Form Of Serious Leisure Research Articles

‘진지한 여가’로서 중년여성들의 ‘라인댄스 무용단’ 활동 경험

Objectives The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of middle-aged women participating in the ‘Line Dance Dance Company’ as a form of serious leisure. Methods This study aimed to understand the value and significance of line dance group activities in participants' lives. It employed a qualitative case study approach, specifically using a descriptive case study method. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with participants involved in line dance group activities. A total of six cases were analyzed using repetitive comparative analysis methods to identify common themes and insights. The study provides a rich and detailed description of the meanings and values that participants derive from their involvement in these activities. Results First, the process of participating in line dance group activities was categorized into ‘glimpsing another world,’ ‘challenging: entering another world,’ ‘showing off oneself,’ and ‘re-challenging: entering another world.’ Through this process, the research participants' experiences can be interpreted as engaging in ‘serious leisure.’ Second, the meaning of the line dance group activity experience was derived as ‘discovering another version of oneself with passion and dedication,’ ‘expanding roles: being able to help,’ ‘restoring life subjectivity: living proactively for a wonderful self,’ and ‘happy life with a goal: preparing to be a wonderful grandmother.’ Conclusions Line dance company activities help participants discover their potential, enhance self-love, and maintain a positive perception of aging. In other words, these activities offer meaning and value beyond mere physical exercise, providing a serious and rewarding leisure experience. This study confirms that line dance group activities are valuable as they enable middle-aged women to anticipate their future with life subjectivity and goal setting. Therefore, programs that address various needs through group activities should be developed to serve as central points for middle-aged women's serious leisure activities.

Football Fan Tokens as a mode of “serious leisure”: unveiling the dual essence of identity and investment

ABSTRACT With the field of cryptocurrency in sports being primarily discussed from the material and financial standpoint of industry producers, in our study, we conduct a qualitative exploration into the consumption of Fan Tokens within the realm of football fandom in order to elucidate the experiences and motivations of football fans in their consumption of Fan Tokens. Data collected through 10 focus groups with 60 fan token consumers were used for this study, revealing a nuanced landscape in which Fan Tokens serve a multifaceted role in the construction of fan identity and engagement within the context of football’s serious leisure markets. As such, we uncovered the concept of Fan Tokens as ‘tokens of identity’, where fans employ Fan Tokens as symbolic expressions of their unwavering allegiance to football clubs. We also identified a subset of participants who approached Fan Tokens as ‘investment tokens’, and thus viewed them as a simple rational investment opportunity. Our research unveiled the intricate ways in which the consumption of Fan Tokens intersects with fan identity, engagement, and financial motivations in the world of football fandom, while indicating that Fan Tokens themselves represent a potential form of serious leisure within the broader context of football fandom.

Serious leisure imaginaries: The construction of tourists, locals and localities in scuba diving tourism

Scuba diving is a global leisure activity today often undertaken as a form of tourism, counting millions of practitioners. Drawing on my experience of diving in different parts of the world, as well as on various forms of documentation, this article focuses on the structural characteristics of this form of purposeful tourism. As a sport, scuba diving follows certain routines and regulations and can thus be seen as a form of serious leisure; that is, leisure involving plans and demands. As a form of tourism, it is a particular way of imagining the world, based on a specific form of cartography and mass mediated images and stories of the vast blue and its inhabitants. My argument is that when undertaking scuba as a form of tourism, whether guiding or being guided, divers submit to the structures of both the sport and the touring. These then determine both how they dive from a technical point of view and how they come to think about diving and indeed, in a sense, the world. Divers are thus guided by ‘serious leisure imaginaries’. Altogether, scuba diving tourism here emerges as a transformative social force where tourists, locals and localities are constructed simultaneously in a dynamic interplay.

Serious Leisure Event Volunteering and Social Capital

It has been argued that all serious leisure activity is founded upon a strong sense of companionship and community. Besides, social capital is widely believed to generate mutual understanding and communal reciprocity. Sport event volunteering is considered a form of serious leisure. However, the interrelationships between these concepts deserve further investigation. This study analyzed the interrelationships between serious leisure volunteering and social capital acquisition of 311 World Masters Games volunteers using a structural equation model. Moreover, differences between groups of volunteers were assessed. The findings revealed a significant relationship between serious leisure and social capital. For example, local volunteers identified significantly more with serious leisure volunteering than those from outside of the host region.

