Recreation Administrators Research Articles

Access Pass: Validating The Scale of Barriers to Participation in Recreational Spaces

The importance of parks and recreational spaces in terms of public health has become even more evident after the pandemic period. The increased utilization of these areas by larger populations has imposed different responsibilities on the park and recreational spaces managers. To increase people's participation in parks and recreational spaces, it is important to first identify the barriers that hinder their participation. This study aims to adapt The Scale of Barriers to Participation in Recreational Spaces, developed by Gümüş and Alay, to the United States. In this context the study was conducted in a mid-sized city located in the Midwest in the U.S.A., involving a sample of 412 individuals ranging in age from 18 to 76. The data collection took place over four months, from December 2022 to March 2023. The factor structure obtained in the original scale development study was tested through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) as part of the validity study. During this analysis, it was necessary to remove one item from the security factor as it increased the Chi-square value in the CFA procedure. According to the analysis, it is evident that the goodness-of-fit indices yielded favorable results. Specifically, the Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) obtained a value of 0.04, while the Incremental Fit Index (IFI) and Comparative Fit Index (CFI) reached values of 0.94 and 0.98, respectively, signifying excellent goodness of fit. Additionally, the Normed Fit Index (NFI) and Goodness-of-Fit Index (GFI) attained values of 0.94, which fall within acceptable limits. Moreover, the chi-square value of χ2(94)=153.693 and a ratio of χ2/sd=1.63<2 indicated a perfect fit for the model. Correlation analyses between dimensions were conducted as part of the validity study. In the reliability study of the scale, Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient was estimated. According to the findings, the factor structure of the scale was confirmed to be parallel to the original scale development study. Furthermore, Cronbach's alpha values ranged between 0.83 and 0.90. With these conducted studies, the scale has provided the necessary validity and reliability evidence for its use in the USA culture and has been introduced to the field to be utilized in various studies. It is expected that this scale can benefit both park and recreational spaces managers and users by identifying barriers to participation in these spaces and increasing engagement. Concurrently with the research outcomes, recommendations were formulated for park and recreation administrators.

Minding the Science–Practice Gap to Reach the Goals of Sustainable Recreation Research

Scholars featured in a recent special issue of the Journal of Park and Recreation Administration and others have noted that public lands management has yet to integrate sustainable recreation policy and practice (Cerveny et al., 2022, p. 1). Additionally, there is growing recognition that inter-agency and scientist-citizen collaboration are needed to achieve this goal. In this commentary, we offer an example of minding the science-practice gap through cocreating research. Specifically, we describe how scientists from the US Forest Service and the University of California, Davis, and practitioners from the Los Angeles-based organization Outward Bound Adventures (OBA) operationalized ten essential characteristics of research (DePoy & Gitlin, 2020) in the development of a research proposal and implementation of a study on urban Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) youth perspectives of the outdoors.

“What Do We Do For Snacks?”: The Perceived Role of Parks and Recreation Administrators in the Youth Sports Food Environment

Dietary intake is influenced by multiple systems, as highlighted in the Social- Ecological Model, including community influences like community programs. In this context, parks and recreation administrators may have a role in the types of snacks and beverages provided during youth sports. The current study focused on understanding park administrators’ experiences relative to the youth sports environment, including their responsibility and influence on the food environment. This was an exploratory qualitative case study conducted in Utah. Semi-structured interviews with parks and recreation administrators were completed via phone by a research assistant. A qualitative case study analysis was conducted by two researchers. In addition to the interviews, the websites of all the park and recreation sites were searched and phone calls were made to check physical locations for nutrition fliers/information. Three themes emerged through qualitative case study analysis. The first theme was the administrators’ role in the youth parks and recreation activities. The second theme was the administrators’ awareness of the food environment within youth sports. The final theme was the administrators’ role in influencing more nutritious snacks at these youth sporting activities. The results from this case study suggest that the parks and recreation administrators within Utah valued the importance of nutritional snacks and beverages within youth sporting activities and were supportive of the food environment improving. Several of the parks and recreation administrators in this study agreed that their further involvement (i.e., guidelines on snacks and beverages) in the youth sports food environment could improve the environment and better effect youth who are participating, thus enhancing opportunities to improve overall health and well-being. The results from this study show that administrators could bring awareness to youth sports nutrition and support guidelines for the types of snacks and beverages brought to youth sporting activities. Administrators could work with dietitians to develop information that would be appropriate to distribute to youth sports participants and parents. Providing information about what kinds of snacks to bring has the possibility to improve the conditions of the youth sports food environment. Additionally, consideration for policy changes in youth sports and recreation center facilities could be explored.

