Leisure Studies Commons^™

Visitor Comments About Montana: 2012 Nonresident Survey, Norma Nickerson, Ashley Napier, Doris Cooley

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This report provdes an analysis of comments written by nonresident visitors to Montana in 2012. Eight general themes emerged from the comments. Nonresident visitors generally love Montana. Their experiences were positive, they enjoyed the scenery, open space, the friendly people, and they want to return. Full listing of all comments are provided in the appendix.

Surfing Injuries Requiring First Aid In New Zealand, 2007-2012, Kevin Moran, Jonathon Webber

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

In an island nation such as New Zealand with easy access to surf beaches, surfing activities are very popular and, while generally perceived as a healthy form of outdoor recreation, they do have attendant risks. This study reports on nondrowning, surfing-related incidents that required medical first aid on beaches during five summer seasons from 2007-2012. Retrospective descriptive analysis of data from lifeguard first aid reports found that 16% (n = 1,327) of injuries were the consequence of surfing activity. More males than females were treated for surfing injuries (68% male, 31% female). Lacerations (59%) and bruising (15%) accounted for most …

From Fandom To Franchise: Generational Discourse Among Fans And Producers, Nicholas C. Benson

Communication & Theatre Arts Theses

Generational discourse surrounding fandom has been an understudied area of media studies. Using Disney's TRON franchise as a case study, this thesis looks at that discourse as it exists in two areas. The first chapter draws on interviews with several actual TRON fans and looks at how the concept of generation is imagined within the TRON fan community. The second chapter draws from promotional interviews done with TRON creator Steven Lisberger to analyze the way the concept of generation functions within the decision making practices and formation of career capital within Hollywood. Ultimately, this paper concludes that the concept of …

Australia And New Zealand Gamers Research Database, Jeffrey Brand

Jeffrey Brand

No abstract provided.

Revising A Summer Internship Course Using Student Evaluations, Holly B. Perry, Lynda J. Sperazza

Journal of Tourism Insights

Internships play an important role in a university curriculum because they allow students to gain practical experience and explore possible career paths. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the summer internship experience from the students’ perspective to determine whether they achieved course learning outcomes. We objectively examined the course evaluations from students who completed their summer internships within a recreation and leisure studies program. Student responses (n = 29) to the 14 self-appraisal items in their course evaluation were the central focus of data analysis. Our primary research question was, “In what KSA [knowledge, skills, attitudes] areas …

Exploring Pull Factor Influences At Campgrounds By Rv Association Members, Jill Fjelstul

Journal of Tourism Insights

Recreational vehicles (RVs) are owned and/or rented by travelers of diverse ages, traveling parties, and agendas. RVs, in most cases, will be parked at a campground during use, lending to the question of what factors influence campground selection. The current study explored pull factors specific to RV campground attributes by members of a RV association, identified the general demographics of the respective RV association, and investigated campground travel decisions by members of the RV association. Findings from the current study can assist campground owners/operators in developing effective marketing strategies for attracting RV travelers with customized products, onsite amenities, and/or services. …

Quantified Recess: Design Of An Activity For Elementary Students Involving Analyses Of Their Own Movement Data, Victor R. Lee, Joel R. Drake

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Recess is often a time for children in school to engage recreationally in physically demanding and highly interactive activities with their peers. This paper describes a design effort to encourage fifth-grade students to examine sensitivities associated with different measures of center by having them analyze activities during recess using over the course of a week using Fitbit activity trackers and TinkerPlots data visualization software. We describe the activity structure some observed student behaviors during the activity. We also provide a descriptive account, based on video records and transcripts, of two students who engaged thoughtfully with their recess data and developed …

Understanding Teenage Poker Gambling: Policy And Consumer Behaviour Implications, Sudhir Kale, Natalina Zlatevska

Sudhir H. Kale

Gambling on poker has become a very popular activity among teenagers worldwide. However, to date, research exploring the consumer behavior of teenage poker players and contrasting poker players’ profile and personality with other gamblers is scarce. Our research addresses this gap and analyzes data from 2,000 15-19 year-olds to better understand the demographic and psychological correlates of poker gambling. Our analysis suggests that poker players are more impulsive and sensation-seeking driven than other teenage gamblers, and they also possess more distorted gambling-related cognitions. There is a greater prevalence of problem gambling among poker players compared to those gamblers who do …

The Effects Of Social Media On Attendees' Expectations And Perceptions Of Special Events, Samantha Buono

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration

No abstract provided.

Physical Activity Of Park Visitors In The Sacramento-Central Valley, Jordaine Mcginnity

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration

The purpose of the study was to conduct a secondary analysis of the socio-demographics and physical activity levels of park users in the Sacramento-Central Valley region from the 2012 California Opinions and Attitudes Survey on Outdoor Recreation. The study was delimited to the parameters of gathering information via a telephone survey during 2012. The major conclusions indicate: a. the subjects are mostly White or Hispanic, middle-aged to senior status, married, and are part of the lowest socio-economic status, b. park visitation differs between groups as Hispanics visit more often and Non-Hispanics stay longer, and c. physical activity levels differ between …

A Natural Resource Condition Assessment For Sequoia And Kings Canyon National Parks, Appendix 16 - Bats, Alice Chung-Maccoubrey

