awareness of their disability. Finally, discrepancies about the meaning of segregation, integration and inclusion were identified.
20
Menounos, Garyfalia Maria. "The Role of Leisure in Coping with the Death of a Spouse among Women Participating in Bereavement Support Groups." Thesis, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/2726.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT
Over the life course, most people will have multiple encounters with bereavement, one of which is the death of a spouse. Ongoing research on issues associated with bereavement indicates that such a loss is generally the most highly stressful encounter in an adult’s life across the population as a whole. In view of the fact that our population is growing older and most women outlive their husbands, many women find themselves having to learn how to adapt effectively with their loss.
This thesis presents the findings of a qualitative study, the purpose of which was to explore the role of leisure and social support in dealing with bereavement among eleven women who had been involved in bereavement support groups following the deaths of their spouses. Data were collected using in-depth interviews. The women described their intense experiences of loss, their involvement in bereavement support groups, the factors that led them to become involved and the ways in which this involvement assisted them in dealing with the loss and in reconstructing their lives. Also, they described the role of leisure in their lives after their loss and the ways in which their involvement in the bereavement support group helped them become re-involved in social leisure. The impact of the support these women received from the professionals and their peers in the bereavement support groups as well as the ways in which their adaptation to their loss was assisted were major themes that emerged from their personal stories.
An attempt was made to develop grounded theory or at least a framework that would aid in understanding the relationship between the participants’ involvement in a bereavement support group and their gradual re-involvement in social leisure. It appears that participation in a bereavement support group contributes to a process whereby widows come to accept the loss and adapt or re-construct their lives as single individuals. Throughout the bereavement process, the meaning of leisure for the women in this study shifted from a means of keeping busy and distraction from the stress and anxiety associated with the death of a spouse to one of shared leisure engaged in for pleasure, enjoyment and social connectedness.
A need for establishing partnerships between bereavement support groups and community leisure service organizations was identified. These types of links would further facilitate widowed women becoming re-involved in social leisure outside of the support groups in which they participate and help them become more involved in community life in general.
21
Imamovic, Nadina. "Tennis spectator loyalty when life gets in the way." Thesis, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/5718.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to understand constraints to tennis spectating and constraints negotiation therein. The primary research questions were related to the changing nature of spectating experience, its’ meaning, and spectators’ actions when faced with constraints. The topic of spectating sporting events, consumer loyalty, and leisure constraints have widely been addressed in the literature using quantitative methods. This research attempted to add understanding to the body of literature qualitatively. Data was collected and analyzed using the grounded theory method. This research also attempted to address the recommendation to examine negotiation-efficacy role among various populations and other leisure contexts (Loucks-Atkinson & Mannell, 2007). In depth interviews were conducted with thirteen tennis spectators (six males and seven females) residing in Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph, Hamilton, Oshawa, and Toronto, Ontario. Spectators varied in age, playing ability, and occupation. Spectating experiences suggested ten constraints, six negotiation strategies, and five steps to minimize the impact of potential future constraints on one’s behaviour. Ten constraints experienced were: 1) too costly to attend a tennis event, 2) uncomfortable and deterrent weather prior and during the event, 3) lack of resources and accessibility to them, 4) time conflict between the event and everyday life, 5) long and time consuming distance to be travelled, 6) poor players’ performance, 7) others’ perception of the sport, 8) sitting too close or too far from the action, 9) tennis not being among top spectators sports in Canada, and 10) difficulty finding a parking spot. The analysis revealed that the perception of these constraints differed based on age, gender, and previous playing experience. Negotiation strategies widely used were: 1) scheduling ahead, 2) using electronic resources for viewing, 3) networking and talking to others, 4) playing tennis, 5) going to a different sporting event, and 6) engaging in interactive activities. Five steps in minimizing the effect of potential future constraints consisted of: 1) being organized, 2) travelling with a friend, 3) gaining knowledge, 4) controlling one’s expectations, and 5) staying committed to the sport. The majority felt in control when negotiating. The constructivist grounded theory revealed that the relationship between constraints, negotiation, and participation in tennis spectating was circular. This relationship implied that although negotiation takes place, it does not eliminate constraints all together, but rather potentially reducing the impact of a constraint. The same constraint may reoccur again in the future and it was understood that as long as tennis spectators are active constraints will exist and negotiation strategies will occur. Constraints in this study were related with negative emotions, reduced enjoyment, physical discomfort which threatened on future tennis spectating behaviour. The main limitation of this study is that the results are not representative of the population and are participant and context specific. Implications for practice may include: establishing a sense of service value, increasing of interactive gaming and activities during inclement weather, betterment of promotional efforts of amateur events and media exposure via local channels of professional tennis events. Future research recommendations include studying a similar topic in a different context, assessing the impact of sport attachment versus player attachment on spectating behaviour of individual sports quantitatively, and conducting an experiment where one of the constraints is manipulated.
22
Lee, Hoffer. "A visitor experience scale: historic sites and museums." Thesis, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/7379.
Full textAbstract:
Since Pine and Gilmore (1999) proclaimed the arrival of the experience economy era, research on tourists’ experiences has become an area of growing interest among scholars and practitioners. Gaining knowledge of the experiential features of tourist activities at historic sites and museums is of paramount importance for tourism operators to understand and satisfy tourists’ widely ranging needs. With this concern in mind, the purpose of this study was to develop a multiple-item scale to measure tourists’ experiences of visiting historic sites and museums. To reach this goal, a questionnaire survey was designed to gather data about tourists’ experiences in this context. Conducted at Fuzimiao (Confucius Temple) in Nanjing city, Jiangsu province, China, in the Summer of 2012 (starting in July and ending in August), the visitor survey had an overall response rate of 88%. A total of 500 questionnaires were used for data analysis.
Following the scale construction procedure suggested by DeVellis (2003), first, the literature examining experience constructs was comprehensively reviewed. An initial pool of scale items was generated. Followed by a review from six judges to ensure content validity, a total of thirty items were developed as a basis for measuring tourists’ experiences. Subsequently, the scale’s reliability was assessed with using Cronbach’s alpha value. Alpha was 0.80. The statistical results of the ranked scale item mean show that the top rated experiences of tourists visiting Fuzimiao are “change from work”, “get away”, “relaxing”, “entertainment”, “watch music and dancing performance”, and “chat with locals”.
To refine the scale, 11 items that show significantly low corrected item-total correlation scores were eliminated. Deleting these items resulted in an increase in the alpha value from 0.80 to 0.88. The rest items which survived the reliability analyses were subject to exploratory factor analysis (EFA). An interim six-factor model emerged, with the remaining 19 items accounting for 80.29% of the total variance. The six factors were entertainment, culture identity-seeking, education, exploration, relationship development, and escapism.
Given the underlying latent variable structure detected from EFA, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to check the proposed measurement structure. Results of the CFA indicate that the measurement model fits the data adequately after the exploration factor was removed from the hypothetical model because measurement structure of this factor was unidentified. The evaluation of the model’s composite reliability, convergent validity and discriminant validity provides good evidence of the reliability and validity of the five factors. The final experiential model, with 17 embedded items in five dimensions (entertainment, culture identity-seeking, education, relationship development, and escapism), was established.