Write It Out: Examining Recreational Youth Sport Parent Emotions Through an Expressive Writing Exercise

Youth sport parents experience an array of emotions as part of their child’s youth sport experience. This may include emotions related to watching their child play, supporting their child’s emotions, or simply related to daily parenting responsibilities. This research examined youth sport parent emotions through an expressive writing exercise. Twelve parents completed a total of 32 expressive writing exercises. In each exercise, parents were asked to write about their emotions as a youth sport parent. Quantitative analysis with Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC; Pennebaker et al., 2015) software and qualitative thematic analysis were employed to analyze writings. Results indicate that though parents experienced both positive and negative emotions, negative emotions were most common and salient. Thematic analysis resulted in six themes, including one theme related to positive emotions (happiness for child experience), and five themes related to negative emotions: 1) general stress and negativity, 2) responsibilities, 3) role as parent, 4) coach, and 5) performance. Results also lead to practical implications for park and recreation administrators. First, as substantial stress is related to the time and financial responsibilities associated with sport parenting, organizations may wish to seek ways to support parents including through scholarship funds, and facilitating communication and duty sharing among parents. Parent education programs may also be a way to help parents navigate their own emotions related to parenting roles. Coaches were also a source of negative emotions for parents, though not always for the same reasons. Youth sport organizations can facilitate coach-parent communication to ensure that parent-coach goals are aligned, and provide training for coaches in both sport-specific skills and positive youth development. In addition to facilitating coach-parent communication, organizations may also encourage child-parent communication related to goals. This could include email communications with exercises designed to encourage specific conversations about goals of youth sport participation. Each of these implications is tied directly to negative emotions expressed by parents as part of this research. Assisting parents with these emotions will improve the experience for both the parent and will likely enable the youth participant to have a more positive experience as well.

Exploring Outdoor Recreation Activities as a Facilitator for College Student Diversity Experiences

Racial intolerance and violence in the United States, and on college campuses specifically, has created a dire need for universities to bridge gaps between students of diverse backgrounds and beliefs. Campus recreation programs offer promising environments for students from diverse identities to engage with each other and learn about peers, while increasing their openness to diversity. Despite this potential, little is known about how students engage with diversity in recreation contexts. This phenomenological study uncovered the experiences of students attending diversity-focused outdoor adventure trips and examined the facets of this recreation environment that contributed to engagement with diverse peers. Campus recreation administrators can use these findings to consider parallel experiences throughout recreation programs that can bring students from diverse backgrounds together.

Keeping citizens living with low incomes at arm’s length away: the responsibilization of municipal recreation access provisions

ABSTRACT Through the lens of neoliberalism, the purpose of this paper is to illustrate the techniques of responsibilization in municipal recreation access provisions. Using data from interviews with 16 municipal recreation administrators in Atlantic Canada, we trace responsibilization through fiscal policies and administration schemes characterizing four neoliberalism tenets: privatization, efficiency, individualism, and accountability. Our findings identified four techniques of responsibilization embedded in access provisions for low-income citizens: 1) privatizing recreation provisions by off-loading programming responsibility; 2) not advertising financial assistance programmes and other informal financial support; 3) assuming accessing financial assistance programs is easy, and 4) verifying low-income status. The responsibilization inherent in these access provisions cultivates relational distance, which we suggest challenges the provisions’ ‘accessible’ nature.

Examining family-based nature activities among Latinx students: contexts for reinforcing family relationships and cultural heritage

ABSTRACT There is a strong need to conduct research and inform practice related to increasing racial and ethnic diversity in the leisure field (Floyd and Stodolska [2019]. “Scholarship on Race and Ethnicity: Assessing Contributions to Leisure Theory and Practice.” Journal of Park and Recreation Administration 37 (1): 80–94). Using a routines and rituals framework, we explored how and why Latinx families spend time together outside. We collected qualitative data via an online questionnaire from 134 Latinx students from an urban, west coast university. Findings showed participants engaged in a variety of outdoor family traditions from routine walks, bike rides, and backyard activities to longer ritualized adventures in parks, beaches, and natural areas that reinforced family relationships and cultural heritage. Engagement in family-based nature activities provided opportunities to strengthen relationships, communicate meaningfully, and spend quality time together, given fewer technological distractions outdoors. Participants suggested focusing on improving existing outdoor spaces and community facilities, implementing more family-based community events, and creating educational campaigns to promote participation in outdoor activities.

