Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration Commons^™

Making Pla(Y)Ces: Softening The City Through Play, Shivani Pinapotu

Masters Theses

Cities that grow naturally over time integrate spaces of gathering that allow for serendipitous happenstance. However, the cities we design today instruct and codify through intentional planning and design; they assign use, hardening specific function to place. Such strategies lead to spaces devoid of spirit, inculcating in city-dwellers to a sense of disconnect from the city.

In contrast to this, the places we make as children, express our intuitive, direct, and unselfconscious relationships with space and one other. These spaces embody softness through their malleability and adaptability, borrowing from the world around them and imbuing the ordinary with imagination. …

Exploring The Opportunity And Archievement Gap: The Capacity Of Inclusive Outdoor Adventure Programming In Alleviating Youth Educational Inequity, Sarah E. Mcdonald

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The United States education system is purported to be an equalizer for students in terms of providing education, socialization, skills, and opportunities. It is, however, rife with inequality as youth socioeconomic status is largely a predictor for future economic success. Socioeconomic status further constrains their participation in enriching supplemental activities that foster meaningful development. Through a content analysis of published research, this paper specifically examines the value of outdoor adventure programming as a supplemental educational device to that of the classroom experience, particularly for low-income youth. Findings suggest that outdoor adventure programs are associated with positive social outcomes and successful …

Campus Recreation Inclusion For People With Disabilities: A Qualitative Investigation Of Current Inclusive Practices., Tyler C. Spencer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the current practices of campus recreation professionals to create inclusive campus recreation programs, services, and facilities. The researcher identified twelve campus recreation programs known by their peers and the industry to be at the forefront of providing inclusion efforts to people with disabilities. Through in-depth discussions with campus recreation practitioners at the twelve identified institutions, the investigation elicited a variety of interesting results. Utilizing the frameworks of Critical Disability Theory and Universal Design, this investigation identified how campus recreation practitioners perceive the inclusiveness of their campus recreation departments and how the campus recreation practitioners developed their inclusive …

Evaluation Of Hospitality Curricula, Industry Skillset Expectations And Student Preparedness, Jennifer Aarons

Theses and Dissertations

Colleges and universities have been burdened with the task of preparing students for a successful career in the hospitality industry. As the industry expectations of hospitality and tourism management degree graduates’ change, postsecondary education institutions need to respond to the employment demands of the industry. Also, the global expansion of the hospitality and tourism industry requires that institutions evaluate their degree programs to ensure that graduates possess the essential skillsets to thrive in a global economy.

The purpose of this research is to determine if postsecondary institutions are adequately preparing hospitality and tourism management graduates with the necessary skillsets needed …

The Predictors Of Juvenile Recidivism: Testimonies Of Adult Students 18 Years And Older Exiting From Alternative Education, La Toshia Palmer

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this descriptive, qualitative study was to identify and describe the importance of the predictors of juvenile recidivism and the effectiveness of efforts to prevent/avoid juvenile recidivism as perceived by previously detained, arrested, convicted, and/or incarcerated adult students 18 years of age and older exiting from alternative education in Northern California. A second purpose was to explore the types of support provided by alternative schools and the perceived importance of the support to avoid recidivism according to adult students 18 years of age and older exiting from alternative education.

Methodology: This qualitative, descriptive research design identified …

Summer Internship At African Community Education, Stephen A. Chiavaroli Iii

International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE)

My internship at African Community Education (ACE) took place from May to December 2015, where I worked with GISDE alum, Joshua Plisinski. My summer was split as a volunteer at ACE and GIS Analyst in partnership with a Worcester nonprofit Cultural Exchange Through Soccer (CETS). My duties at ACE included tutoring, mentoring, and leading the students in homework assignments and various recreational activities. I also completed several GIS tasks and instructed a GIS tutorial for the high school students of ACE. The other time during my summer was spent conducting a spatial network analysis of Worcester soccer fields for CETS …

More Than A Job? The Perceived Outcomes Of Campus Recreation Employees And Relevance To Professional Employment, Jeremy Martin Battjes

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As grant programs dwindle and students are needing to become less reliant on parents to help finance their education, employment while enrolled is shifting from a choice to a near requirement. Collegiate comprehensive recreation programs employ several hundred students annually. Employers must be intentional in creating positions that help meet their needs, but also serve as a co-curricular experience for the student, assisting them in preparation for experiences beyond graduation. This study explores the perceived outcomes of campus recreation employment and the relevance to professional employment.

Student employees at a large university with a comprehensive collegiate campus recreation program reported …

Exploring The Effectiveness Of Environmentally Sustainable Practices In Municipal Government: A Case Study Of The City Of Knoxville’S Department Of Parks And Recreation, Anthony Michael Brown

Masters Theses

Sustainability practices produce programs and services that meet current needs while preserving the environment and natural resources for the future. City parks and recreation departments are facing budget shortfalls and increasing expectations from customers. Governments are now embracing sustainability practices to create financial savings while also fostering relations with customers.

The purpose of this single case study was twofold: (1) to examine the effectiveness of one city department’s strategies in outsourcing its environmental sustainability program through a performance contract with Ameresco; and (2) to examine the perceptions of key department employees about the effectiveness of the sustainability initiative. A …

A Narrative Inquiry Into The Learning Experiences Of Deaf Individuals In Tennis, Robbie Jane. Carmichael

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Deaf individuals do not have equal access to participating in sports as their hearing counterparts in the United States. Tennis is one sport to which this lack of access applies. The purpose of this qualitative, narrative research study was to add to the research literature by illuminating the learning experiences of Deaf individuals in tennis in the United States. This study was built on a tripartite conceptual framework consisting of motivation, interaction, and the flow experience. The study explored how tennis influenced other aspects in the lives of Deaf individuals. These other aspects included exposure to the game, learning opportunities, …

Summer Youth Housing Career Camp, Carol Goodemann

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

With the recent growth of the Hispanic population in Nobles County from 0.6% in 1980 to 18.2% in 2008 and Watonwan County from 1.8% to 18.6% in 2008 (Northwest Area Foundation, 2009), a need to assist in the development of professionals within emerging markets populations was identified as a primary goal of Southern MN Emerging Markets Homeownership Initiative. The Summer Youth Housing Careers Camp was on approach to achieving the goal.

A History Of The Stockton Recreation Department, 1910 To 1947, Including Its Early Background, And The Development Of Its Program And Facilities, Bert Edward Swenson

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

For a period of twenty years beginning in 1918 when the writer became Superintendent of the Stockton Playground Department, annual reports of its major activities and accomplishments were made and submitted to the Mayor and later the City Manager for their information. They helped in securing the next budget. Throughout the thirty years of service additional reports of activities and improvements in facilities were kept on file in the office of the department for the information of its officers and a permanent record.

The writer finds that he has been a part. of the supervised public playground movement since its …