Abstract
Using themes (such as the Wild West or Survivor or Star Wars) in camp settings may enhance the quality of camp activities and youths’ overall camp experience. We evaluated the effect of theming camp experiences on the quality of subjective experiences of campers. Campers (N = 231) in 3 sessions of a residential 4-H camp participated in the study. One camp session was fully themed (all activities used tangible and intangible props, cues, and imaginary story contexts), a second was partially themed (intangible cues and stories only), and the third was not themed. Questionnaires measuring the quality of immediate subjective experiences (N=1,847) were completed following each of 8 activity sessions (e.g., climbing, fishing, swimming). Campers also completed a questionnaire for the purpose of overall camp evaluation at the end of their camp sessions. Activity-level data were analyzed using linear mixed modeling techniques. Ordinary least-squares regression was used to analyze campers’ overall camp experiences. Results at the activity level revealed significant theme-by-activity interaction effects. At the camp level, a hypothesized causal sequence linking theme to likelihood to recommend was supported.
Highlights
This study addressed two questions: (a) What effect does theme have on the subjective quality of immediate experiences of youth campers; and (b) Through what causal linkages might theme affect the likelihood to recommend the camp to others? Findings provide new insight into both of these questions
Theme was found to influence experience quality, but the significant interaction effect indicates that theme may be more important in some activities than others
Path analysis results support the causal linkages suggested by the theory of structured experience (Ellis, Freeman, et al, 2017)
Summary
ThemeA theme for a structured experience (such as a swim session at a camp) is defined as a set of verbal, physical, and interpersonal cues that invite participants to imagine they are in a different place, time, and/or set of circumstances (Ellis, Freeman, Jamal, & Jiang, 2017). Ellis and Rossman (2008) integrated theme and other concepts and principles from The Experience Economy (Pine & Gilmore, 1999) with social science knowledge about customer service (e.g., Parasuraman, Zeithaml, & Berry, 1988) into a model of strategies providers can use to structure experiences. Their model proposes that two sets of provider performance actions impact the quality of participants’ subjective experiences: technical performance actions and artistic performance actions. Technical performance actions are “dissatisfiers” (Herzberg, Mausner, & Snyderman 1959; Kano, Seraku, Takahashi, & Tsuji 1984); failure to perform technical actions at an acceptable level diminishes the quality of experience, but providing those actions at acceptable levels does not enhance participants’ subjective experience quality
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