Casual Leisure Research Articles

Generation Z

Generation Z (Gen Z) is the best-educated, technologically adept, and most racially and ethnically diverse generation entering the workforce today. Gen Z also has the highest rate of diagnosed depression and anxiety. They prefer to have a side hustle on top of their full-time jobs; however, the act of monetizing their leisure activity has been shown to add more stress. The benefits of serious and casual leisure are shared; with emphasis on the need for Gen Z to engage in more forms of serious leisure to enhance their well-being and self-perceived employability. Employers and schools should encourage, promote and invest in more serious leisure activities for Gen Z. Continuing the emerging focus on research in leisure studies and careers, specifically focusing on Gen Z is highly recommended.

Understanding complex casual leisure information needs: an analysis of search requests for books, games, movies and music

PurposeIn this paper, we introduce the CRISPS (CRoss-domaIn relevance aSPects Scheme) coding scheme for complex information needs in the four leisure domains of books, games, movies and music. It categorizes the relevance aspects people consider when searching for these resources. The coding scheme and findings help search engines to better support complex information needs, both by prioritizing which aspects are easier to classify automatically and by determining which information sources should be considered.Design/methodology/approachA cross-domain classification scheme for relevance aspects and information needs in casual leisure domains (CRISPS) is developed and applied. The paper provides the documentation of the scheme development and annotation process as well as a detailed, large-scale analysis of 2000 requests (500 per domain) and relevance aspects for four domains as expressed in complex search requests in everyday life information seeking posted to online forums.FindingsWe identify and discuss relevance aspect frequencies, information need types and the described search process of the requests. Furthermore, the coding scheme development and the annotation process are documented and reflected on.Originality/valueThis is the first categorization and analysis of complex information needs in these four leisure domains combined. The coding scheme and findings can be used to develop new types of search interfaces that incorporate the kinds of relevance aspects identified in the scheme, allowing to express complex needs in the form of structured queries.

Leisure, Work, and Study Among University Students, an Approach From a Colombian Perspective

The dynamics and demands of contemporary society require increasingly tight adjustments concerning time, space, and human relationships. Maintaining a healthy balance among work, education, and leisure is necessary and challenging. In this scenario, distance education and information and communication technologies offer university-level training opportunities for those working in various contexts. In addition to time management challenges, finding leisure spaces that promote well-being presents another challenge. In this context, this study aimed to analyze the implications of simultaneously working and studying in leisure spaces and times, particularly focusing on students pursuing education through a distance-learning modality at the Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios-UNIMINUTO at a national level in Colombia. Methodologically, the study adopted a mixed research approach, utilizing a sequential explanatory design. Data were collected through questionnaires and the focus group technique. The analysis was based on categories such as serious leisure, casual leisure, digital leisure, and satisfaction with leisure. The quantitative component constituted a sample size of 455 students. The results revealed the characteristics of the leisure spaces within this population and the level of satisfaction with the limited leisure times and spaces available, given the peculiarity of working and studying concurrently. This satisfaction, whether derived from serious, casual, or digital leisure activities, correlated with the achieved well-being on personal and familial dimensions. Keywords: Leisure, education, work, student

The meaning of travel: Anecdotes from children

Research on travel experiences involving children has focused on hedonic aspects of family travel, such as family togetherness and fun, based on recalled data. The present study argues that this perspective overlooks children's agency by oversimplifying their understanding of tourism. The research design was informed by a constructivist grounded theory approach. Data were collected from on-site drawing-elicited in-depth interviews with 53 children ages 3–16. Based on semiotic analysis, this study revealed three themes in children's family tourism experiences: casual leisure, identity formation, and casual learning/serious leisure. Children's understanding and meaning making of family tourism evolved with age, demonstrating children's agency in internalizing, appropriating, and reproducing tourism experiences. Practical implications and study limitations are also discussed.

How generous interface affect user experience and behavior: Evaluating the information display interface for museum cultural heritage

AbstractMuseum web interfaces continue to be important in how users search for information and navigate through digital cultural heritage resources. A generous interface was deemed appropriate for displaying large amounts of digital cultural heritage. However, more example verification is required in this field of study. This study compared the traditional interface and the generous interface of the Liaoning Provincial Museum to investigate the role of a generous interface for cultural heritage collections. Forty second‐year design graduate students were randomly assigned to one of two interface groups: traditional interface or generous interface. Four variables were measured to compare the differences between the two interfaces for the participants. In addition, two parameters, holding time and average retrieval time, are recorded and used to evaluate and compare the impact of the two interfaces on user behavior. The generous interface, according to the findings, is more effective than the traditional interface in increasing participants' engagement with cultural heritage and is perceived to be more aesthetically pleasing. In addition, the generous interface has been proven to be more suitable for casual leisure users to explore cultural heritage information. This research provides the basis and reference for developing the web interface of cultural heritage collections.