23
Chen, Ying-Yu. "The Role of Food in Tourists' Experiences." Thesis, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/7743.
Full textAbstract:
The preparation, marketing and consumption of food are complex social-economic processes that still require an extensive amount of original research, and this is perhaps especially true in cross-cultural contexts. To gain a clearer understanding of the role of food and cuisine in trans-cultural touristic experience, it is necessary to acknowledge multidimensional criteria rather than concentrating solely on one aspect such as food preferences or motivation. Given the scarcity of relevant research, the main purpose of the present study is to analyze food and dining vis-a-vis the phases of the cross-cultural tourist experience, the influences upon it, and its outcomes, through which a deeper insight into the roles of food in the tourist experience can be obtained. The research takes the form of a case study exploring the experiences of both Western and non-Taiwanese Asian tourists in Taiwan.
An on-site survey was conducted at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport throughout the month of May 2012. A total of 633 respondents comprising 425 Asian tourists from seven countries and 208 Western tourists from ten countries completed the questionnaire. Results of this study have identified key attributes of how Asian and Western tourists perceived food while travelling in Taiwan, and challenge conventional conceptual approaches to understanding the roles of food in tourism experience, by taking into account the phased nature of touristic experience. Among other findings, Asian tourists in the sample were more likely to view food as a major motivation, and to engage more actively in food experience, than their Western counterparts. The study also upholds the hypothesis that touristic experience is multi-dimensional, insofar as it confirmed the theoretical validity of the phases of the tourist experience (pre-experience, during-experience, and post-experience) for quantitative evaluation of the roles of food and cuisine.
24
Gillies, Ann Christine. "Online communication of Public Leisure Services." Thesis, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/4142.
Full textAbstract:
Through the assistance of the Internet, public organizations can create lasting relationships with citizens in an individualized and interactive manner. The purpose of this study was to obtain a preliminarily understanding of the Web Presence of public leisure service agencies (PLSA) in Canada. Currently very little is known about the use of Internet Communication within PLSA. A stratified random sample of ten Canadian municipal Web sites helped to generate 100 content units from which a quantitative content analysis was conducted. Utilizing a marketing perspective, the analysis assessed the marketing communication efforts, design, electronic service quality, and interaction standards of these sites. Findings suggested that the evidence of marketing and communication efforts were quite limited while the design and navigational features, although basic, were well executed. The results indicated that most PLSA online communication is rather limited, focusing on providing basic information regarding programs, services, facilities and events. In the future, this is expected to change. In general, PLSA appear to recognize the importance of online communication. However, a re-definition of communication strategies may be needed for better implementation. It is suggested that these strategies should encompass the underlying goal of creating a relationship with citizens.
25
Bakker, Carissa. "An Examination of the Association of Métis Youth's Recreation Participation and Academic Retention." Thesis, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/6145.
Full textAbstract:
Aboriginal Peoples are an underrepresented population in the Canadian work force. This is partially due to barriers to educational attainment among Aboriginal Peoples. One way to enhance educational attainment is through recreation and leisure participation. The purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of how recreation and leisure participation is associated with academic retention among Métis youth. It is a secondary analysis of the 2006 Aboriginal Peoples Survey, Métis supplement. Using a sub-sample of 27,270 Métis youth (ages 15 – 17) who had not completed a high school diploma, high school retention was assessed and compared by participation in physical, sedentary, civic engagement, and traditional leisure activities.
Older Métis youth, those living in urban areas, and those who had moved more times in the previous five years, were more likely to be not currently attending school. However, when examining leisure activities, those who participated in more physical leisure activities and were members of a club were more likely to be attending school. The aim of this study was to determine if recreation and leisure activities are associated with Métis youth academic retention. The results showed that some forms of leisure participation were associated with staying in school, and it is recommended that policies should be put in place to encourage recreation and leisure participation as it is associated with academic retention, which may enhance Métis youths’ employment prospects.
26
Simard, Madeleine. "Employee's Perceptions of Work-Life Balance." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/6533.
Full textAbstract:
There has been an increased focus on balancing multiple life roles and managing the boundary between work and family. To minimize employees’ work life balance issues, organizations have turned to policies such as flextime, on-site childcare, and other mechanisms to ensure that engaging in one’s family does not interfere with work (Rothbard, 2001). The purpose of this study is to explore employees’ use of tactics to manage their work and life stress; particularly the employees’ use of resources and social support as well as their perceptions of flexibility. Eight employees who work in the not-for-profit sector were interviewed. Narrative inquiry was used and qualitative interviews were conducted. What was found was that employees seek flexibility, support and understanding from their supervisor.
27
Snelgrove, Ryan. "Living with a Chronic Illness in Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/6547.
Full textAbstract:
This study explored the lived experiences of chronic illness during adolescence and emerging adulthood. Previous research has indicated that chronic illness can result in disruptions to people’s lives because of the related physical challenges and social stigmas. These challenges may be particularly salient in adolescence and emerging adulthood because of pressure to “fit in” with peers, cultural associations between youth and health, and limited experience adjusting to difficult life events. However, little is known about the impact of having a chronic illness on the lives of young people. This study addresses the over-arching question: how and when can chronic illness become a problem for young people in their everyday lives (i.e., leisure, relationships, school and work) and what types of adjustments are made as a result? The final sample of participants in this study consisted of 29 young people (23 women, 6 men) each of whom was living with a chronic illness. Unstructured in-depth interviews were conducted with 26 participants, as well as 3 semi-structured electronic interviews. Data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. The findings suggested that the main challenge for young people with illness is achieving a desired identity. Being able to achieve a desired identity was tied to three processes. These processes included participants’ ability to manage their appearances and reputations, accomplish desired activities, and experience positive relationships. Although most adolescents and emerging adults to some degree face these same challenges in attempting to achieve desired identities, experiences associated with chronic illness can intensify these challenges. Further, the factors that contribute to them being challenging seem to be unique to those living with a chronic illness. The findings also suggested that participants’ experienced chronic illness in varied ways. Many of the adjustments and factors that contributed to these differences, including how people’s experiences changed over time are identified. These adjustments and factors are similar to the coping strategies and constraint negotiation strategies identified in previous research at a generic level. The specific ways in which young people with chronic illness are able to achieve identity is also described, including differences within the experiences of participants.
28
Wong, Joses. "Exploring the role of a Community Organization in the lives of Individuals who are Homeless - A Phenomenological Approach." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/7179.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the role of the Good Shepherd, a Catholic charitable organization, in the lives of those involved in it. Data collection methods consisted of semi-structured interviews and a limited amount of participant observation. A reflexive journal was also kept to help challenge and reflect on the assumptions I had as a researcher throughout the study.
