Moderating Effect of Social Support on Relationship between Recreation Specialization and Place Attachment

Abstract

Participants in outdoor recreation activities tend to be attached to the site due to the need of specialization for specific activities. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between recreation specialization and place attachment, and also to verify the moderating effect of social support. The research data in the form of 598 valid questionnaires were collected from cyclists in Taiwan. Partial least squares (PLS) method was used to conduct an analysis of the measurement model, the structural model, and the moderating effect. The result shows that (1) The recreation specialization of cyclists positively affects their place attachment, which is mostly contributed by the dimension of skill and knowledge. (2) From the multi-group analysis, it is clear that the social support plays a moderator role in the model, that is, the higher level of social support is the stronger influence of recreation specialization toward place attachment. This study concludes that place attachment of cyclist can be strengthened with enhancement of the specification degree of cyclists (i.e., riding skills, knowledge for bicycle, psychic commitment to cycling and riding frequency, etc.). The relationship between variables has changed, when the model take into account the social support moderating factor. In other words, leisure education not only increases the social support toward cycling, but also intensifies the impact of recreation specialization on place attachment. The results of the study could be used as a reference for the administration of outdoor recreation on management strategies.