An Educational Intervention for Improving the Snacks and Beverages Brought to Youth Sports in the USA.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to test a small-scale intervention and its ability to decrease total sugar intake and number of calories offered at youth sports games. Methods: This study was a pre/post-test quasi-experimental design. A flier was developed and distributed to parents. The flier aimed to decrease the sugar-sweetened beverages and increase the nutritional quality of food brought to games. Baseline data were collected in 2018 (n = 61). The flier was distributed prior to the start of the league, once during the league, and posted online in 2019. Postintervention data were collected in the intervention group (n = 122) and a comparison group (n = 74). Nutritional information was collected through direct observation. Results: The average amount of total sugar provided per game per child was 25.5 g at baseline when snacks/beverages were provided at games. After the intervention, the average amount of total sugar provided significantly decreased (16.7 g/game/child, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The intervention reduced total sugar offered and the number of sugar-sweetened beverages brought to games. It was low-cost and could be easily implemented by public health practitioners and/or parks and recreation administrators. Further, considerations could be made to implement policies relative to snacks and beverages at youth sports games.

Making the Case for Women-Specific Recreational Sports

Many men and women participate in recreational sports; however, women often face unique constraints to participation. Because recreational sports should reflect the needs and desires of all, we believe recreational administrators must implement strategies to support women in their communities. Through this commentary, we advocate for best practices that will curtail participation barriers specific to women while, at the same time, create a supportive environment for all participants. The creation of women-specific sporting events and programs may provide a setting where women experience fewer barriers, resulting in increased participation.

Team Meeting 101: An Investigation of Cognitive Engagement and Self-Efficacy in a Unique Active Learning Instructional Technique

Many forms of active learning are popular in the college classroom, including case studies, role-plays, simulations, problem-based learning, and some discussion-based activities. Team Meeting 101 is an active learning technique that draws from each of these with the goal of helping students apply academic content and build transferable skills. The purpose of this paper is to explore the levels of cognitive engagement this instructional activity generates, as well as the impact it has on students’ self-efficacy. Participants (n = 167) generally indicated high levels of cognitive engagement and had positive perceptions of Team Meeting 101. Statistically significant increases in students’ (n = 124) self-efficacy were also reported in a number of transferable skills following participation in Team Meeting 101. These results suggest that Team Meeting 101 can be an effective instructional technique for educators in the recreation and leisure administration discipline, as well as associated fields like sports management and hospitality management.

Embarking on a Rhetorical Exploration: Accommodating Science (or Not) in Leisure Research

An ongoing debate points to a possible gap between the published research about and the delivery of leisure services. For example, two of the major research journals in the field of leisure studies, Journal of Leisure Research (JLR) and Journal of Parks and Recreation Administration (JPRA), are intended for different audiences, yet researchers are far more likely than practitioners to read both journals. Little empirical research has been conducted to explain the possible reasons for these readership disparities. This exploration utilized rhetorical analysis techniques to examine three matched article sets to determine if the science was accommodated for the distinct intended audiences of the two journals. The findings suggested that the ways in which the research was accommodated for the distinct intended audiences was inconsistent. Significance of the findings and recommendations for future accommodation of science in leisure studies are discussed.

Developing livable cities: do we have what it takes?

ABSTRACT A popular and intuitive way to capture the quality of life in cities is by evaluating ‘livability.’ This study aims to gain insight on the types, importance, and availability of skills needed to develop livable cities, as perceived by researchers and practitioners. Participants in a separate concept mapping project were asked to provide a list of the skills they found most important to the development of livable cities. Responses were synthesized into broader categories. Survey respondents most referenced Collaboration, Communication, and Community Engagement. In a second phase, respondents were asked to select those that they felt were most important. Collaboration and Community Engagement were the two most frequently selected skills in the second phase. Results were compared against competency requirements for program accreditation in the fields of Public Health, Urban Planning, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Parks and Recreation Administration. All are vital partners in livable city development. Further trends, similarities, and differences are discussed. This study underscores the enduring need for ‘soft skills,’ non-traditional approaches to education and workforce development, and the increasing relevance of team science. Understanding the skills needed for livable city development helps ensure researchers and practitioners are equipped to participate.