“It’s Absolutely Intense, and I Love It!” A Qualitative Investigation of “Pegging” as Leisure

In recent years, there has been growing interest among scholars in sexual practices as leisure behavior. The present study focused on “pegging,” which is a new term for the sexual practice of biological females (vagina) anally penetrating (i.e. with strap-on devices, sex toys) biological males (penis) among heterosexual couples. Drawing on our connections within alternative sexuality communities, we interviewed 17 individuals (10 peggers and 7 peggees) to investigate how their pegging practices may reflect specific leisure qualities. Findings suggest that pegging functions primarily as casual leisure largely in the forms of sensory stimulation, play, active entertainment, and pleasurable aerobic activity (for peggers using strap-ons). Pegging was associated with significant relationship benefits for participants, including thorough communication, trust, shared intimacy, and mutual pleasure.

Serious and casual leisure in public library makerspaces: The two-audience conundrum and research agenda

Many public libraries provide makerspace services, where people can share tools and knowledge to create tangible items, yet the audience for these spaces is sometimes challenging to identify or maintain. Sometimes the spaces are less inclusive than intended or desired. This comparative case study examines user and library staff experiences in three makerspaces to determine the types of leisure the makerspaces support, and the types of makerspaces community members want. The study found that these spaces serve two audiences: those committed to a serious leisure use of the space, and those interested in casual leisure. These audiences each need different support, programs, and policies. Neither type of leisure was well supported in all three cases. This study situates the benefits of library makerspaces in the lives of the users and asks a series of questions orienting LIS toward a research agenda concerning serious and casual leisure.

Savouring the ordinary moments in the midst of trauma: benefits of casual leisure on adjustment following traumatic spinal cord injury

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to explore the benefits of casual forms of leisure during adjustment to traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). This qualitative study applied a grounded theory approach. A total of 10 participants were recruited from former and current participants of an adaptive sports organisation in Central Canada. The thematic analysis revealed four main themes of the benefits of casual leisure as follows: (a) tasting positive emotions, (b) providing a source of motivation and structure in everyday life, (c) experiencing a sense of belonging, and (d) creating a distance from acquired injury. The findings in this study provided empirical evidence that engagement in casual forms of leisure and savouring the anticipated moments in the midst of trauma can offer various benefits among individuals with traumatic SCI. Especially, our study demonstrated that the experience of joyful and relaxing moments by engaging in activities promoted various positive emotions during the stressful adjustment period. Also, the findings demonstrated that regular engagement in casual leisure is an important source of motivation in everyday life. Implications for professional practice are discussed.

Modelling the interaction between serious leisure, self-perceived employability, stress, and workplace well-being: empirical insights from graduates in India

PurposeDrawing on a framework of Job Demands-Resources (JD-R), the purpose of this paper is to conceptually develop and empirically validate a moderated mediation model of serious leisure and workplace well-being.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected between December 2020 and March 2021 using an online questionnaire. A total of 225 completed questionnaires were received from employees in India who graduated between 2018 and 2020.FindingsThe authors’ findings indicate that serious leisure is positively associated with workplace well-being and that the relationship is mediated by self-perceived employability. Stress moderates the relationship between serious leisure and self-perceived employability in such a way that the association is stronger when levels of stress are higher. Stress also moderates the mediating effect of self-perceived employability on the relationship between serious leisure and workplace well-being such that the indirect effect of serious leisure on workplace well-being is stronger when levels of stress are higher.Originality/valueTheoretical implications come from drawing on leisure studies literature to differentiate casual leisure and serious leisure. The concept of serious leisure is subsequently integrated into the human resource management literature to explore the relationship between serious leisure, self-perceived employability, stress, and workplace well-being. Practical and policy implications suggest how universities and organisations can support their students and early careers talent by encouraging them to participate in serious leisure activities.

From serious leisure to devotee work: an exploratory study of yoga

ABSTRACT This study aims to explore the serious leisure to devotee work (SL-DW) transformation trajectory in the case of yoga. An in-depth semistructured interview was conducted with 15 serious yoga practitioners to examine career change and the relationships between leisure and work. The findings of the research outline the passage from stepping into casual yoga leisure, moving from casual to serious yoga leisure, aspiring to succeed on the professional level, becoming an occupational devotee and finally a possible return to the serious-leisure state. A grounded theoretic model emerges explaining the blurred relationships between leisure and work, and the intertwined, dynamic and interactive nature serving as both the antecedent to and consequence of each other. This study theoretically contributes to deepening serious leisure career, the leisure-work relationships and the Serious Leisure Perspective. Meanwhile, it has practical implications for understanding and policy making for other emerging, leisure-oriented kinds of work in the new era.