The passion and pleasure of information sharing in pottery practice

The paper reports selective findings from a broader study about information behaviour in the context of the pottery hobby as a form of serious leisure. Among all the information activities in this context, the paper focuses on the affective and emotional aspects of information sharing. The Serious Leisure Perspective (SLP) is the theoretical framework of the study. The required data were collected via a purposeful and criteria-based sampling method. A sample of user-generated content (UGC) on YouTube was collected to form the dataset. The collected data were analysed through inductive content analysis to identify patterns of embedded concepts and themes in the dataset. Seven categories were identified. These categories summarise the major emotional reactions that viewers expressed and shared in their comments: (1) amazement, (2) excitement, (3) gratitude, (4) joyfulness, (5) admiration, (6) serenity, (7) inspiration. The overall ambience of the videos and commenters’ reactions were positive and joyful. The paper concludes that information sharing on a popular hobby via a publicly available platform, like YouTube, can evoke a range of positive emotions and establish social bonds. These social ties are the building blocks to form communities of interest and communities of practice to produce and share information on the chosen activity.

Blurring the Boundaries between Leisure and Work: Professionals as Devotees in the Mind-Sport Bridge

Bridge is a partnership card game that has increasingly professionalized in recent years, particularly at ‘elite’ level. ‘Elite’ bridge players participate in a unique leisure world which hitherto has been understood as a form of serious leisure. However, due to professionalization there is the possibility to work as a professional bridge player thus blurring the boundaries between leisure and work. The paper is based on the lived experiences of professional bridge players and how they understand the, often ongoing, transition from playing bridge as a hobby to playing bridge for a job. Being a professional bridge player raises issues about moral evaluations of work, a work ethic and concerns over what a ‘proper job’ is. This paper explores these dynamics in relation to Stebbins concept of ‘devotee work’ and ideas of liminality, unpacking the tensions and ambiguities involved through the perspective of 52 elite bridge players. Findings from the qualitative interviews illustrate how playing bridge professionally is often experienced as being hugely positive, because of being paid to do something one is devoted to, but ambivalences and anxieties also emerge. In addition, the paper draws on the reflections of one author who is a bridge player and blurs the boundaries between work and leisure through the academic study of bridge. The findings show the contested nature of bridge as a profession set within broader notions of work, with positive and negative perceptions of the blurring of work-leisure boundaries.

대학생 피클볼 동호회의 여가문화 탐구

The purpose of this study is to explore the leisure culture of the pickleball club as part of the leisure culture exploration of university student pickleball club members. For this study, 10 university students who are participating in the pickleball club were chosen as research participants, and research was conducted based on the qualitative case study method. In-depth interviews and online data were used to collect research data. First, it has been shown that research participants participate in pickleball clubs in a way of self-expression and share information with participants through promotion through social media. Second, research participants have been shown to share the pioneering role of pickleball in Korea. Research participants believed that playing a pioneering role in promoting pickleball and expanding the base was as important as participation in the game, which was classified as a feature not found much in existing clubs. It has been shown to be a special culture of university pickleball clubs. In conclusion, university student pickleball club members are participating in the form of serious leisure, focusing on the promotion of pickleball itself amid active participation.

Coconuts, Custom-Play & COVID-19: Social Isolation, Serious Leisure and Personas in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

This paper discusses Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ (ACNH) release during the COVID-19 pandemic, and draws upon responses from nearly 2000 players to frame how the game acts as a platform for routine substitution and social connectivity in a disconnected physical world. A combination of the game’s elements, including its comforting aesthetic, participatory community, financial mechanics, and goal-setting, promotes the player’s construction of their sense of self and provides crucial stability. In contrast to other life simulator games such as The Sims, the timing of ACNH’s release makes its substitution efforts more adoptable by a wide spectrum of players between casual and hardcore sensibilities.
 Moreover, the game substitutes some complex face-to-face interactions during self-isolation and it affords stability and routine through a simulacrum of real-life, however exaggerated and narrowed in scope. The gameplay provides player agency and self-determination of playstyle as well as routines that contrast with the intense disruption of the everyday by the pandemic. Players’ shared affinities and engagement with the game function as a form of serious leisure which in turn creates personas from a diverse range of roles such as, the social player, the turnip trader, the gardener, the artisan. The persona roles enable players to adopt multiple recognisable specialisations within an expansive social environment. In essence, players of ACNH create an array of malleable, interchangeable gaming personas that successfully embody the routine and social play forcibly absent from real life during the pandemic.