Three major themes emerged from data analysis: (1) experiencing complex interactions within Good Shepherd, (2) fostering a culture of support, and (3) acknowledging that everyone has a different life story. The first theme described participants’ experiences in terms of associating with other individuals involved with the organization. The second theme demonstrates the different types of support that are felt by all associated with the Good Shepherd. The third theme illustrates how those involved in the Good Shepherd learn to appreciate each individual and to value everyone’s life story.
As a result of this phenomenological study, I challenged my original assumptions of those facing homelessness and developed a new understanding based on my experiences with all participants at the organization. Specifically, my beliefs changed in three ways. I learned that the problem of homelessness is a complicated phenomenon that involves more than the lack of a house, but a complex array of factors. I learned that those facing homelessness still value their dignity and constantly fight to maintain their sense of self-worth. And finally, I learned that those who are facing homelessness have not given up on life.
Four recommendations for future research emerged from this study: (1) studies comparing the perspectives of staff and clients associated with charitable organizations should be examined in order to identify the discrepancies between the two, (2) the benefits of leisure stress coping should continue to be tested to see its effects on those who are faced with homelessness, (3) studies comparing the differences between leisure usage and leisure opportunities for those facing homelessness should be addressed, and finally, (4) the specific benefits of having a sense of belonging to a community for those who are homeless should be identified.
29
Chapeskie, Amanda. "“But I want to go home!” A qualitative exploration of the experience of summer camp from two contrasting perspectives." Thesis, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/3942.
Full textAbstract:
The mention of the term “summer camp” often brings to mind cabins nestled in the woods, cool lakes, warm campfires and children having fun as they swim, paddle and play. At traditional residential camps children are imagined to revel in their freedom, overcome challenges, make long lasting friendships and develop into skilled and competent young people. How much of this imagery, however, is based upon a societal discourse constructed by adult values? How often do the actual experiences match these ideals? This study explores the issue of adult driven discourses surrounding the experience of camp by comparing the perspective of camp directors with the description of one of the author’s own childhood experiences. Using narrative techniques, the author composed two distinct descriptions of the camp experience including programmatic, social and emotional elements. The comparison of these two narratives revealed the possibility for distinct differences between the adult perception of the experience and how it may actually be experienced by a child. The areas of difference centred around both social and programming elements of camp participation which, when considered together, suggest the need for children to adjust to a distinctly different social setting in order to achieve the positive experiences reflected in our cultural conceptualization of summer camp.
30
Meldrum, John Thomas. "Understanding commitment and the contingent leisure service worker: an interpretive approach." Thesis, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/3102.
Full textAbstract:
Over the past few decades, hundreds of empirical investigations have examined the construct of “workplace commitment”. Much of this research is based on the assumption that commitment is tied to longevity within a given organization. In other words, those most committed are those who plan to remain with an organization. Work patterns, particularly within leisure delivery systems, are often inconsistent with the longevity model. Leisure settings often rely less on full-time lifetime employees and more on contingent workers, those working part-time, seasonally or on a temporary basis. Consequently, much of the commitment literature offers limited insight to leisure managers. Further, research efforts within the commitment literature have, perhaps unnecessarily, focused their efforts on commitment to the organization. An emerging literature suggests that commitment may be focused on a variety of entities. This literature would benefit from a more expansive view of commitment and the entities to which it is directed. Traditional views of, and research in, workplace commitment may be inappropriate for contingent employees. Finally, the commitment literature is dominated by quantitative and questionnaire-based methodology (Cohen, 2003). This study is intended to address many of these issues by using qualitative methods to explore the ways in which various commitment types emerge among contingent employees in a variety of leisure settings. Consequently, this study examines the meaning of commitment to contingent employees in selected leisure services. It focuses on what these contingent employees felt most connected to in their specific workplaces; in essence their stories of what commitment meant to them.
The study sample was composed of students enrolled in an undergraduate Recreation and Leisure Studies Program. In order to take part in the study, students were to have engaged in a series of short-term professional-related experiences. Initial contact with potential participants was through a short introduction in 2nd, 3rd and 4th yr recreation class. Six classes were used in this study with a total of 168 responses collected. Class members were asked if they would be willing to participate in a 60-90 minute interview to further discuss their work experiences. 24 participants took part in a semi-structured interview in which questions were asked about the intensity and focus of their commitment. It has been suggested that contingent employees may express little emotional commitment because of the limitations of their work experience (Chang & Chelladurai, 2000). However, in this study, the topic of passion or desire came up repeatedly during the interviews. For these contingent employees, commitment seemed very affective in nature. Their commitment was based strongly on enthusiasm and passion for various components of the work setting. There were many such components or foci raised by the participants. Consistent with Stinglhamber et al.’s (2002) multi-foci perspective of commitment, these individuals’ passion was typically directed to more than one entity. All five major foci of commitment (to the organization, supervisor, occupation, workgroup and client) helped build passion and commitment for these participants. While this is not uncommon, it is noteworthy that commitment to the organization (which dominates much of the private sector commitment literature) was prevalent in only two of the interviews. In each of these cases, however, it is unclear whether the organization or people within the organization engendered that commitment. While the individuals expressed support for the organization, their remarks seemed more directed at people in their respective organizations. Overall, those who revealed the greatest commitment (toward any foci) echoed the importance of intrinsic motivation; they must love what they were doing. Among these participants, there was little evidence of passionate commitment to any organization. Instead, the emphasis was more often on some specific element within the workplace. The focus of their attention was most prominent toward clients and toward supervisors. For these contingent workers affective commitment (as opposed to normative or continuance) dominated their thinking about commitment. They worked at the locations because they wanted to be there, not as a result of external constraints. They not only wanted to work in these settings, but they were passionate about their work. It was evident that either they brought that passion when they first arrived or developed a passion while on the job. Although one cannot generalize this finding to all contingent workers in all settings, there was little evidence of outright indifference among these workers. Finally, 2 new foci of commitment were identified. Specifically, participants introduced commitment or attachment to place, and commitment or involvement in activity as they discussed job-related commitment levels. These variables, while new to the management/commitment literature, have each received considerable research effort from within the leisure community. Overall, this study suggests that the dominant business-based commitment literature has largely failed to consider job conditions specific to the contingent leisure service employee. Further, research in leisure settings suggests that attachment can expand beyond the traditional foci (the organization, people, unions, etc.) to include the setting in which the work occurs and the activities around which the work happens. This suggests that traditionally leisure-based issues (place and activity) can bring much to the work setting and the commitment of those who toil in those settings. For managers of contingent workers, understanding the importance of place and activity in addition to traditional indicators of commitment may prove significant in helping develop a more committed contingent employee in the leisure service settings.
31
Yuen, Felice. "Walking the Red Road: Aboriginal Federally Sentenced Women’s Experiences in Healing, Empowerment, and Re-creation." Thesis, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/3590.