The Primordial Soup: Exploring the Emotional Microfoundations of Cluster Genesis

Previous research on the genesis of industrial clusters has focused on macrolevel (e.g., agglomeration economies and institutions) or mesolevel explanatory factors (e.g., serial entrepreneurship, spin-offs). Less studied are the microfoundations of cluster genesis, intended as the individual- and group-level processes underlying such macrolevel outcomes. Yet, microfoundations are key to understanding the “primordial soup” of cluster genesis—that is, the processes unfolding in the early moments of cluster formation, before the first emergence of commercial activity. Through a historical case study of the British Motorsport Valley (1911–1970s), we trace back the primordial origins of this cluster to the casual leisure activities of groups of amateur motorsport enthusiasts who then prompted the professionalization of motorsport racing and its transformation into the business at the core of the industrial cluster. We theorize that clusters emerge through the layering of different domains (casual leisure, serious leisure, and business), each made of three elements (actors, activities, and artifacts), which interact via two microlevel mechanisms: (1) localizing passion, a shared emotional energy by which people become affectively attached to the spaces where they carry out activities that they enjoy; (2) domain repurposing, the shift of a configuration of actors, activities, and artifacts toward a new purpose, originating a new domain. Whereas domain repurposing induces the transformation of activities from leisure to business (thus originating the industry at the core of a cluster), localizing passion anchors the activities to the same geographical area (clustering the industry). Our key contribution is to explore the emotional microfoundations of cluster genesis.

Análisis de las asociaciones entre la curiosidad y la tendencia de aprendizaje permanente de los estudiantes universitarios

The present study aimed to investigate the associations between curiosity and lifelong learning tendency of serious and casual leisure participant university students. The study was designed as a cross sectional study and 799 students from Gazi University participated in the study. To collect data, the “Curiosity II”, “Life Long Learning Tendency” and the “Serious and Casual Leisure Participant” scales were used. The data were analyzed with SPSS for Windows 23. In data analyze, Independent Samples t Test, and Pearson correlations were used. The mediation effect of being serious or casual leisure participant on the correlation between curiosity and lifelong learning tendency, Process 3.1 for SPSS was used. As results this study showed that curiosity and lifelong learning positively correlated each other. Besides, being a serious leisure participant partially mediated the correlation between the variables.

Casual Leisure in Rich-Prospect

As digital cultural collections become increasingly sophisticated in their scope and functionality, there is a need to build an in-depth understanding concerning the information behaviors of users in this new domain. Research has demonstrated that many digital museum visitors are engaged in casual leisure during exploration of a collection, suggesting that they do not have an inherent information goal but rather seek new experiences or learning opportunities based on personal curiosity and moments of discovery. Consequently, understanding how to translate casual leisure contexts into meaningful interaction design may play a critical role in designing engaging digital collections. Our study reports on the user experience of a largely unexplored user interface design framework called rich-prospect , which was originally developed to enhance browsing and discovery for complex visual collections. We performed a mixed-method, within-subjects study (N=30) that simulated a casual leisure approach to information browsing and retrieval across three different rich-prospect interfaces for digital cultural heritage. Our results show that rich-prospect scores well in the hedonic facets of its user experience, whereas pragmatic aspects have room for improvement. Additionally, through our qualitative analysis of participant feedback, we derived salient themes relating to the exploratory browsing experience. We conclude with a series of design implications to better connect interactive elements with casual leisure contexts for digital cultural collections.

Bonsai in the time of COVID

The study sought to find out to what extent engagement with serious leisure, in this case, bonsai growing, can help people deal with challenging times, such as a global pandemic. In particular, how bonsai enthusiasts use their hobbies to manage uncertainty and stress during the lockdown and how they have shared their lived experiences on this topic via social media. The researcher employed a user-generated contents analysis approach to address the questions and explored a collection of comments from a sample of the most visited bonsai videos posted during the pandemic. The serious leisure perspective has been used as a theoretical framework to conceptualise the data based on the qualities that differentiate serious leisure from casual leisure. The findings showed that engagement in this hobby helps bonsai enthusiasts to develop social connectedness and cope with their stress caused by the pandemic.