United States National Park Service: Publications

Scope of Analysis

North American bats are highly unique animals that have historically been overlooked by land managers and misunderstood by the public. Bats are unique as the only true flying mammals and due to their exceptionally long lives (5-15 years) and unusually low reproductive rates (typically one young per year) for their small size. Most North American bat species are insectivorous, serve as the primary predators of nocturnal insects, and can consume up to one-third of their weight in insects per night. Thus, bats play a role in regulating insect populations, insect-related ecological processes, and nutrient redistribution and cycling …

Web 2.0 Spaces For Activism: Critiquing Its Novelty Through A Historical Lens Of Public Political Space, Payal Arora

Payal Arora

This paper draws parallels between the use of public leisure spaces in the city such as parks and squares, and the use of certain forms of digital networks. Similarities between these two sorts of social contexts are worth considering, particularly their political dimension. This effortsituates the current conversation about social media as sites of political mobilization into dialogue with the historical analysis of public parks as spaces that, in a similar fashion, were designed for leisure and consumption but was appropriated as sites of resistance. It brings together the literature on urban parks as centers of democracy and the literature …

Spartan Race Visitor Study: 2013, Christine Oschell

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

The purpose of this study was to provide the organizers of the Spartan Race with an understanding of their attendees and the total money spent by those surveyed in the area (Kalispell and Whitefish). The population of interest was participants and attendees of the 2013 Spartan Race.

Expenditure Comparison Of Overseas, Canadian, And Domestic Nonresident Travelers To Montana: 2012, Kara Grau

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This report gives a comparison of overseas, Canadian and domestic visitation and spending during 2012. It includes total expenditures and average daily spending in different spending categories.

Lone Parents, Leisure Mobilities And The Everyday, Bernadette Quinn

Books / Book chapters

This chapter highlights the importance of the ordinary as a site for enquiring into how people make sense of their worlds. The primary intention is to highlight the spatiality of everyday leisure practices and to unravel some of the connections that link these to the occasional leisure practice of holidaying. Empirically, the study focuses on a group of female lone parents of dependent children living on low incomes in Dublin. In Ireland as elsewhere, lone parent families constitute a sizeable, growing but marginal societal group. For the women studied, leisure constituted informal, unstructured and modest activities that were stitched into …

Materialism, Personal Food Projects, And Satisfaction: A Phenomenological Study Of Urban Gardening In Portland, Oregon, Robin René Wikoff

Dissertations and Theses

Nonmarket activities such as gardening and cooking are often correlated with increased well-being and happiness. Additionally, nonmarket, casual activities such as gardening and food preparation are often internally motivated, and provide observable examples of self-concordant experiences. Self-concordance, i.e., internalized motivation, has been shown to increase satisfaction and increase efficacy of goal attainment. Further, experiential hobbies such as gardening may help individuals feel more satisfied, adopt more intrinsic life aspirations, and be less materialistic.

This study explored satisfaction, materialism, and food activities by focusing on first-person, lived experiences of eight urban gardeners in Portland Oregon who grow, prepare, and eat their …

The Relationship Between Leisure Traveler’S Hotel Attribute Satisfaction And Overall Satisfaction, Mi Ran Kim Ph.D.

Hospitality Review

Manystudies have been conducted about hotel attributesrelated tothehotel choice decision as a part ofacustomer’s pre- purchase behavior(Dolnicar&Otter, 2003). Althoughit iscritical for hotel managerstounderstand post-trip behavior because such behaviorsmaydirectlyinfluence their futurebehavior, therearefew researchstudieswhich examine hotel attributesrelated to acustomer’spost-trip behavior.This studyteststhe relationship between leisure traveler’shotel attribute satisfaction and overall satisfaction in the post-trip behaviorperspectiveina hotel setting andexaminestherelative impactofhotel attributesatisfaction in influencing overall satisfaction. Multiple regressionwas used totestthe relationship and hotel attribute satisfaction isan important antecedent tooverall satisfaction. Theoretical and practical implications ofthe studyare discussed.

Understanding Golf Country Club Members’ Loyalty: Factors Affecting Membership Renewal Decisions, Theresa N. Clem M.S., Swathi Ravichandran Mba, Ph.D., Aryn C. Karpinski Ph.D.

Hospitality Review

Many private country clubs across the United States have experienced a declining or flat membership and smaller waitlists of members wanting to join. The objective of this study was to investigate whether member involvement, service quality, and perceived value, influence member satisfaction and intention to renew membership for members of private country clubs. An online survey instrument customized for the country club industry was distributed to members of two country clubs in northeast Ohio. Results indicate that involvement level of members and perceived value impact country club members’ satisfaction and intention to renew their membership. Managerial implications are discussed.

Missouri National Recreational River 2012 Resource Brief, Isabel W. Ashton, Michael Prowatzke, Kara Paintner

United States National Park Service: Publications

Includes brief information on plant community monitoring, water quality monitoring, and weather and climate monitoring for the Missouri National Recreational River in the United States for 2012.

Organized Camp And Character Development 2013, Veronica Ripp

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between organized camp and character development. In particular, it looked to determine to what extent organized camp affected campers' character, including how much change in character campers' experienced in a week at camp, what aspects of character were most influenced, and what factors about camp had the most impact on campers' character. The study was multimodal in design, using the Values in Action Inventory for Youth (VIA-Youth) as a pre and posttest for quantitative analysis and camper interviews, staff interviews, and researcher observations for qualitative analysis. Seven completed VIA-Youth pre …