Leisure Research Research Articles

Researcher as curator: Making room for the politics of emotion in leisure research

ABSTRACT In this research note, we ask: What would it look like if researchers thought of themselves as ‘curators’ when analysing and presenting their work? What might that role shift produce? Thinking of oneself as ‘curator’ rather than ‘researcher’ fundamentally shifts the way one thinks and does data analysis and representation. We share our experiences thinking through this lens and propose that thinking of ‘researcher as curator’ is one way to guide researchers through data analysis and representation in a manner that embraces the ‘emotional turn’ (Lemmings & Brooks, 2014). This ‘role-framing’ can provide some direction for those using Creative Analytic Practice (CAP; Parry & Johnson, 2007) or arts-based methodologies in their work. But, importantly, we posit that ‘researcher as curator’ can also be useful in qualitative work that does not necessarily employ either CAP or arts-based research, but seeks to engage the emotions of leisure research.

Everyday life and Everyday Leisure

A substantial body of theory exists on the concept of everyday life, including the sociology of everyday life, but it has barely featured in the mainstream of the sociological study of leisure or leisure studies more broadly. This paper explores this theoretical work and considers the place of leisure in it, and how it might inform the further development of the study of leisure. It is argued that the time is right to broaden the scope of leisure research to incorporate consideration of the way in which all forms of everyday time-use interact.

‘Feeling what I write’: researching disability and leisure with experience of living with a disability

ABSTRACT Our different experiences of the world can alter how we carve our identities and sense of place within it. Thus, many have argued that writing and sharing our personal experiences in research can often help us give others a different understanding of the world. Having a personal experience of a phenomenon can also assist researchers in the formulation and conceptualisation of their different ideas during the research process. However, whilst valuable, researchers’ different memories and recollections can negatively impact the research process as well. Sometimes different memories and recollections can alter what we see within our research and how we see what is happening in the real world. Therefore, this research note explores how our embodied experiences of a phenomenon can affect our research. It will centre around my own experiences of living with a disability, listening to those of other disabled people, my ever-changing professional and personal understanding of leisure, and how my own personal experiences have affected my interactions with disability and leisure research over the years.

Philosophy of science and leisure research: an exploratory analysis of research paradigms

ABSTRACT The purpose of this exploratory analysis was to examine paradigmatic trends within leisure research. Thomas Kuhn’s philosophy of science suggested that a field is the operational paradigm composed of a set of assumptions that include theories, methodology and instruments that guide inquiry. In contemporary leisure research, the scholarship being produced can be categorized into four research paradigms: (post)positivist, interpretive, critical and post×. The sample for this exploratory study included two timeframes (1991–1993 and 2014–2016) resulting in a total sample of N = 495 articles. Results confirmed evidence of a dominant (post)positivism in leisure research in the first sample and a trend toward paradigmatic pluralism in the second. Findings suggest that the philosophy of Larry Laudan’s ‘research traditions’ may be a more accurate model, compared to Kuhnian philosophy, for discourse within the leisure field. Additionally, results indicate a lack of paradigmatic and ontological and epistemological reflexivity among authors in leisure research.

Statement of Removal

It has been noted that crime and enforcement are likely a defining part of an evolving leisure experience. The aims of this manuscript were to call for research to focus on this phenomenon of the shooting and killing of people, particularly Black citizenry, by law enforcement. State sanctioned violence has been consistently wrought in leisure spaces and settings since those 2014–2015 deaths that were noted previously in a Leisure Sciences article, “The Case of the 12-year-old Boy: Or, the Silence of and Relevance to Leisure Research.” An understanding of policing, not police officers, as tool for surveillance and control along with an understanding of society, not on individualized or small group social behavior are the needs in the research of a legitimate lethal and trauma-inducing phenomenon that occurs within the space, time, and activities of leisure, sport, and tourism.

