The Catalogue of Leisure Activities: A New Structured Values and Content Based Instrument for Leisure Research Usable for Social Development and Community Planning

Abstract

Leisure is a phenomenon that undergoes constant change. These changes are sometimes global, but more often, they are localized. For this reason, the capturing of leisure and leisure activities poses a major challenge for researchers. In particular, they struggle to capture measurements for leisure activities in such a way that these measurement results can be compared over time, in different places, and in different communities. We have therefore identified the need for a tool that makes it possible to compare both time- and place-specific measurements. Based on our long-term research, we have created the Catalogue of Leisure Activities (CaLA), which is built on two pillars—content proximity and value consequences of leisure activities. Therefore, the CaLA allows for the capturing of the complexity of leisure activities and using the data thus measured as variables in statistical hypotheses, longitudinal comparisons of research across locations, over time, and across population groups (e.g., children, adults, etc.). It also allows measurements of other secondary characteristics (e.g., favor rate, duration, etc.) to be linked to the activities found. The results of measuring leisure activities using the CaLA can be used in research as a dependent or independent variable. As a result, we can detect many hitherto hidden relationships that significantly influence leisure experience and its quality. The CaLA also opens up many more possibilities for a wider range of applications in practice, e.g., in counseling, psychology, and coaching in support of individual development, in helping professions, social work and pedagogy when working with students and clients, and among managers when planning the development and maintaining the competitiveness of leisure facilities. Last but not least, the CaLA can be used by community leaders and politicians when designing public policies or developing a sustainable society.