Characteristics Of Serious Leisure Research Articles

중장년 여성의 진지한 여가로서의 팬덤참여가 지니는 내재적 의미와 역할

From the perspective of serious leisure, this study investigates the intrinsic meaning and role of middle-aged women's trot fandom participation. An empirical phenomenological study based on in-depth interviews with 14 members of Young-Woong Lim's fandom, 'Hero Generation,' was conducted to better understand the new cultural phenomenon. According to the findings of the phenomenological research methods and thematic analysis, study participants gained multiple positive experiences based on the six characteristics of serious leisure experienced through fandom participation: perseverance, significant personal effort, leisure career, durable benefit, unique ethos, and identification. As a serious leisure activity, fandom participation provided a sense of pride and empowered middle-aged women to speak out in society. Participants also had someone to whom they could express their passion and love, and they happily reclaimed their identity as mothers. Finally, the trot fandom has played an important role as an alternative social community among middle-aged women, allowing them to fully understand and share their affection for stars while also providing a strong sense of belonging. Through the lens of leisure, this study provides a timely understanding of the emerging fandom culture. It also justifies the importance of the trot fandom in the travel and pop culture industries.

Virtual community participation as “Sirius” Leisure

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of participation and engagement among participants of a fandom-based virtual community. Netnography, a specialized from of ethnography adapted to the unique computer-mediated environment, was utilized to analyze posts collected from the Hogwarts Running Club (HRC), a closed Facebook group. The HRC was a virtual community with over 16,000 members that was founded in 2014 to provide a space for members to share stories, experiences, and passion for running and Harry Potter. The text of the collected posts was coded thematically. Four themes emerged: You’re a Wizard Harry: Shared Passion for Harry Potter, Running in the Rain: Engagement Despite Challenges, Hogwarts is Home: Identity, and Pepper-up Potion: Improvements in Mental and Physical Health and Well-being. As a conceptual framework, the themes aligned with the Serious Leisure Perspective. HRC members whose posts were analyzed exhibited one or more of the six characteristics of Serious Leisure with all six characteristics being represented within the dataset. Findings suggested that virtual communities, as a leisure setting, can facilitate Serious Leisure engagement and should be considered a viable setting for Serious Leisure participation.

Deconstructing serious leisure using identity theory

Stebbins’s concept of serious leisure has been widely used to delineate and describe an intense form of leisure participation. To date, however, the causal relationships among the six distinguishing characteristics of serious leisure have not been sufficiently substantiated and empirically examined. Guided by identity theory, this study developed a causal model among four individual level behavioral and psychological characteristics of serious leisure and level of commitment. Data were collected via mail surveys from members of the American Birding Association (N = 954). Results of structural equation modeling indicated that: (a) durable benefits positively affected commitment, identity, perseverance, and effort; (b) commitment positively influenced perseverance and effort; and (c) identity positively affected perseverance and effort. Results provide evidence that identity and commitment play mediating roles between durable benefits and other facets of serious leisure experience (i.e., perseverance, effort). These findings highlight the pivotal role of durable benefits in serious leisure participation.

Trail Running: Exploring South Africa’s Serious Leisure Economy

A health-conscious mindset has grown rapidly among South African middle-class consumers. This can be seen by their embrace of sports watches, reward-based programmes, and participation in organised leisure activities such as cycling and running. Within this context, trail running is becoming increasingly popular; however, research on the nature of trail running in South Africa is limited. A theoretical understanding of the relationship that participants have with trail running, specifically the applicability of the serious leisure framework, could provide valuable insights into this emerging market. This study incorporated an exploratory case-study design. Quantitative data was collected using purposive sampling and an online survey to determine if trail runners undertook the activity as leisure careerists or not. The level of seriousness of respondents was measured using the six characteristics of serious leisure as defined in the Serious Leisure Inventory Measure (SLIM). The main findings were that many trail runners meet all six of the characteristics of serious leisure. ‘Perseverance’ and ‘Career’ followed by ‘Effort’ and ‘Identity’ were the most important factors to the trail runners. Motives of ‘Fun’ and ‘Sense of achievement’ were more important than ‘Fitness’ or ‘Social factors’, however. ‘Sense of achievement’ and ‘Social’ correlated the most strongly with respondents’ overall level of seriousness in the sport. Income impacted on motivations, however, with wealthier people more likely to report that they participated for Fun. In terms of gender, women were more likely to report that trail running boosted their self-image. In addition, trail running forms part of the serious leisure economy, as participants are prepared to spend substantial sums of money on related equipment and participation in events. This study provides valuable insights for marketing and design of trail-running events and contributes to the gap in the literature on serious leisure in South Africa.