The relationship between consumer behavior and subjective well-being in Chinese teahouses and cafes: A social capital perspective

This study uses social capital to explore the mechanisms by which consumer behavior in teahouses and cafes is associated with subjective well-being. A questionnaire survey (n = 767) was conducted in 2019. The results showed that conversations with other customers rather than with prearranged people were more associated with either bridging social capital, bonding social capital, or feeling social capital. Also, social capital generated in teahouses and cafes was associated with subjective well-being, with bridging social capital being more associated with interpersonal relationship satisfaction and subjective well-being than bonding social capital. This study considered interactions with acquaintances as well as other consumers and staff; and examined the relationship between various types of social capital and subjective well-being separately. This study provides scholars with a deeper understanding of social interactions in consumer spaces and their impact on intergroup relationships, and the role of leisure research in the development of social capital theory.

EVALUATING POSITIVE EFFECTS OF LEISURE FROM A LIFE-COURSE PERSPECTIVE: A LITERATURE REVIEW

This article discusses the psychological impact of leisure across a lifetime using a life-course perspective, which assumes that people’s experiences at earlier life stages shape their following developmental trajectories. Since leisure activities are part of one’s lifestyle, adopting this perspective to leisure research is invaluable. By reviewing a variety of research, the article discusses 1) the progress of psychological leisure research and the impact of leisure on subjective well-being and cognitive functioning, 2) transitions in leisure and their relationship from a life-course perspective, and 3) the benefits related to the accumulation of leisure activities across the lifespan. The present review concludes that positive psychological achievement (e.g., self-worth, affirmation, and self-realization) and cognitive foundation (e.g., high levels of basic cognitive skills) shaped through leisure participation in early life stages help overcome challenges in later stages (i.e., successfully adapt to psychological vulnerability and cognitive decline in old age).

The impact of fighting in the NHL on attendance

ABSTRACT Sport spectators often enjoy violence in sport games they attend. Our research note attempts to provide an examination of how violence in National Hockey League (NHL) games, specifically fighting, impacts regular season attendance as a percentage of its capacity. Furthermore, we look to understand if there are differences in this relationship between US and Canadian franchises along with differences after the NHL adopted policies to deter fighting in the game. Our sample period covers the 1980/1981 through 2019/2020 seasons. Results for Tobit regression estimations find fighting regardless of time period or country does not impact regular season attendance. However, we do find differences between the countries after new fighting rules were adopted. We provide some discussion as to why these findings occur, and how future leisure research can provide some further explanation into this relationship.

The Fatal Coupling of Race, State and Research on Disparities

Modern technology doesn’t only offer greater opportunities for leisure experiences. It opens the door for surveillance and disempowerment as well. As the justice-oriented endeavor of leisure researchers increased over the years, so too has their access to data sources on racialized people made possible by the advent of digital technology. Geospatial datasets are used to extrapolate leisure service disparities and social patterns in predominantly racialized communities. Yet we rarely question the adverse and potentially life-threatening effects of the use of big data in our research. We draw from the concept of geographies of threat to connect leisure research on disparities and the production of State violence imparted onto racialized spatial configurations. Leisure scholars must interrogate if and how the use of large datasets may contribute to the State surveillance apparatus rendering the lives of racialized peoples more vulnerable to the violence and coercive power of the State.

Leisure research amid socio-political unrest: A reflection on struggle in turbulent times

ABSTRACT This essay offers a reflection on the relevance of leisure amidst current social unrest and the ways in which scholars thinking through leisure can attend to discussions part of social movements and radical resistances. This paper interrogates the ways leisure is bound up in socio-political tension through its direct link to capitalism, labour, and reproduction of the status quo while, simultaneously, being part of the action needed to resist such harms, necessary for our analyses as leisure scholars. As we continue to reflect on TALS’s ‘New Leisure Studies’ panel (2021) and Mowatt’s sensibility in considering, ‘what is “leisure” in the midst of [this socio-political] landscape?, we feel that in these challenging times, more critical analysis, openness, connectedness, and creativity is required to reflect the nuanced and interconnected social dynamics of leisure more fully.

