Examining the Relationship Between Leisure Theory and Recreation Practice

The purpose of this study is descriptive and exploratory; an attempt to gain a deeper understanding of the practice of parks and recreation administration, its relationship to leisure theory, and curricular implications. An unconstrained pile-sort technique was used to measure the cognitive structures of Leisure Studies Academicians (n = 19), Leisure Service Practitioners (n = 20), and Leisure Studies Students (n = 19). Each of the concepts outlined in the National Recreation and Park Association's (NRPA) Accreditation Standards was printed on a separate, 3" x 5" card. Each participant was asked to sort the cards into piles according to their similarity. Consensus analysis, hierarchical clustering, multidimensional scaling and Quadratic Assignment analyses were used to determine the differences in cognitive structure within each group and among the groups. The results suggested that the Accreditation Standards represent an ambiguous content domain. That is, there is little common, shared meaning associated with the concepts among the participants within each group and among the three groups. Researchers, faculty, and practitioners should use caution when applying the standards to research problems, curriculum evaluation, and in the development of "leisure professional" certification examinations. The information provided by these participants also suggested that leisure theory is linked to the practice of parks and recreation. However, each group characterized this link in somewhat different ways. These results also indicated several differences between what is taught, what is learned, and what is practiced in the field. These differences can be addressed in future research to determine appropriate curriculum content for preparing professionals in the field of leisure service delivery.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Leisure Studies

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2014

Author dc:creator

• Parr, Mary Greenwood

Contributors dc:contributor

• Chick, G.,

• Education, Curriculum and Instruction
• Recreation

Identifier

(UMI)AAI9305649

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/72455