Full textAbstract:
In 2001, when Aboriginal women comprised only 3.5% of Canadian women, 23% of Federally Sentenced Women (FSW) were Aboriginal. In the intervening six year period, the presence of Aboriginal women in Canada’s federal correctional facilities has risen to 31%. With female offenders often being treated as double deviants in mainstream society, Aboriginal female offenders may be regarded as triple deviants. Considerable research suggests that female offenders are marginalized for being criminals and even more so for deviating from the gendered norm of female (i.e., nurturer, caregiver). At the same time, Aboriginal female offenders are further ostracized for their race and for their cultural beliefs and traditions. This study recognized that the experiences of marginalization for Aboriginal federally sentenced women were linked to systemic discrimination and attitudes based on racial and/or cultural prejudice, and that the low socio-economic status and history of substance abuse and violence across generations were rooted in over 500 years of oppression and control through residential schools and other decrees legislated by the Indian Act.
The growing awareness of problems related to Canada’s correctional system for female offenders, and the limited support and services for Aboriginal female offenders, led to the publication in 1990 of Creating Choices. The report essentially recommended a new system of incarceration that fostered the empowerment of FSW to make meaningful choices in order that they may live with dignity and respect. Based on the recommendations, federal corrections for women essentially aimed to move from a model of punishment to a model of rehabilitation. According to the experiences of the Aboriginal federally sentenced women in this study, the implementation of these changes in the management of federal corrections for women has allowed many Aboriginal women to experience their cultural traditions, some for the first time.
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of major Aboriginal cultural events, notably ceremony, on the identity development, empowerment, healing and rehabilitation of FSW. Data were gathered over a two-year period of engagement by the researcher with women in Aboriginal ceremonies within Grand Valley Institution, a federal prison for women located in Kitchener, Ontario. Six major themes were identified through the iterative process of data gathering and analysis. The themes, history, conscientizaçao, healing, re-creation, coming home, and travelling the Red Road, represent the women’s processes of healing, identity development and empowerment through engagement in Aboriginal ceremonies and traditions in a federal prison.
The women’s experiences with Aboriginal traditions offered personal and collective healing through solidarity, resistance, re-creation and liberation. The women emphasized supportive, accepting, mutually respectful and caring relationships as a vital component in their processes of healing. The centrality of relationships was explored using feminist and Aboriginal theories, and a deepening of understanding came from viewing the findings within the context of a social ecological theory of empowerment. Aboriginal ceremony and traditions were considered leisure in this study, and leisure from an Aboriginal perspective is thus integrated in all aspects of life and represents re-creation, restoration and collective strength. It is in this sense that Aboriginal women found freedom, even within the confines of a federal prison.
The emphasis the women placed on the quality of their relationships in terms of healing, empowerment, and re-creation suggests that equitable and caring relationships are particularly important in their growth and development. Women’s engagement with others and portrayals of an ethic of care in cermony invoked inspiration and strength. The resultant relations of community generated a network of resources which enabled the women to create change within the correctional setting. The findings from this study underscore the relevance of a re-evaluation of Canada’s correctional approach and suggest the adoption of a more restorative understanding of justice; that is, a more Aboriginal conceptualization of justice one that encompasses healing, restoring relationships, accountability and community involvement.
32
Johnson, Amanda Joanne. "Consumption Communities: An Examination of the Kitchener Market as a Third Place." Thesis, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/5279.
Full textAbstract:
Leisure time, leisure activities, and leisure spaces largely surround matters of consumption. However, the role consumption plays in the reproduction and performance of community is a necessarily contested topic among leisure scholars. For their part, leisure scholars have tended to regard consumption and places of consumption with a great deal of trepidation, skepticism, and even contempt (e.g., Arai & Pedlar, 2003; Hemingway, 1996; Reid, 1995; Stormann, 2000). Implications for and about community appear to be at the forefront of anxiety about consumption as it relates to leisure. As a result, a focus on “community” has become a practical response to assumptions about pervasive individualism, consumption, and the loss of community, in general.
Following calls for the incorporation of community in leisure studies (Arai & Pedlar, 2003; Glover & Stewart, 2006) and drawing on Cook’s (2006a) call to move leisure studies “beyond individualism” (p. 464), this study sought to empirically examine the significance local residents attribute to everyday places of consumption. Furthermore, this study aimed to challenge the idea that leisure time, activities, places, and spaces based on consumption serve only to further alienate individuals from communities, thus weakening the social relevance of leisure, in general (Arai & Pedlar, 2003). The purpose of this research, therefore, was to challenge the essentialist conceptualization of consumption by exploring the relationship between places of consumption and the everyday lived experience of community. To do so, I engaged patrons at the Kitchener Market, a venue that encourages consumptive acts, yet serves as a focal point for everyday engagement in community. The primary research question providing focus for this study was: What roles, if any, do places of consumption, particularly third places, play in the everyday lived experience of community?
Results of this research suggest there are new ways for understanding leisure and community as they relate to consumption. Rather than considering consumption places as points of exchange with little or no emotional sentiment attached, this research suggests these places have to potential to develop and create community as well as incorporate consumer values, ideals, ethics, and sentiments. Third places, as everyday places of consumption, should be examined for their potential to create, enact, and build community. Consumption is not separate from society, community and leisure; rather, consumption constitutes a salient aspect of everyday living and should be considered an important component of community.
33
Rafferty, Zara. "“Everybody Can Dance the Colour Pink”: A Phenomenological Exploration of the Meanings and Experiences of Inclusive Arts Programs for Practitioners." Thesis, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/5039.
Full textAbstract:
While the arts have gained a more prominent place in inclusive educational settings, inclusive arts programming in the context of community recreation requires further exploration. In my practice I have found that while inclusive arts opportunities are in high-demand, programs that run are typically infrequent and short-term, leaving many potential participants without a space to explore the arts. In this research I undertook a phenomenological inquiry into the experience of ten practitioners providing inclusive arts programs. Practitioners were drawn from Southwestern and Northwestern Ontario, and from a variety of arts-based fields. This exploration examined practitioners’ images and understandings of inclusion, disability, the arts, and their experiences with inclusive arts programs. The key essences which emerged as components of the inclusive arts experience for practitioners were: Inclusive Arts as an Enabling Space; Exploring Potential through Creative Expression; Flexibility, Adaptations, and Possibilities for Inclusion; Valuing Sameness and Difference in Ability and the Arts; Practitioners’ Experiences of Receiving Gifts and Feeling Strained; and, Embodying Inclusive Arts Values. Practitioners’ experiences within inclusive arts programs were impacted by the values associated with inclusion and the arts. Practitioners who embodied those values in their everyday life found inclusive arts programming to be highly rewarding and meaningful, despite sometimes significant financial and emotional challenges. The essences are also discussed in relation to three cross-cutting aspects of the practitioners’ experience: the medical and social construction of disability, art as inclusion, and the notion of embodiment.
34
Feldberg, Hannah-Ruth. "S'more then just fun and games: Teachers' perceptions on the educational value of camp programs for school groups." Thesis, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/5910.