Dancing in Public Squares – Toward a Socially Synchronous Sense of Place

This study advances how we understand sense of place in leisure research by considering how social interactions lend to ‘lived emplacement’. Taking a behavioral geography perspective, that aligns with Social-Interaction Theory, this paper contributes to how we think about collective forms of dancing in public squares. To develop these understandings, we focus on a popular dancing activity in China, Guang-Chang-Wu 广场舞. Conceptual directions discussed in this paper challenge researchers to consider how socially synchronized dancing connects middle-aged and elderly Chinese women. Perspective and insight into sense of place, influenced by place attachment and place dependence are guided by participant desires to increase socialization and well-being. In-depth semi-structured interviews and participant observations were qualitative methods used to investigate social interactions in urban public squares. Interpretations reinforce interactions, and provide insight into unique communal characteristics and the social meanings associated with dancing in public squares. This research offers new ways of thinking about sense of place in public squares through behavioral reflections of public dancing aligned with how participants transcend space and place meanings. Considerations are also positioned alongside social and cultural change in China, which are important to the story of leisure practices in public squares.

Analysis of Trends in Research on Emotional Labor in Hotel and Resort Sectors in Korea using Semantic Network Analysis

This study analyzed emotional labor in the hotel and resort industry through semantic network analysis and convergence of iteration correlation (CONCOR) analysis. The scope of the study was limited to academic papers on the hotel and resort industry published by the Korea Citation Index (KCI) between 2006 and 2022. This included papers from the journals Tourism & Leisure Research (26), Korean Journal of Hospitality & Tourism (23), Korean Journal of Tourism Research (19), International Journal of Tourism & Hospitality Research (18), Tourism Research (14), and other journals (74). Having identified the major research trends, visualization was carried out to confirm the topics closely related to emotional labor, which identified the subjects of emotional labor, “employees,” job factors such as “job stress,” and negative psychological variables such as “emotional exhaustion” with high frequency and centrality. The CONCOR analysis revealed four main clusters: “job impact factors,” “service impact factors,” “supervisor impact factors,” and “psychological impact factors.” The results offer suggestions for future research directions on emotional labor in hotels and resorts, as well as implications for academic and practical applications.

Holding governments to account for leisure rights: a collaborative research agenda

ABSTRACT Leisure is recognized as a human right in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the World Leisure Organisation’s recently revised Charter for Leisure. However, it has been neglected in the UN’s mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation nation states’ compliance with human rights obligations under the terms of the relevant international treaties. Until very recently, leisure rights have also been neglected by the leisure research community. This paper documents the extent of this neglect and seeks to make a contribution to remedying it. This takes the form of an outline of a conceptual framework for assessing nation states’ performance in upholding leisure rights.

Playing with emotions: emotional complexity in the social world of elite tournament bridge

The concept of emotional complexity is vital to theorising emotions in late modernity. Building from decades of ‘emotion management’ research, it captures how emotions are increasingly an object for individual self-management and reflection. Using Goffman’s dramaturgy as a framing for emotions research in sport and leisure, this article contributes to understanding emotional complexity in practice using the dyadic pursuit of the mind-sport bridge as a case study. The elite social world of bridge is an emotionally charged setting, where top players use emotion management to improve performance over many decades. Through in-depth qualitative interviewing with 52 elite players from the US and Europe, the article outlines contextually specific experiences and performances of emotion. Players engage in processes of reflexive and instrumental self-other relations, which change over time as part of the experience of emotional complexity. Successful emotion management can foster positive relationships between bridge partners, but simultaneously players also regularly fail to manage their own emotions. This suggests that emotions are only ever partially instrumentalised, especially in emotionally complex contexts.

