Leisure Studies Commons^™

Aquatic Strategies And Techniques And Their Benefit On Children With Autism, James G. Hall

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Swimming lessons are recommended as a useful health promotion intervention and life-saving skills for individuals with ASD. This qualitative study examined the perceived benefits of swimming lessons for children with ASD, with particular focus on aspects that can potentially help maximize the instruction of lessons for this population. This study utilized multiple methods to gain an in-depth perspective on the implementation of strategies and techniques for learn-to-swim programs for the six subjects with ASD. Semi-structured personal interviews were conducted with two instructors, the parents of the six children along with observational data collected from the researcher. Thematic analysis of the …

Perceptions Of Dimensions Of Service Quality And Recreational Benefits In Collegiate Recreational Sports Programs, Christopher Berne Denison

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

An enduring and essential element of collegiate recreational sports programs is an emphasis on providing high quality, high impact programs and services. In addition, participants in collegiate recreation settings have an expectation to receive benefits as a result of their participation. If recreational sport programs cannot meet the expectations of participants in their pursuit of these benefits, continued participation is unlikely. As collegiate recreational professionals work to continually improve their programs and services, they should also understand the needs and wants of their participants. Understanding what participant needs and wants are should allow leisure service providers to improve the programs …

Risk-Taking Propensity And Its Relationship To Achievement Motivation Among Selected Municipal Parks And Recreation Directors In The State Of Iowa, Jiangong (Brad) Tan

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of the study was to examine the risk-taking propensity and achievement motivation among selected park and recreation directors in the state of Iowa. More specifically, the study is designed to determine the relationships between risk-taking propensity and achievement motivation. In addition, the study seeks to explore the relationships between various demographic variables such as age, gender, education level, city size, agency size, organizational budget, and years of professional experience in the park and recreation field and either risk-taking propensity or achievement motivation.

Atkinson's Theory of Achievement Motivation and McClelland's Need for Achievement were employed to better understand the …

A Comparative Study Of The Organizational Culture Of Capra Accredited And Non-Accredited Municipal Park And Recreation Agencies, John E. Farland

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to explore and examine the organizational cultures of municipal park and recreation agencies in the United States. Further, the study sought to compare the organizational cultures of municipal park and recreation agencies which have achieved accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) versus those who have not achieved CAPRA accreditation. Organizational culture according to Schein (1985) included characteristics found within a working environment, a pattern of assumptions, both written and assumed, passed on to new members. Authors throughout the literature wrote that all organizations have culture. Accreditation is a …

Leisure: Definitions, Patterns, And Constraints: A Study Of University Students In China, Shisi Zhou

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

China has witnessed tremendous social transformation in the last three decades due to the introduction of the "open door" policy and economic reforms in the late 1970s, which has resulted in great changes in Chinese culture and identity considerations. University students, as one of the most energetic and creative groups of individuals in the society, are playing and will play an important role in leading leisure lifestyles in China in the future. The purpose of this study was to examine the understanding of leisure (xiuxian in Chinese), leisure patterns, and constraints among university students in China.

Undergraduate students (N = …

Leisure And Aging: A Content Analysis Of Leisure Textbooks And Leisure Academic Journal Articles, Leila Rod-Welch

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study will review literature related to leisure and aging. We live in an aging society. People are expected to live healthier and longer. Therefore, there is a need to analyze how older adults are portrayed in leisure textbooks and academic journal articles which are typically used to educate and train recreation professionals. This study explores whether leisure textbooks published in the United States addressed the topic of aging and, if so, to what extent. In addition, any differences between leisure textbooks and specialty leisure and aging textbooks were analyzed. A content analysis of 54 leisure textbooks from six U.S. …

Understanding Parental Involvement In Youth Sports Through The Concept Of Serious Leisure, Greta Marie Giese

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to use the construct of serious leisure to identify to what extent parents are involved in their children's youth sports activities. A sample of 660 parents of children enrolled in Heartland Soccer Club in Cedar Rapids, Iowa or the Panther Pride Soccer Club in Cedar Falls, Iowa was surveyed. Both male and female parents from a variety of ages were surveyed. The research instrument for this study was the "Parental Involvement in Youth Soccer Questionnaire." This survey was created based on the categories of serious leisure and a 1997 article comparing serious leisure and …

Perspectives Of Change: Municipal Park And Recreation Directors Perceptions Of The Importance Of Specified Organizational Goals 1983–2008, Daniel Archie Wheeler

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study examines specified goals park and recreation directors have previously determined are important for their organizations, and how those goals rank in importance in their present estimations, and how those goals rank in future importance. It compares a similar study of goals from 1983, and reports on changes in levels of importance from 1983 to 2008.

Directors' perceptions of goal importance of 2008 present levels and 2008 future levels were determined to be significantly different in 23 of 26 cases. Goals were grouped in four categories, (a) management/adaptation,/positional, having to do with management tasks, (b) groups served, those targeted …

Estimating The Economic Impact Of Tourism: A Comparative Analysis Of Albania, Croatia, The Former Yugoslav Republic Of Macedonia And Greece, Arjana Çela

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study assessed the economic impact of tourism on investment, government and imports expenditures in Albania, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic (FYR) of Macedonia, and Greece. The objectives of this study were to develop a model to determine the impacts generated from an incremental change in tourist expenditures in the economy of Albania, Croatia, FYR of Macedonia, and Greece; to estimate the multipliers of the tourism expenditures on investment, government and imports expenditures in Albania, Croatia, FYR of Macedonia, and Greece and to investigate the differences and similarities of the economic impact of tourism between Albania, Croatia, FYR of Macedonia, …

Leisure Participation And Life Satisfaction Among Middle-Aged And Elderly Urban Chinese People, Jin Ye

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Society has entered a new millennium where quality of life is receiving more attention than ever before. In China, with the rapidly developing economy, the need for improving the quality of life has also increased. Research has shown that leisure can contribute to quality of life issues. It is very important to understand the characteristics of leisure participation and life satisfaction among middle-aged and elderly Chinese people. This can help leisure professionals to develop suitable leisure programs and improve the life satisfaction of Chinese.

One hundred fifty subjects (69 males and 81 females) living in China participated in this study. …

Relationship Between Television Viewing And Physical Activity Levels Among College Students, Sarah Joan Brummer

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between leisure time physical activity levels and time spent viewing television (including video or computer game play) among college students. Sub-problems included the physical activity profiles of males compared to females and the association between self-reported intensity of physical activity and time spent viewing television. The present study utilized a nonexperimental research design. Specifically, survey methodology using a self-report questionnaire was used as the means of data collection. The self-report questionnaire was designed to measure demographic characteristics, leisure time television viewing, and physical activity behaviors. A total of 789 students …