Leisure and Aging Qualitative Research 15 Years into the Third Millennium

Abstract

In the first issue of the new millennium, the Journal of Leisure Research (JLR) published an article by Fran McGuire titled What do we know? Not much: The state of leisure and aging In that article, McGuire summarized almost 40 years of research about the topic, stating, We probably 'know' that activity is in some sense good for people by contributing to the quality of life. However, for every article concluding one thing there seems to be a contradictory piece concluding something else. Our collection of bits and pieces of information still fails to give even a hint of a mosaic. (McGuire, 2000, p. 7). McGuire provided a list of possible explanations for this state. Some explanations were structural (e.g., small number of scholars studying the topic, few collaborations, lack of funding), but many expressed direct criticism on the work done in the field including not asking the right questions and being borrowers of concepts developed in other disciplines rather than owners of unique contributions built around deep understanding of leisure and aging. He argued that the uniqueness of leisure may require development of original questions and models, and that while the easy work in leisure and aging focused on understanding ideas... now is the time for deeper (p. 99).Much has transpired since this article was published. The number of scholars from various disciplines studying leisure and aging has dramatically increased, new and original concepts have developed, and exciting opportunities for dialogue among scholars, practitioners, and policy makers have formed. It seems that parallel to global demographic trends leading to the greying of many countries, there is a growing interest in the extent to which leisure activities and experiences can promote active and healthy aging. Simultaneously, the field of leisure studies has profoundly transformed. To gain deeper understanding of the lived experience of leisure, qualitative approaches are increasingly used in leisure studies and scholars constantly explore conversational, multivocal, and critical representations of research. Rather than simplifying and reducing leisure experiences, leisure studies scholars seem to want to contextualize leisure experiences and treat them as a complex phenomenon (Parry & Johnson, 2007, pg. 121).Despite these trends, our knowledge related to how adults maintain involvement in the face of health declines, as well as their lived experiences of leisure during later life transitions, is still limited. In addition, there is a need to continuously monitor and update research to ensure that our programs targeting the aging population are diverse, pertinent, and meaningful. McGuire's call for deeper thought is still relevant, and we still have to ask ourselves what do we know, and, more importantly, what do we need to know in order to provide the most relevant and comprehensive opportunities for older adults in our society.To meet this challenge, the editorial board of JLR dedicated this special issue to leisure and aging research. The aim of this special issue is to present original and innovative ideas, concepts, and questions, as well as highlight research that addresses some of these relevant questions regarding leisure and aging. After a rigorous review process, five papers were selected for the special issue that represent contemporary top-quality research on this topic. Although the call for papers was not limited to qualitative research, most of the manuscripts submitted, and all the articles selected for publication, reported on qualitative inquiries into leisure in later life. Therefore, the special issue certainly reflects the shift toward more qualitative research in the field of leisure studies.The first paper, by Rebecca Genoe, Toni Liechty, Hannah Marston, and Victoria Sutherland, presents a new qualitative methodology for studying issues related to leisure and aging. The authors suggest that as a growing number of seniors use Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), online qualitative data collection may be an especially effective means for studying leisure in later life. …