Full textAbstract:
Learning does occur at camp, but what kind of learning? And do what participants learn
at camp transfer to other parts of a young persons’ life after the camp experience? This
evaluation research study was designed to compare what a camp program anticipates as
its outcomes to what outcomes it actually achieves. It set up an outcome evaluation that
sought to understand what program staff at Camp Giving Tree anticipate are the
developmental outcomes for students attending a 3-day, 2-night School-Camp
Partnership Program (SCPP) as compared with teachers’ perspectives on their students’
developmental outcome achievements as a result of their participation in the SCPP. This
study found that camp staff and teachers perceived that at camp, student learning was
connected to four main themes: (1) positive risk taking, (2) social competencies and
comforts, (3) engagement with creative thinking (4) strength of character. One month
after camp however, teachers observed that hardly any transfer seemed occurred in their
students’ behaviour at school. Even though hardly any transfer was reported, teachers
believed that camp gave their students hope and optimism for their future and that if
school was more like camp, their students would be able to learn more. The discussion
focuses on three main themes: (1) on the concept of transfer as it relates to program
structure and the prediction of behaviour change (2) positive risk taking related to the
concepts of positive psychology and optimism and (3) the idea that learning can be more
enjoyable if it includes reflection, if it promotes creative thinking and if the learning
environment is highly social. This study’s conclusions suggest opportunities in: future
research design and future youth programming opportunities (especially related to ongoing
support after a single recreation experience). Finally, this study urges people,
programs and institutions directly involved with youth development to take on more of a
deliberate role in supporting transfer from one experience to another for young people.
35
Maple, Laura Christine. "Leisure in a time of transition: A qualitative investigation into the leisure involvement of first-year university students." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/6655.
Full textAbstract:
Every September, tens of thousands of students enter the world of higher education for the first time, and face numerous new challenges without their traditional support systems. The literature indicates that leisure involvement can work as an effective coping strategy, but little is known about how first-year students make decisions about their leisure. This study examined the factors affecting students’ involvement in two leisure coping strategies (planned breaks and avoidance) and two leisure contexts (structured and unstructured). Nine one-on-one interviews with first year students were conducted. Insights consistent with the reviewed literature include students’ social leisure choices, their personal background and behavioural factors, and the transitional issues they faced. A new factor to add to the existing literature is the connection between students’ leisure actions and their sense of self. Researchers and leisure service providers on university campuses should explore these insights further, to help with students’ transitions into university.
36
Wilson-Forrest, Kathleen Michelle. "'Never Really Free': Anaphylaxis and the Family Leisure Experience." Thesis, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/2763.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT
This qualitative study utilized a systems theory approach and followed the premise that families are systems that seek a balanced state, interact with their environment, and are goal directed to explore the impact of anaphylaxis on families from a parental perspective. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of family leisure in families while living with a child diagnosed with anaphylaxis. This was done by exploring parental meanings and experiences of living with anaphylaxis and how this impacted their family leisure. Five research questions guided the inquiry relating to experiences and meanings of anaphylaxis, experiences and participation in family leisure, valuations and meanings of family leisure, caregiving as a constraint to family leisure, and gender considerations.
A local support group for families and individuals living with anaphylaxis (WRASE) was contacted and aided in identifying parents who would be interested in participating in this study. Specific attention was given to obtaining a sample that included different allergies, ages of children, and number of children in the household. Four families were selected and both parents were interviewed separately in all but one case.
Four core themes emerged from the in-depth interviews and included An Emotional Journey, Seeking Community Support and Dealing with Negative Feedback, Impact on Family Leisure, and The Increased Domestic Workload and Changing Role of Mother. In essence, parents experienced intense feelings of fear, paranoia, and stress as they sought to manage their child’s allergy and these feelings were just as intense during their family leisure time. Role changes and strain were particularly severe for the mothers in this study.
The parents of children with anaphylaxis have received little attention in social science research to date. This research adds to the literature on chronic illness and also offers new insight into how anaphylaxis affects family leisure. Key findings in this area were the lack of opportunities for travel and social isolation. Furthermore, it was found that leisure, although often thought to be beneficial in managing stress and improving family functioning, may not be available to those living with anaphylaxis.
37
Rotteau, Leahora. "Documentation of Recreation Therapy and Leisure Opportunities in Long Term Care." Thesis, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/2650.
Full textAbstract:
The documentation of Recreation Therapy and Leisure Opportunities in Long-term Care
The Recreation Therapy discipline at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (SHSC) has undergone a series of research initiatives to ensure a patient focused philosophy is integrated into their practice. The purpose of the study is the development of documentation procedures that will enable the recreation therapy practitioners to engage in authentic and professional documentation of the residents’ experiences in recreation therapy and leisure opportunities based on a patient focused philosophy.
This research project followed an action research methodology and was guided by a hermeneutic framework adapted from Karkainen and Eriksson (2004). The recreation therapists at SHSC were involved in all aspects of the project as co-research participants. This project employed a variety data collection techniques including focus groups, a hermeneutic dialogue, self-reflective activities and active application sessions.
The information collected through the various data collection phases in this project led to the creation of a new documentation framework and associated sample documentation, which allow for a more patient focused documentation process. A series of quality indicators were also developed in this project to help authentically express the experiences in leisure and recreation of the residents living at SHSC.
This research project has added to the growing base of knowledge focused on the integration of a patient focused care philosophy into the recreation therapy practice at SHSC.
38
Oyapero, Babatunde. "A BI-CULTURAL ANALYSIS OF NIGERIAN CANADIAN IMMIGRANTS WITH RESPECT TO ACCULTURATIVE STRESS, COPING, EGO INVOLVEMENT AND PARTICIPATION IN LEISURE." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/6542.
Full textAbstract:
There have been few African studies that examined relationships between acculturation, a process where immigrants assimilate the culture of their host country, coping, acculturative stress and enduring involvement in leisure. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between cultural orientations and acculturative stress, coping, leisure participation, as well as ego involvement of Nigerian Canadians in leisure. The research participants (n=104), were English speaking Nigerian Canadians between the ages of 18-52 average age of 35, SD of just under 8. All research participants were born outside Canada. Most Nigerian Canadians (99%, n=103) had lived in Canada for a period of 1-10 years when data were collected. Each participant filled out a questionnaire that measured their African and Canadian cultural orientations, and acculturative stress, coping, leisure participation, and ego involvement in leisure. Composite scale scores were computed for the variables of African cultural orientation, Canadian cultural orientation, depression, discrimination, intergenerational conflicts, coping and ego involvement in leisure; after which ANOVAs were computed to determine between group differences for the median split groups on these variables. Kruskal Wallis H tests were then computed to determine between group differences with regards to demographic characteristics, transportation, housing and dress patterns. ANOVA was also computed to determine differences on number of children in households. Pearson Correlations were then computed to determine relationships between leisure participation and ego involvement on one hand, and depression, discrimination, intergenerational conflicts, and coping on the other hand. Results revealed significant differences between participants on African and Canadian cultural orientations, with the two High African groups showing higher African preferences, and the two High Canadian groups showing higher Canadian preferences than the two lower African and the two lower Canadian groups in each instance. Participants were not significantly different on acculturative stress and coping. Also, there were minimal between group relationships with respect to leisure participation and acculturative stress and coping; while no relationships were found for ego involvement in leisure.