Voluntary dance performance as serious leisure and successful ageing

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to explore the lived experiences of older adults who have been performing Korean traditional dance as volunteers. Thirteen volunteer dancers participated in in-depth interviews. The analysis of qualitative data showed that the participants of this study demonstrated six experiential characteristics of serious leisure including: (a) the practice of perseverance, (b) volunteer career development and career contingencies, (c) commitment to the team activities, (d) subculture, (e) a strong sense of leisure-related identity, and (f) enhancing a positive sense of self. Our findings provide empirical evidence that voluntary dance performance as serious leisure can offer durable benefits and play an important role in successful ageing.

A Study of Cyclists, Participation Motivation, Serious Leisure and Recreational Specialization

The purpose of this study is to analyze the structural relationship among cyclists’ participation motivation; serious leisure and recreational specialization. In this study, cyclists were used as the research object, non-random sampling method was used, and a total of 237 effective questionnaires were collected. After descriptive statistics and partial least squares (PLS) statistics analysis, the results show that: the cyclists’ participation motivation is higher, their characteristics of serious leisure are more obvious, and the recreational specialization also higher; and cyclists have characteristics of serious leisure their recreational specialization is also higher. In addition, the study also confirms that serious leisure has a mediate effect on recreational specialization.

SENIOR MODELS: SUCCESSFUL AGING AND SERIOUS LEISURE

Serious leisure involves productive engagement and commitment in leisure activities. Literature shows that participating in serious leisure is associated with physical and mental health benefits of older adults. The behavior of senior modeling reflects serious leisure engagement that might offer a new insight useful in understanding successful aging. We explored the experience of senior models as a form of serious leisure. Using selective optimization with compensation as well as serious leisure framework, we attempted to identify how senior modeling activity contributes to successful aging. This study used in-depth interviews using purposeful sampling, and data were collected over two months in 2019. The participants were 31 senior models (average age = 67). The analysis resulted in three themes which contained characteristics of serious leisure as well as selective optimization with compensation: identifying new possibilities, serious engagement, and rewards from meaningful experiences. This study demonstrated various experiential characteristics associated with modeling as a form of serious leisure. Through selection, optimization, and compensation process, the participants seemed to achieve successful aging. We found that senior model experiences promoted active lifestyle, health benefits, and interpersonal relationships. To our knowledge, this is the first exploration of the experience of senior modeling activity. Consistent with existing literature, our study provides evidence of the significant role of serious leisure in later life. We suggest that senior modeling program holds promise as an effective way for older adults because it can be used as a self-care approach and community programs not only in Korea, but at various locations.

Knowledge development in adventure tourism businesses – the influence of serious leisure

ABSTRACTThe development of high quality adventure tourism products requires continuous knowledge development. This development is challenged by the short seasons and the low wages of the adventure tourism industry. Eight case studies of adventure tourism businesses in Norway and New Zealand identified blurry borders between work and leisure in the adventure tourism industry. Through interviews and participant observation, characteristics of serious leisure [Stebbins, R. A. 1982. “Serious Leisure: A Conceptual Statement.” The Pacific Sociological Review 25: 251–272] were identified, as entrepreneurs and employees of adventure tourism businesses were involved in specific leisure activities taking place in the same natural environments as the commercial activities. The findings suggests that knowledge and motivation related to serious leisure can benefit the adventure tourism industry by motivating employees to stay with the industry and invest in training, through international work mobility and the creation of knowledgeable milieus. The study is intended to increase awareness on how knowledge developed through serious leisure can benefit the tourism industry.

