Leisure Studies Commons^™

The Intersection Of Makeup And Recreation: A 21st Century Overview Of Makeup Participation And Its Recreational Benefits, Jason Morgan

All Dissertations

This dissertation critically reconceptualizes makeup participation as a legitimate, multidimensional form of recreation. Through a comprehensive rapid review using the SPIDER framework of 102 peer-reviewed studies published between 2000 and 2025, the research investigates whether and how makeup fulfills the psychological, affective, and symbolic criteria of meaningful leisure. Drawing on the Serious Leisure Perspective (SLP) and broader recreation theory, the study positions makeup not merely as aesthetic behavior or consumer habit, but as a sustained, emotionally generative practice embedded in identity, creativity, personal growth, and well-being.

Findings reveal that makeup is consistently linked to confidence-building, emotional regulation, self-expression, and psychological …

“It’S What Scares Me To Death In The Industry Right Now:” Contextualizing The Impacts Of Climate Change On Out-Of-School Time Programs, Kathleen Thurson

All Dissertations

This dissertation examines the impacts of climate change on out-of-school time (OST) programs in the U.S., focusing on summer camps. As climate change poses increasing risks to these programs, many OST settings lack the resources or preparedness to address them. This dissertation is structured into three studies, each contributing to an understanding of how climate change affects OST programs and informing strategies for adaptation. The first study explores the portrayal of climate change and related events in the media, analyzing over 14,000 news articles published between 2022 and 2024. Through the identification of three core themes: Crisis & Response, Pop …

Operationalizing Quality Youth Leadership Programs Within The Context Of Summer Camps, Leslie E. Heffington

All Dissertations

Positive youth development (PYD) exists in a variety of out-of-school time settings. Research has demonstrated that PYD occurs when there is an alignment between ecological assets and individual capabilities (Lerner et al., 2005). Participation in youth programs can be a successful strategy for promoting PYD because they can offer youth relationships with supportive adults (Henderson, 2007) who provide opportunities for skill building and community connection (Lerner, 2004). More specifically, the camp setting has been shown to offer a variety of positive outcomes for youth by providing developmental opportunities across social, physical, cognitive, and spiritual domains of adolescent development (Garst et …

An Examination Of The Role Of Recreational Therapy In Forensic And Correctional Settings, Sarah R. Fischer

All Dissertations

The estimated prevalence of adults, age 18 and older, with serious mental illness (SMI) in the United States is approximately 6% (NIMH, 2022a). Having a mental illness places individuals at higher risk for arrest and incarceration (NAMI, n.d.b) where they receive treatment, including recreational therapy (RT) in state hospitals, jails or prisons. The purpose of this multi-method study was to gain a better understanding of the role of RT in treating adults with SMI in forensic and correctional settings. A non-standardized 122-item cross-sectional survey (n=49) was used to identify what interventions recreational therapists are using, for what intended outcomes; and …

Exploring The Use Of Social Media Among Theme Park Guests: A Uses And Gratification Theory Approach, William J. Henderson

All Dissertations

Theme parks have provided billions of dollars to the local economies of tourist destinations (Blair & Rush, 1998; Warden, 2019). In the digital age, the theme park experience is shared with vast online audiences and so there is a need to understand how theme parks are presented on social media from the guest perspective. Specifically, it is vital to understand the uses and gratifications of social media use and content creation from guests and influencers within a theme park context.

The Uses and Gratifications Theory serves as a foundational theory for this research to understand the psychological gratifications found through …

The Experience Of Severe Food Allergy At Residential Camp, Alexsandra Dubin

All Dissertations

Severe food allergy is an emerging issue in public, educational, and recreational spaces, as the condition rises in prevalence and severity (Capucilli et al., 2019). Nearly all camps serve children with food allergies (Schellpfeffer et al., 2020). Research focusing on documenting rates of food allergy, anaphylaxis management, and food allergy management in summer camps has been foundational to ensuring a safe experience for youth attending camp (Gonzalez-Mancebo et al., 2019; Schellpfeffer et al., 2020). However, less research has focused on the socio-emotional impacts of attending camp with a food allergy or exploring how children with food allergy experience summer camp …

The Influence Of Recreation Engagement On Adolescent Health-Risk Behaviors, Krista Thomas

All Dissertations

The number of adolescents who engage in suicidality is staggering. Adolescence is a unique developmental period where engagement in health-risk behaviors is prominent. Factors influencing engagement in suicidality are vast and occur both internally and externally in the adolescent. Substance use during adolescence has shown an association with increased suicidality. Similarly, bullying, both cyberbullying and in-person bullying, have contributed to adolescent suicidality. Alternatively, recreation engagement has yielded benefits in both psychosocial and physical health for adolescents. However, limited research has identified that engaging in recreation can minimize suicidality. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore how substance use, …

Mapping The Tourism Value Chain For Fair-Trade And Tourism Handicraft Clusters In Tanzania, Peter M. Ezra

All Dissertations

The role of tourism industry as an agent to foster community development, and as a means for poverty reduction in lesser economically developed countries (LEDCs), has been widely addressed by the literature. However, critics have pointed out that tourism has failed to promote local development and improve the livelihoods of local communities in LEDCs due to unequal trading and neoliberal economic policies resulting to economic leakage. The introduction of fair-trade movements is a response to a call to redress these unequal trading and neoliberal economic policies between the Global North and Global South. Fair-trade is considered one of the ethical …

Queering The Outdoors: Lgbtq2sia+ Identity In Outdoor Recreation, Sandra Heath

All Dissertations

Objective. The purpose of this project was to learn about the lived experiences of outdoor professionals who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Two Spirited, Pansexual, Intersex, Asexual, Plus (LGBTQ2SIA+ or LGBTQ+). In this study, we are gifted with stories that delve into queer identity in the outdoors, with the understanding that not all LGBTQ+ individuals experience the outdoors in the same way. Specifically, this study considers these experiences across temporal dimension of childhood and adulthood, the defining event(s) of coming out, the role of community, and reflections on outdoor recreation professions. Methods. A critical narrative approach was used …

“You Can’T Hide Behind Being A House”: Examining The Policy Process, Design, And Implementation Of Short-Term Rental Regulations, A Case Study Of Nashville, Tn, Jamie L. Cathey

All Dissertations

Following the economic crash of 2008, the rapid expansion of platform capitalism and the recruitment of others to work for themselves using a company’s platform, has led to a ‘paradigm shift’ in which a sharing economy business model has enabled small entrepreneurial endeavors to become industry giants (Srnricek, 2017). One such platform, Airbnb, has created a new, informal tourism accommodation sector that is bringing with it questions of regulation and community impact. Airbnb regulation thus is a growing national and international trend affecting cities of all sizes and forcing policy response and change at the local government level. Current trends …