Embracing the Experience Economy: A Case Study of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

Those of us who serve the discipline of parks, recreation, tourism and related professions have long struggled with visibility and viability on university campuses. This struggle is magnified by the absence of an adequate umbrella term and the variability in the names of our academic programs and the colleges in which we reside. For some, the general labels of “parks, recreation, and tourism” that have long served as the basis of the discipline no longer adequately represent the specialty areas that are encompassed within our programs. The recent embrace of the experience economy concept, coupled with shifting industry trends, provides a unique opportunity for our academic discipline to position ourselves as change agents. As students emerge as professionals into positions like director of experience design, employee events specialist, participant development manager, employee event and experience specialist, and thought leadership-events and experiences, our duty as educators is to ensure their preparation as industry innovators with firm foundations in the history, philosophy, and key competencies of the field. This case study of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo examines the strategic planning process ultimately leading to a department name change from Recreation, Parks, & Tourism Administration to Experience Industry Management and explores the implications of that shift.

Designing and Staging High-Quality Park and Recreation Experiences Using Co-Creation

While the field of park and recreation has long been focused on designing and delivering quality leisure experiences, the concept of experiences has become increasingly salient across almost all industries over the last two decades. From the time that Pine and Gilmore initially proposed the concept of the experience economy in a 1998 Harvard Business Review article, experiences have become a primary driver of the economy (Pine & Gilmore, 1999; 2011). If an organization is not providing experiences perceived by consumers as high quality and desirable, the organization most likely will not survive. A core concept associated with the design of experiences is co-creation—a collaborative process of value creation between participants and providers (Payne, Storbacka, & Frow 2008; Prahalad & Ramaswamy, 2004a). This paper examines the concept of co-creation and its relevance for the field of park and recreation administration. This is accomplished by introducing a three-phased model of co-creation that spans over the three phases of leisure (i.e., anticipation, participation, and reflection) and discussing co-creation’s applicability to park and recreation settings through a descriptive case study. We define co-creation as active participation, dialogue, and collaboration between participants, producers, and a variety of other stakeholders throughout the process of designing, participating in, and reflecting on an experience (Prahalad & Ramaswamy, 2004b; Rossman & Schlatter, 2015). Based on the work of Duerden, Ward, and Freeman (2015), we propose a three-phased model of co-creation, which includes co-design during the anticipation phase of an experience, co-actualization during the participation phase of the experience, and co-curation during the reflection phase of the experience. This paper provides specific examples of the different forms of co-creation during each experience phase. This paper also introduces the DART (dialogue, access, risk assessment, and transparency) model of co-creation (Prahalad & Ramaswamy, 2002; 2004a; 2004c) and provides examples of its applicability for park and recreation professionals. This paper concludes with a case study exemplifying how co-creation and its associated concepts can be used to design a swim program experience. Although park and recreation professionals have a long history of designing and delivering experiences, they risk seeing their offerings become obsolete if they do not find ways to stay on the forefront of the experience economy. As more organizations come to view themselves as experience providers, the competition for people’s time and resources will increase. We hope the insights in this paper will help park and recreation professionals embrace and apply the concept of co-creation in their experience offerings. Subscribe to JPRA

“Please Bring a Healthy Snack”: An Exploratory Study on Parent Experiences with Post-Game Snacks and Beverages in Youth Sports