39
Mainland, Michael. "Martial Mind: Examining the Relationship among Martial Arts Participation, Identity, and Wellbeing." Thesis, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/5626.
Full textAbstract:
For hundreds of years, supporters of the traditional Martial Arts have spoken of the ability to promote the personal development of the practitioner through serious training practices (Lu, 2008). The connection between personal development and mind-body training practices is illustrated in the Japanese concept of budo, which applies generally to “those Martial Arts that have more than a combat dimension” (Lawler, 1996, p.9). While the physical training is similar to other forms of combat (such as boxing or military training), it is the philosophical focus of the training as a form of personal development that makes budo a unique characteristic of certain forms of Martial Arts practice.
The current study attempts to examine the way in which training in the Martial Arts affects the overall lifestyle of the individual. Understanding the main relationship between Martial Arts participation and personal wellbeing, and how this is influenced by the identity of the participant, represents the central focus of the current study. While the main relationship being studied is the one between Martial Arts participation and well-being, there are several l factors at play in influencing this central relationship. Given the unique connection of mind and body in the practice of the Martial Arts, one factor that influences the relationship between Martial Arts participation and well-being is the spirituality of the individual practitioner. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between Martial Arts participation and well-being, and to investigate how this central relationship is influenced by the associated concepts of identity, spirituality, serious leisure, motivation, and involvement. This study found that although Martial Arts participation displayed significant power in predicting wellbeing scores, the psycho-social factors associated with the training experience heavily shaped this relationship. The results of this study also suggest that it is not the style of Martial Arts participation, but the way the individual engages with the act of training and incorporates it into their daily life that separates individuals.
40
Tamburro, Anne-Marie. "Raising Healthy Females: Parental perceptions of roles and responsibilities." Thesis, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/3425.
Full textAbstract:
Within North America, more children are being classified as overweight and obese than ever before. Despite this alarming finding, limited research has been conducted on parents’ views of their children’s health in addition to their role in providing their children with a healthy lifestyle The purpose of this qualitative investigation was to explore parents’ perceptions of their
daughters’ healthy lifestyle, including their perceptions of their roles and responsibilities as parents. Participants were recruited from three Girl Guides of Canada Brownie Units in South-Western Ontario. Ten semi-structured, audio-taped interviews were conducted. All of the parents who volunteered to participate were middle class, well-educated, heterosexual, married and/ or common-law and had two to three children. Among those who were interviewed, one married couple took part together, and the remaining eight mothers and one father took part in individual interviews. Many of the participants had experienced problems with maintaining a
healthy weight themselves and/or healthy lifestyle in the past. A phenomenological approach was taken by following Hychner’s (1985) steps, including; bracketing my assumptions, listening for a sense of the ‘whole’, delineating units of general meaning, eliminating redundancies and
outlining themes that captured the essence of lives experience for parents. Similar to Mannell and Kleiber’s (1997) findings, participants in this study played an influential role in helping their children develop healthy behaviours that would carry on throughout their lives. All of the mothers and fathers interviewed were involved parents and were very committed to instilling healthy behaviors in their daughters. In line with Hays (1996) and Warner (2005), mothers in this study adopted ‘intensive mothering roles’ and fathers’ behaviors reflected ‘involved parenting’ roles. Participants in this study deemed physical, mental and psychological health as important factors which contribute to a healthy lifestyle, but focused most of their discussions on their roles and responsibilities in their daughters’ physical health. A strong emphasis on their daughters’ weight management was conveyed throughout interviews, as many participants, especially mothers, were concerned with their daughter’s perception of body image and self-esteem. As they embraced their parental duties, they acted as role models to their children and spent time during family leisure activities and family meals teaching their daughters about the importance
of physical activity and nutrition. Similar to Shaw and Dawson’s (2001) study, family leisure was seen as purposive, with a strong focus placed on health. Parents in this study made their daughters’ health a top priority by investing their time and finances for this goal, while remaining firm and consistent in encouraging healthy behaviours in their children. Despite the
time and effort devoted to providing healthy lifestyles, many participants felt insecure and questioned whether or not they were doing enough. These characteristics displayed by participants were similar to Warner’s (2005) concept of ‘professionalization of parenthood’. This
study has provided valuable insight to the fields of Recreation and Leisure Studies, Family Studies, and Obesity Prevention literature.
41
Salem, Rasha. "Moving from Darkness into Light: Meanings and Experiences of Yoga for Trauma Survivors." Thesis, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/7800.
Full textAbstract:
Traumas such as experiences of military combat, violent personal assault, natural disasters, severe vehicle accidents, being taken as hostage or prisoner, and diagnosis of life threating disease (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) impact every aspect and facet of the lives of trauma survivors including the physical, social, mental, emotional, psychological, and spiritual aspects of well-being. Trauma results in avoidance and dissociation, hyperarousal, and intrusion and constriction (Herman, 1997). Trauma may also lead individuals to anxiety, depression, somatization and cognitive distortions (Briere, 2004), disconnection from their bodies (Ogden el al. 2006; van der Kolk, 2006), and getting stuck in the past (van der Kolk et al., 1996). In leisure contexts, trauma may lead to experiencing avoidance, re-enactment in leisure, and the tendency to isolate and fear emotional and physical intimacy with others (Arai, Griffin, Miatello, & Greig, 2008). The foundation of trauma healing is establishing safety, mourning and reconnection with ordinary life (Herman, 1997), reconnection with the body, and being present (Levine, 2010). While cognitive therapy plays a role in trauma healing, somatic approaches provide additional support to reconnection of body and mind. Somatically-oriented therapies support trauma survivors to acquire a sense of safety and mastery over their bodies and to heal disconnection that results from trauma exposure (van der Kolk, 2003). The promise of interventions integrating body-mind in healing and support various mental health issues are growing and research is showing positive results. There is growing evidence of the role of physically-active leisure in healing trauma (Arai, Mock & Gallant, 2011). Yoga has been supported by a number of studies as a therapeutic intervention for both psychological and physiological conditions associated with trauma (Emerson & Hopper, 2011; Emerson, Sharma, Chaudhry, & Turner, 2009; The Trauma Centre, 2013; van der Kolk, 2012; Ware, 2007) and posttraumatic stress disorder (Descilo et al., 2007; Emerson et al., 2009; van der Kolk, 2012). Yoga originated over 5000 years ago in India and is a holistic and comprehensive system of practice and wellbeing that creates individuality, space, and opening allowing the self to be in the body without judgment. According to Iyengar (2002), yoga lifts up from clutches of pain and sorrow, and enables to live fully, taking a delight in life. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the meanings and experiences of yoga for trauma survivors. Phenomenology attempts to capture participants’ perception of lived experience, plunging deep into the nature of being to embrace a mindful wondering about a project of life, of living, of what it means to live a life (van Manen, 2001). The study engaged thirteen individuals who experienced trauma and had been practicing yoga for at least five years in phenomenological interviews using open and active interview questions. Research questions guiding my study were: What is the nature of the yoga experience? What meanings do people who have experienced trauma make of this experience? What happens in the yoga experience that is healing? The findings emerged in the form of four essences describing the yoga experiences of participants: moving from the darkness of trauma into the light of yoga and living, entering into safe and sacred spaces, letting go into yoga and returning to embodiment of self, and embracing creativity and connection beyond the mat. Through the light that yoga brought into the darkness of the lives of the participants, they realized they are far more than just the trauma they experienced. This light allowed them know and touch the light within, feel safe again, reclaim their connection with self, befriending their bodies while being present in the moment and know the trauma has already happened and they do not have to stay there.