The potentials of partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) in leisure research

Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is a multivariate statistical technique that helps examine complex relationships among a number of variables. Although its use has increased over decades, PLS-SEM remains underutilized in leisure research. The purpose of this methodological paper is to offer a primer on PLS-SEM for leisure researchers and to present a critical review of PLS-SEM’s strengths and limitations, while identifying potential applications of PLS-SEM across different sub-fields and theories in leisure research. Specifically, as to strengths, we discuss PLS-SEM’s sample size requirements, accommodation of formative and reflective measures, ability to model many variables and relationships, and statistical prediction capacity. In terms of its limitations, we review criticisms regarding PLS-SEM’s biased estimates as well as the lack of measurement error estimation and model fit assessment tools. Lastly, we provide recommendations for leisure researchers who wish to use PLS-SEM and journal editors and reviewers who assess PLS-SEM articles.

Festival cities and tourism: challenges and prospects

ABSTRACT This paper provides an introduction to the special issue of the Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events on Festival Cities and Tourism. It provides a contextualisation of the conversations surrounding the relationship between cities and their festivals during the Covid-19 pandemic. Focussing on the ‘festival city’ of Edinburgh, we examine how festival organisers reacted to the challenges of the pandemic, and how they strove to maintain contact with audiences and other stakeholders. We then review the different contributions to the special issue, ranging from festivalisation and suburban food festivals in Barcelona to an art festival in Dublin, the European Capital of Culture in Hungary and the festival portfolio of Hong Kong.

Relationships between leisure and life worth living: a content analysis of photographic data

ABSTRACT Many studies have examined the relationships between leisure and subjective well-being. However, eudaimonic (e.g. meaning) and non-Western perspectives are lacking. Moreover, comparing leisure with other life domains could clarify leisure’s unique roles in the pursuit of well-being. This study explores leisure’s relationships with ikigai, a Japanese eudaimonic well-being concept. A purposeful sample of 27 Japanese university students provided 247 pictures of ikigai which they categorized into leisure and non-leisure groups. Photographic data were analysed via content analysis. The majority of ikigai pictures were associated with leisure. Compared with non-leisure pictures, leisure photographs were more frequently coded with ‘hobby/leisure’ and ‘nature’, while less frequently coded with ‘relationships’, ‘organizational activities’, ‘education’, and ‘values’. Leisure’s unique roles in student’s pursuit of ikigai relate to providing casual and enjoyable experiences, private time and space, and nature-based experiences. Our findings are discussed in relation to leisure studies, ikigai studies, and research on meaning in life.

Fact, faction and fiction: exploring fictional composition as a tool for knowledge production in leisure research

ABSTRACT In this research note, inspired by the SI in ALR ‘finding truth in fiction’ [Justin Harmon and Rudy Dunlap. 2021. “Leisure Seen Differently: Conclusion to the Special Issue on ‘Finding Truth in Fiction’.” Annals of Leisure Research, Finding Truth in Fiction 24: 646-651], we explore the potential of fiction as a tool for research and pedagogy in leisure studies. Our analytical focus is Terra Ludus [Bruce 2016a. Terra Ludus: A Novel About Media, Gender and Sport. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers], a dystopian novel set in an imagined (near) future world that has women’s sport as the backdrop. Based on our own readings of Terra Ludus, and an interview with the author (July 2020) about her aims in the production of this work, we explore fiction’s potential role in leisure studies research overall and the possibilities of the creative non-fiction genre specifically.

Peer-to-peer accommodation platform affordance: Scale development and empirical investigation

Peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation platform affordance is an important emerging construct that has not been systematically investigated in tourism and leisure research. Through three programmatic empirical studies, we develop and validate a scale for P2P accommodation platform affordance in the tourism literature. Study 1 focuses on the generation and purification of items for P2P accommodation platform affordance. Study 2 employs a survey sample from Airbnb consumers to establish the reliability and validity of the scales of P2P accommodation platform affordance. Study 3 places P2P accommodation platform affordance in a nomological network and tests its utility. Our work contributes to scale development in the tourism literature by (1) proposing the card sorting method to advance the theoretical rigor of item purification, (2) harnessing the comparison of confirmatory factor analysis and confirmatory composite analysis in construct validation, and (3) developing a useful scale for measuring P2P accommodation platform affordance.

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

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.