Abandoning Belly Dance: Leaving Female-Dominated Serious Leisure

Although much scholarly attention has been devoted to examining the benefits and costs of leisure, few studies have investigated people who leave their leisure activities. Rather, leisure scholars typically conclude that benefits outweigh challenges, and people continue their leisure participation. Using qualitative interviews conducted in both 2006 and 2011 with ten former belly dancers, I explore why people leave a physically based, female-dominated artistic form of serious leisure. I show that women leave belly dance for a variety of social and psychological reasons, including having different goals, redefining the meaning of the dance, prioritizing other interests, financial challenges, and having familial responsibilities. Women also leave belly dance for physical reasons, such as aging and declining health. Beyond typical explanations of time and money, this study expands our understanding of why people may abandon leisure pursuits.

The Effects of Serious Leisure Involvement on Subjective Well-Being and Successful Aging: A Case Study of Young-Old Participants in Chinese Seniors’ Universities

China is the only country with more than 200 million people aged 60 years and above. The Chinese government considers seniors’ universities to be an important form of leisure in which older people spend their free time. To explore the benefits of this education-oriented form of serious leisure, this study investigates the concept of successful aging and tests the effect of serious leisure involvement in seniors’ universities on the subjective well-being and successful aging of “young-old” participants in the context of China. In addition, this study examines the influence of family structure on the relationship between the above variables based on third-place theory. Although limitations to the approach are identified and discussed, the survey results show that the involvement of the aging population in education-oriented serious leisure activities is significantly associated with successful aging and that subjective well-being partially mediates the relationship between serious leisure involvement and successful aging. Furthermore, the relationship between serious leisure involvement and successful aging differs significantly among groups with different family structures.

Highland Games as serious leisure: becoming a Masters athlete

ABSTRACTIn a context of successful ageing discourse, a growing number of older adults are turning to competitive sport. The phenomenon known as Masters sport is a form of serious leisure that challenges stereotypes of ageing. Contemporary research has explored how individuals become Masters athletes in a variety of sports, focusing upon on the mainstream sports of running, swimming and tennis. Research has yet to explore how people become involved in activities that have less universal appeal. This article begins filling this gap by examining how Masters athletes became involved in the Highland Games, a sport contextualised by its links to Scotland and its diaspora. A pragmatic theoretical approach lending from three existing models is used to make sense of how people enter the Games. Drawing on semi-structured life history interviews with 19 Masters athletes, this case study details two pathways to the Highland Games. The article describes how, unlike previous research, most athletes enter the sport later in life and are either drawn to competition through an emergent identification with Scotland or a diversification of bodily dispositions that existed before Games participation. The article concludes that theoretical flexibility is required to understand better the socio-cultural factors that influence Masters sport participation.

Pokémon GO is serious leisure that increases the touristic engagement, physical activity and sense of happiness of players

This study investigates Pokemon Go as a form of serious leisure including its impact on the touristic engagement, physical activity and sense of happiness of players. This location-aware augmented reality mobile game continues to be played by millions of people every day. Based on an online survey identifying 438 Pokemon GO players from 34 countries the present study examines if playing Pokemon GO sends people to locations, cities and countries beyond their normal sphere of activity and makes them feel happier and more successful. Descriptive statistics, factor analysis and regression were used to analyze data. Results show that playing the networked game on a mobile device increases visitation to local tourism attractions, and motivates people to spend more time outdoors and walking. It also sends them to cities and countries they might not otherwise visit and acts as an alternative to spending time indoors playing computer games. Surveyed players feel happier and more successful after playing the game. Pokemon GO might have value as the center of a tourism product for those players. The opportunity to acquire Pokemon and encounter others involved in the game across a destination, or in a single attraction, could pull players to that place. These are the attributes of people in pursuit of serious leisure.

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.

Senior fashion models’ perspectives on serious leisure and successful aging

ABSTRACTStudies have revealed the positive impact of serious leisure among older adults. Serious leisure is the systematic pursuit of an amateur, hobbyist, or volunteer core activity that is highly substantial, interesting, and fulfilling and where, in the typical case, participants find a career in acquiring and expressing a combination of special skills, knowledge, and experience. As serious leisure involves productive engagement and commitment, performing as a senior model reflects the serious leisure participation of older adults, which might offer a new insight into promoting healthy lifestyles. While many studies have been conducted in the context of leisure behavior of older adults, a study is yet to explore the behavior of senior fashion models. Given that serious leisure offers positive outcomes (e.g., personal growth, happiness) and demands substantial effort as and perseverance, the behavior of senior modeling can be understood using a serious leisure framework. The purpose of the study is to explore the behavior of older adults engaged in fashion modeling as a form of serious leisure. We conducted a series of face-to-face interviews with 31 participants. Interview questions focused on the participants’ perception as senior models and the meaning of being senior models. The ages of the participants ranged from 54 to 85 years (Mean age = 66.9). The constant comparison method was applied to continuously compare the views and experiences of the participants. Two central themes that shaped the participants’ senior fashion modeling experiences were identified: (1) the benefits of senior fashion modeling and (2) the costs of senior fashion modeling. Under each theme, several sub-categories were identified: confidence, stylish and ageless, friendships, painful training and investing effort, barriers associated with aging, and structural constraints. The findings obtained in this study highlight the important link between serious leisure and successful aging. Considering the benefits identified by the study participants, it is suggested that engaging in senior fashion modeling positively affects older adults’ quality of life.