42
Graham, Taryn M. "Encounters with Difference and Politics of Place: Meanings of Birdwatchers and Dog Walkers at a Multiple-Use Urban Forest." Thesis, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/8022.
Full textAbstract:
With a particular interest in birdwatchers and dog walkers, this case study explored place meanings of users at Westmount Summit Woods, a multiple-use urban forest located just west of downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A document analysis was conducted on the research site, followed by data collected through online questionnaire. A total of 120 users participated in the online questionnaire, of which included birdwatchers (n=44), dog walkers (n=61), and the broader community (n=15). Three themes relating to place meaning were interpreted: (1) Attachment to and Preference for; (2) (Re)connection with Self and Others; and (3) Conflict Between and Within. Findings suggest encounters played key roles in the formation of social identity, capital, and conflict. Questions regarding access to and use of public space, how humans and animals are placed vis-à-vis one another, and ways to build civic culture out of difference were addressed. Following on from these findings, recommendations for outdoor recreation management and future research were offered.
43
Mulcahy, Caitlin Maureen. "Risky performances: A feminist, dramaturgical exploration of the female diarist as resistant." Thesis, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/3313.
Full textAbstract:
This study seeks to explore the meaning of diary-keeping for women. In particular, this research is focused on the relationships between the diary and leisure, the diary and performance, and the diary and dominant gender discourse. This study is guided by a feminist, dramaturgical, qualitative, interpretive framework. Unstructured “active” interviews with seven women in a rural, Nova Scotian community were used to create a collaborative process driven by the participants’ experiences as diarists. The phenomenological method was used to analyze the resulting transcripts. By incorporating interviews with diarists into the analysis, and by framing the research within leisure studies, this research addresses two gaps in the existing literature on diaries: the lack of women’s voices in the interpretation of their diaries and the absence of the diary in leisure studies.
This study found that the social experience of diary-keeping can reproduce dominant gender discourses; however, findings also demonstrated that women use their diaries to resist the ethic of care, disrupt oppressive dichotomies and take control of the direction of their lives. Furthermore, diaries are meaningful insofar as they allow the diarist to take control of her personal space, time, and life story. Through this space the diarist can perform the story of her life in whatever way she sees fit; she takes her performance to the public, despite the risk of doing so. Therefore, though the diary can act to reproduce traditional notions of femininity, this research found that it can also be a space for women to resist dominant gender discourses.
44
Wagler, Faith-Anne. ""We can compete and we can be equals": Female experiences of co-gendered soccer." Thesis, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/7719.
Full textAbstract:
Despite many sports leagues for participants over the age of 18 being co-gendered, little research has explored how women experience co-gendered sport. Women are typically underrepresented in these leagues so it is important to understand what attracts them to the sport and their experiences of playing. The current study examined how women experience co-gendered soccer in a Region of Waterloo soccer league. Semi-structured conversational interviews with seven women, who participated in co-gendered soccer for more than one season, were conducted. The findings suggest that upon facing unfavourable stereotypes about women's athletic abilities, women who play co-gendered soccer felt the need to prove their skills to male teammates, thus changing the way they played and experienced soccer. Women also both resisted, by their confidence and skill, and reproduced, by their acceptance of male athletic superiority, dominant gender ideologies that frame co-gendered soccer. Therefore, although co-gendered soccer experiences are gendered and teammate interactions can reinforce dominant gender ideologies, the current research found that co-gendered soccer is also a space for women to resist and challenge what it means to be "feminine." Furthermore, this study suggests that there is need for organizational change based on how women experienced gendered rules and organizational structure in co-gendered leagues. Although co-gendered soccer is experienced positively by some women, there is much work to be done by players, captains, and sport organizations to decrease gendered constraints and create more positive sport experiences for all players.
45
Clare, Megan. ""I'm finally there": An examination of a feminist program working to change the dynamics of women's poverty." Thesis, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/5335.
Full textAbstract:
One in seven Canadian women lives in poverty. There is a considerable body of research on the factors that cause women’s poverty in Canada and on how poverty affects women’s lives. There are also a number of programs and organizations that help women living in poverty. However, there is a lack of research that examines the meanings and experiences women have with these programs and the role these programs may play in their lives. This study has attempted to fill this gap by examining an innovative training and employment program for women living in poverty. A qualitative approach was taken, which included in-depth, semi-structured interviews with eight women who had recently completed the program, as well as an informal interview with the program director. The interviews explored the women’s experiences with the program, the meanings they associated with the program, and the ways in which participation in the program had influenced their lives. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze the interview data, and socialist feminist theory provided a lens to guide the study as a whole. The analysis led to the development of a number of themes and sub-themes. Safety, stability and connections with others were found to be particularly meaningful and important components of the program. These features enabled the participants to discover a new sense of self through the development of skills, confidence and empowerment. These findings suggest the importance of providing a holistic program, and one that addresses the broad range of challenges and concerns that affect the lives of women in poverty. Programs that focus narrowly on employment and job training may be insufficient. The implications of this research are discussed in terms of the diverse needs of women living in poverty and the range of barriers that they face. Community programs such as the one studied can help women make significant gains in their lives, which can, in turn, contribute to overcoming poverty and achieving economic independence.
46
Swain, Reg. "Seniors and Cruising: Motivations and Satisfactions." Thesis, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/3595.
Full textAbstract:
Millions of vacationers are taking a cruise each year and nearly one-third are senior tourists. There is little attention to this sector in the literature. This qualitative study reveals some of the motivations and satisfactions of ten retired seniors who were recently on a cruise. The interviews were transcribed to capture precise wordings of their motivations and satisfactions and then analyzed by phrases. These were open, then axially coded according to a conceptual theory, into three stages: a pre-cruise stage of planning and expectations, the experiences on board a cruise ship through activities and excursions, and the post-cruise stage of satisfaction. The phrases were selective coded into three themes. The findings reveal that the most important feature of a cruise is interaction within them, with their companions, and with others they may meet. Friends, relatives, and the ship's crew add to this interaction. Second, there is a balance of opportunities and constraints incurred while achieving the goal of a cruise. Third, it was found that there are multiple sources of satisfaction from a cruise. This study provides insight into what cruising means to seniors, the effect of interaction with others, and their internal interactions. The experience of a cruise becomes an event that leaves a memorable impression for years to come.
47
Ainley, Suzanne Elizabeth. "The Experience of Ontario Farm Families Engaged in Agritourism." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/7246.