Exploring adversity and the potential for growth among Iron[wo]man competitors

The Ironman triathlon is one of the most famous endurance races in the world. Consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run, it requires significant physical and mental fitness training (Atkinson, 2008) as well as substantial investments in equipment, time, and emotional energy. As opposed to more casual leisure pursuits, the Ironman triathlon can be considered a serious leisure pursuit (Stebbins, 1982). Like other serious athletic leisure pursuits, participation in triathlon can facilitate personal growth experiences, especially through overcoming sport-related adversity (e.g., Atkinson, 2008; Connaughton et al., 2010; Galli & Reel, 2012). In fact, researchers have reported self-discovery, empowerment, agency, and mental toughness as potential benefits of sport-related growth through adversity (Atkinson, 2008; Cronan & Scott, 2008; Galli & Vealey, 2008; Granskog, 1992, 2003; Howells & Fletcher, 2015; Howells et al., 2017; Sarkar et al., 2015).

Evaluating the impact of retirement leisure planning on retirement satisfaction and vitality: a mixed-method study

ABSTRACT This study examined what leisure planning priorities and activities contribute to retirement vitality and satisfaction. Founded on Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Serious Leisure Perspective (SLP), an online survey and a focus group discussion were conducted to collect qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data were analyzed using the constant comparison method, word count, and classical content analysis. Quantitative methods were applied to determine if retirement satisfaction and vitality related to SDT constructs in addition to retirement leisure planning priorities. Spearman correlation analyses showed significant correlations between vitality and retirement satisfaction, competence satisfaction, relatedness satisfaction, and autonomy satisfaction, and casual leisure competence and project leisure competence. Significant correlations were also found between retirement satisfaction and retirement competence, relatedness satisfaction, and autonomy satisfaction, and casual leisure competence. Suggestions for further research are recommended, and specific priorities for retirement planning are proposed.

A critique of serious leisure as theory

ABSTRACT The Serious Leisure Perspective (SLP) divides leisure activity into three forms: serious, casual and project-based, each with a number of distinguishing qualities, rewards, costs and benefits. It is presented by its creator, Robert Stebbins, as both a classification system and a theoretical framework. In its early history, it was seen as a micro-level, or at most meso-level, construct concerned with the behaviour of individuals and small groups. More recently claims have been made that its theoretical reach extends to the macro-level, encompassing broad societal issues. This paper evaluates these claims in three parts: first, examining existing macro-level critiques of the SLP in the research literature; second, assessing claims of macro-level relatedness in SLP publications; and third, considering the extent to which generic macro-level social and leisure theory has been, or could be, related to the SLP. Under-explored or neglected opportunities for macro-level theoretical analysis are identified but, when examined, they invariably expose the theoretical weakness of the SLP, particularly regarding any distinctive role for serious as opposed to casual leisure. This leads to the conclusion that the claim that the SLP offers a viable macro-level theoretical framework for the study of leisure is questionable.

Enrichment Between Leisure and Work via Psychological Resources: A Daily Diary

Although leisure is an increasingly valued life domain among employees, it has received little attention in the enrichment and work-life interface literature. This paper seeks to address the lack of work in this area by examining the enriching effects of leisure on work performance. We distinguish between different approaches an individual may take to their leisure activity by considering the effects of both serious and casual leisure. Drawing on enrichment theory, we examine whether day-level episodes of serious and casual leisure improve work performance through generating resources, specifically self-efficacy and positive affect. We collected daily survey data from 86 employees from a range of occupations over 10 working days. Results obtained via multilevel path analyses models supported our hypothesis that time spent on serious leisure predicted work performance on the following day via its effects on self- efficacy. In contrast, time spent in casual leisure did not have enriching effects on next-day work performance. These findings indicate that leisure is an influential non-work activity for work- life enrichment and highlight the importance of considering individuals’ approach to the pursuit of leisure when examining its effect on the work domain.

The relationship between serious and casual leisure and leisure management and its education: A research on Generation Y

The relationship between serious and casual leisure and leisure management and its education: A research on Generation Y

Accessing leisure in an unfamiliar society via mobile instant messaging: A case study of academic sojourners visiting South Korea

ABSTRACT This paper explores how academic sojourners, unfamiliar with the local language and culture, accessed casual leisure through mobile instant messaging during a short stay of one or two semesters in South Korea. Ninety-six English-speaking academic sojourners on Korean government scholarships covering tuition, room and board in exchange for contact with local university students seeking informal English language practice took part in this study. They represent a shift in academic sojourner mobility from outbound Asian students seeking language study in English-speaking countries to inbound English-speakers providing language support within Asia. Qualitative analysis revealed how casual leisure, the features of South Korea’s advanced digital environment and mobile instant messaging chat rooms coalesced. The findings show how local digital practices complement casual leisure access and how digital practices can become casual leisure despite limits in language ability and cultural understanding. It recommends further exploration of links between leisure, digital environments and mobile instant messaging in other research settings that are experiencing flows of globally mobile populations.