Using characteristics of serious leisure to classify rock climbers: a latent profile analysis

ABSTRACTThe growth of the climbing industry enables more people to use this sport to promote a healthy lifestyle. Given this trend, it is important to understand the heterogeneity of rock climbers and differences in their attributes, motivations and behaviors. In this study, the characteristics of serious leisure (SL) were used to classify rock climbers. Four hundred and eighty-six rock climbers recruited in this study were classified into three groups: low commitment (LC; N = 82), high commitment (HC; N = 355) and dedicated groups (N = 49). A high mean on the financial return item distinguished the dedicated group (M = 7.52) from the other two. Subsequently, the results of multinomial logistic regression, with the dedicated group as the baseline category, showed that with increases in experiences (i.e. days of climbing in the past year and years of climbing) and internalized motivations (i.e. intrinsic, identified and introjected motivations), a climber is less relatively likely of being in the LC group. Further, comparing the HC group with the dedicated group, with increases in experiences and introjected motivation, a climber is less likely of being in the HC group. The results of the classification complemented the results of previous qualitative SL studies regarding diverse participation in leisure commitment. The results with respect to motivation supported that internalization is associated with increases in commitment. Service providers should keep current regarding dynamic climbing culture and help clients fulfill diverse needs of commitment to rock climbing. The findings of this study enhance existing knowledge of recreationists’ development in the pursuit of adventure recreation.

Serious leisure among older gardeners in Australia

Activities such as gardening are fast becoming acknowledged as a much desired health management strategy in later life. However, few studies have examined gardening as a serious leisure pursuit. The aim of this study was to apply the concept of serious leisure to the context of leisure gardening by older adults in Australia. Casual, participant and devotee gardeners were compared with respect to the relative importance of the characteristics of serious leisure, using self-administered questionnaires (n = 514). Findings indicated that characteristics of serious leisure varied significantly across the three groups. The most powerful discriminating characteristics were Identity, Unique Ethos and Significant Effort; with Identity particularly important for devotee gardeners. The deeper the level of engagement, the more gardening was perceived as contributing to overall life satisfaction. Findings indicated that gardening could be a serious leisure pursuit that assists in the development of a positive leisure identity and contributes to a more mobile and active life for older adults.

Understanding the Relationships Among Central Characteristics of Serious Leisure: An Empirical Study of Older Adults in Competitive Sports

This study presents a structural model that explores relationships among six central characteristics of serious leisure. Older adults (N = 459) from two Senior Games completed a self-report questionnaire to assess involvement in serious leisure. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that perseverance, effort, career development, unique ethos, and identification positively predicted levels of personal outcomes, as indexed by personal enrichment, self-actualization, enjoyment, and self-fulfillment. The model also showed positive effects of perseverance and career contingencies on unique ethos as well as the influence of significant effort and career contingencies on identification. The findings of this study have extended the existing body of knowledge in leisure studies literature by quantitatively testing the interrelationships among the central characteristics of serious leisure.

“We're Gators … Not Just Gator Fans”: Serious Leisure and University of Florida Football

The concept of serious leisure (Stebbins, 1979; 1992) was used to examine the meanings, rituals, and practices associated with being a University of Florida Football fan. We contend that Gator football fans typify the serious leisure category of the hobbyist. Face to face in-depth interviews were conducted with four female and sixteen male fans. The transcribed interviews were analyzed using constant comparison and grounded theory methods (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Strauss & Corbin, 1998 a & b). Themes emerging from the data confirmed Stebbins' six characteristics of serious leisure. The results suggest that being a Gator football fan provides both a source of identity for the fan as an individual and a sense of belonging in an increasingly fragmented postmodern society.

Connections Between Negotiation of Leisure Constraints and Serious Leisure: An Exploratory Study of Adult Amateur Ice Skaters

Abstract Constraints on leisure and serious leisure are two areas of leisure research which have developed with little recognition of potential connections between them. This paper demonstrates how the simultaneous exploration of concepts related to the negotiation of leisure constraints and serious leisure can lead to mutual enrichment of the two fields. Activities which manifest the characteristics of serious leisure, and people who may be described as “amateurs” in the ways in which Stebbins (1993) has used the term, provide particularly appropriate examples of how some people encounter and negotiate constraints on participation and achieve their leisure goals despite these constraints. Adult amateur ice skating pertinently exemplifies the attributes of serious leisure, such as the degree of commitment and perseverance manifested by many of its participants. Participants in adult amateur ice skating typically progress through a leisure “career,” of which the key stages for the purposes of this study ar...