Full textAbstract:
This phenomenological study explored the experiences of farm families starting and operating agritourism. Many extant studies of agritourism have privileged positivistic methodologies and quantitative approaches. To better understand the lived experiences of farm families who have started and embrace agritourism and to fully appreciate the intertwined and complex nature of the various factors involved within the family, a more interpretative approach was required. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis(IPA) guided the design, analysis, and overall implementation of the study. Phenomenology allowed meaningful experiences and essential structures associated with the phenomenon of agritourism, from the perspective of those directly involved in it, to be fully and deeply explored.
In this study, three multi-generational farm families actively engaged in agritourism within Ontario participated. Unlike previous agritourism studies which just involved one family member, usually the farmer, as many members of each farm family as possible were included in this study. A total of 17 members across the three families participated and data were collected through a combination of on-site observations and active interviews. Beginning with a simple introductory question of each participant, “Can you tell me how agritourism got started on your farm”, a number of themes emerged. By taking an interpretative stance, the individual themes were further baled into six super-ordinate themes:
• Retailing, Educating, Entertaining– describing agritourism;
• Being the Face of Farming–the re-connecting of farms and farmers to consumers;
• We Are the Farm–impressions about how agritourism is retaining and sustaining a farming identity while introducing unique challenges associated with embracing agritourism on the farm;
• Family Comes First–speaking to the prevalence of economics as a reason for embracing agritourism, while also further exploring agritourism’s role in sustaining the family farm;
• Coming Home–focuses on the inseparability of the farm as a place of residence and work where new challenges, opportunities, and attitudes towards intergenerational transfer of the farm emerge; and finally,
• Becoming an Agritourism Farm–captures the incremental process and key watershed moments associated with switching into agritourism.
By exploring the experience of agritourism from the perspectives of the families, our understanding of agritourism has been expanded, while some of our pre-existing beliefs and assumptions about agritourism are also challenged. Getting involved in agritourism was articulated by farm families as occurring through a series of smaller, incremental decisions usually over several years as the farm naturally took on new and additional activities and eventually evolved into an agritourism enterprise. The transition revealed the place – the farm, and the people integral and historically associated with it – as a productive agricultural space was changing into being consumptive spaces. The unplanned transition into agritourism affected the farmer as well as other members of the family. However, the transition also sustained a farming identity and way of life in an era of intense globalization and agricultural intensification. This study sheds light on how different members of the families have been involved in the process, as well as illuminated new perspectives on: how agritourism sustains key characteristics defining a family farm, how the farm re-engages with consumers, how an entrepreneurial spirit is fostered, and how continuous adaptation on the farm ensures its viability for future generations of the family.
48
Li, Jing. "Exploring the Destination Image of China through International Urban Tourism." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/6615.
Full textAbstract:
Literature within the tourism discipline emphasized the importance of destination image due to its effect on both supply and demand sides of marketing. Gunn’s seven-stage model illustrated the process and evolution of image formation of a destination has been used as a guiding model in the study. The purpose of this study is to explore the coherence and the difference between pre-conceived images and post-images of China holding by the North American tourists.
Purposive sampling was adapted to reach the target participants who fit the study criteria. Qualitative data were collected from eight interviews with participants from Canada and America. Semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions were conducted during October and November 2011.
Essences were developed from the analysis of the interview data by conducting initial coding and focused coding. Findings of the study were concluded into three parts: before visiting China; actual travel experiences; and after visiting China. Consistent with Gunn (1972)’s seven-stage theory, findings of the study showed a clear change between pre-conceived images and post-images holding by participants. Images involved from simple, vague, mythical, and stereotypical to comprehensive, realistic, and holistic. Moreover, advantages and problems of the international tourism in China emerged with the progress of data analysis.
The findings reflected the perceptions of China in the eyes of North American tourists; consequently, it could contribute to the future tourism practitioners who aim to promote China to be a desirable international tourism destination.
49
Valtchanov, Bronwen L. "Critical Intersections of Gender, Race and Ethnicity: Leisure Constraints, Negotiations and Resistances of Immigrant Adolescent Girls." Thesis, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/8002.
Full textAbstract:
Leisure can provide a central context for the core adolescent issue of identity development. Given the importance of leisure in adolescents’ lives, it is imperative to understand the constraints to leisure and possible constraint negotiations. While extensive research exists on the leisure constraints and negotiations of adults, there is a notable paucity of similar research which addresses the potentially unique constraints and negotiations experienced by adolescents, with a particular lack of focus on adolescent girls from diverse races and ethnicities. As such, this research sought to explore the leisure constraints, negotiations and resistances of diverse adolescent girls. Guided by a feminist theoretical and methodological approach, the current research involved nine conversational interviews with immigrant adolescent girls, representing diverse races and ethnicities. It became clear that girls experienced numerous constraints, but also crucially negotiated constraints, and mobilized their leisure as resistance. As immigrant adolescent girls, participants each embarked on a personal journey, which spanned both the exterior geographies and interior landscapes of their two distinct cultures, back home and in Canada. Participants’ points of departure provided a mapping of some of the contours of their life back home, including structural constraints, gender constraints and gender resistances. As participants left home for Canada, they discovered a different world, fraught with its own leisure constraints. These Canadian leisure constraints encompassed all three major forms of constraints: structural, intrapersonal and interpersonal. Within this new world, participants also experienced racism and gender constraints. Significantly, participants discovered ways to navigate the Canadian constraints they encountered and resisted racism, sexism, and other forms of prejudice. Finally, beyond an articulation of constraints and negotiations, girls’ leisure experiences revealed the intersections of influences and identities. Participants also unpacked continuing and emerging leisure identities and embraced leisure as a cultural connection.
50
Briscoe, Carrie Lynn. "Narrative Exploration of Therapeutic Relationships in Recreation Therapy Through a Self-Reflective Case Review Process." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/7049.
Full textAbstract:
This narrative inquiry explores therapeutic relationships in the practice of recreation therapy. Narratives were generated in Recreation Therapy’s self-reflective case review process at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre—a process developed to support team engagement in reflections on their therapeutic relationships. In total, three self-reflective case reviews were explored, and for each case review, four layers of analysis occurred. The first two layers used narrative analysis to restory reflections of the case review leader (layer one) and then reflections within the recreation therapy team (layer two). The third and fourth layers used analysis of narrative to explore theoretical ideas from person-centred care emerging inductively in the text (layer three), and then to restory the previous narratives using a relational theory lens (layer four). Exploration revealed the self-reflective case review process also strengthens therapeutic relationships within the recreation therapy team. In the recreation therapists’ narratives we hear relational notions of connection, disconnection, reconnection, mutuality, mutual empathy, authenticity, vulnerability, and support. This study engaged recreation therapists in an act of critical pedagogy as they engaged in critical self-reflection by exploring across layers of narrative that story their therapeutic relationships. The self-reflective case review process creates opportunity for the recreation therapy team to recognize, identify and name their experiences within therapeutic relationships, and to find their voices in the medical context of a hospital setting. When engaging in self-reflective processes, recreation therapy moves further away from treating individuals as objects, shifting practice toward connection and mutuality in therapeutic relationships.