Importance of playing pickleball for older adults’ subjective well-being: A serious leisure perspective

Pickleball, a paddle sport, is the fastest-growing sport in the US. As pickleball has been specifically popular among older adults, there is a growing interest in understanding its positive aspects. Therefore, this study explored the relation between financial status, loneliness, serious leisure, and subjective well-being (SWB) among older adults. In southern states in the US, a convenience sample of older adults who participated in pickleball competitions was recruited (n = 153). From hierarchical regression analyses, we found that (a) serious leisure significantly predicted SWB, (b) financial status was not related to SWB, and (c) loneliness was not related to SWB. We suggest that playing pickleball as a form of serious leisure may add significant value to older adults’ daily lives and contribute to successful aging.

Hard-Core Leisure: A Conceptualization

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this research reflection is to describe a slice of serious leisure that we call hard-core leisure, which we define as a form of serious leisure that involves extraordinary commitment that is directed toward an “authentic” style of social world activity. Using examples from birdwatching, Civil War reenacting, and climbing, we explain how hard-core participants separate themselves from other participants in terms of what they believe are superior styles of participation and unusual degrees of effort, perseverance, and conduct. Too often, serious participants in any given leisure activity are seen as homogeneous in their attitudes and behavior. The concept of hard-core leisure makes problematic this assumption by bringing to light an extreme form of leisure participation.

Group Fitness as a Form of Serious Leisure among Part-Time Les Mills Instructors in the Philippines

Group Fitness as a Form of Serious Leisure among Part-Time Les Mills Instructors in the Philippines

I am roller derby: the serious leisure and leisure identity of roller derby participants

Roller derby is an international phenomenon, a form of serious leisure and an activity helping female participants define who they are. Thus, the purpose of this research study was: (a) to examine the phenomenon of roller derby on a larger scale to better understand the identity characteristics of roller derby participants in the USA and (b) to investigate the perceptions of serious leisure experience on leisure identity development. Through online distribution, a total of 582 Women's Flat Track Derby Association members across the USA completed the survey. The results of independent t-tests and ANOVA indicated that the level of seriousness and leisure identity did not vary with female participants’ age, race and education level. The results of multiple regression analysis showed that female participants’ level of systematic pursuit of roller derby could be predicted by their leisure identity. This is specifically true when considering self-identity and positive affectivity related to their experience in roller derby, while social identity was the last significant identity factor for participants.

Leading, following and sexism in social dance: change of meaning as contained secondary adjustments

By assigning men the role of ‘lead’ and women the role of ‘follow’, social dance can be viewed as a form of serious leisure that appears to perpetuate a system that positions women as subordinate to men. Interviews with 29 women and 10 men who self-identified as social dancers revealed that women used several strategies to create meanings for following that allowed them to achieve parity with men while operating in an explicitly sexist idioculture. Women’s interpretation of following and the relationship between leading and following was as learning a complex set of skills and abilities that allowed them to make an important contribution to the dance. The meanings women applied to following can be understood as contained secondary adjustments. By viewing following as a performance that requires considerable skill, women can expose the idea that the role of follow is subordinate to the lead as a social construction, and, in the process, use being a follow to subvert the expected social organisation.

Promoting Successful Aging Through Competitive Sports Participation

In this study we explored the experience of competing in the Senior Games and the resultant contributions to the successful aging of older adults. We used in-depth interviews with older adults who participated in the National Senior Games. Analysis of the data produced five central themes: (a) perseverance, (b) career development and significant effort, (c) personal and social benefits, (d) unique ethos, and (e) identification as a senior athlete. We found that participating in the Senior Games as a form of serious leisure enhanced the well-being of older adults and could be utilized as a means by which to maintain a healthy lifestyle.