Youth sports provide an opportunity for physical activity, but unhealthy snacks and/or beverages, often bought by parents, are prevalent within these contexts. The current study focused on the environmental context of youth sports, investigating parent experiences with post-game snacks and beverages. This was a qualitative study in which trained interviewers conducted semi-structured interviews. Participants detailed snacks and beverages that they (a) provided in the past, (b) thought would be healthy options, and (c) would prefer their children did not consume. Participants were recruited from a youth sports facility and were required to be a parent and/or guardian of children between the ages of 8 and 11. Nineteen parents/guardians participated in the study. Three major themes were identified through qualitative analysis. First, participants addressed the logistics of post-game snacks in youth sports. They explained that post-game snacks and beverages were provided through a volunteer effort by the youth athletes’ parents/guardians, but the coaches/organizations provided little guidance on the types of snacks/beverages that should be provided. Second, participants detailed their self-reported post-game snack behavior in youth sports. Most commonly participants reported providing granola bars and 100% fruit juice for youth. Parents reported social pressure to conform to certain snack/beverage traditions. Third, participants addressed concerns and desired changes regarding post-game snacks and beverages in youth sports. The results from this study suggest that the social environment can influence parent choices for post-game snack and beverage consumption, thereby influencing the types of snacks and/or beverages children consume. Potential future interventions could attempt to influence the individual, interpersonal, and organizational levels of the Social Ecological Model by providing information in a variety of ways about healthy snack and beverage options, as well as leveraging organizational policy or guidelines surrounding snacks/beverages. Because of the opportunity for the youth sports realm to influence dietary and obesogenic behaviors among children, parks and recreation administrators need to be cognizant of the implications of the youth sports food environment. Subscribe to JPRA

Development of a Scale to Measure Social Capital in Recreation and Sport Clubs

ABSTRACT Social capital's measurement has been limited and an effective scale is needed. This research employed focus groups and interviews and a panel of experts to provide understanding and items for a social capital scale in sport and recreation setting. After a pilot study the Club Social Capital Scale (CSCS) was completed by 1,079 members of sport and recreation clubs. This 42-item scale included the factors trust, friendship, acceptance, reciprocity, norms, and governance. Exploratory factor analysis resulted in a 20-item four component (governance, norms, friendship-acceptance, and trust-reciprocity) CSCS. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the potential four or five factor model and the hierarchical structure. The CSCS is the first psychometrically developed instrument to measure the factors underlying social capital rather than its outcomes. It can inform policy makers or sport and recreation administrators to establish baseline social capital in their organization and the efficacy of interventions or changes in policy.

Are We Ready for “Radical Leisure”?

ABSTRACTFor that past 40 years, hundreds of articles have been published in the major journals that examine leisure, recreation, and parks in North America, for example, the Journal of Leisure Research, Leisure Sciences, and Journal of Recreation and Park Administration. Yet, we are no closer to influencing policy, shifting public opinion, or persuading ourselves and each other that the idea of leisure is something that we should value, embrace, and fight for in terms of a shorter work week and, for that matter, a shorter work life. What is our professional commitment to promoting leisure, advocating for shorter work weeks and for mandatory vacation time? This article explores issues related to leisure, resistance and the hegemony of work.

Is leisure research contributing to sustainability? A systematic review of the literature

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to identify and summarize to what extent articles in leisure journals have focused on and critically examined the relationship between leisure and sustainability. The study was conducted using content analysis of articles in leisure journals over the past decade (2005–2015) including: Leisure/Loisir, Journal of Leisure Research, Leisure Studies, Leisure Sciences, World Leisure, Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, Annals of Tourism Research, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Journal of Travel Research, Tourism Management and Journal of Ecotourism. The results indicate that while some contributions to advance sustainability are emerging in leisure journals, there is a need for more explicit links between leisure and sustainability in the literature. The paper highlights areas where leisure research could be making stronger contributions to advance sustainability moving forward including questioning the relationship between leisure and sustainability, determining the level of sustainability of the leisure industry and proposing and monitoring new models and approaches to enhance sustainability.

“I am not too old to play” – The Past, Present and Future of 50 and Over Organized Sport Leagues

Abstract The ageing population in Canada is dramatically increasing. According to recent demographic projections, roughly 20 percent of Canada’s population will consist of people over the age 65 by 2024. Indeed, the senior population is expected to surpass that of children under the age of 14 by 2017. This growth of the senior cohort signals opportunities for individuals over the age of 50 to challenge stereotypes and embrace active living. Organized sport leagues are a means for seniors to not only embrace active living, but to also re-live and continue living the competitive sports that they played earlier in life. The increasing number of organized sport leagues for this cohort, including the active living philosophy embraced by baby boomers, will probably lead to an increased demand for more organized sport opportunities for this population group. The purpose of this paper is to provide a current state of condition of organized sport leagues for those 50 years of age and over. Specifically, the objective of this paper is to present the evolution of organized sport leagues for those 50 and over while also making suggestions for the future provision of such services. It is concluded that: a) more research is needed to better understand the trend of 50 and over sport leagues, b) municipal sport and recreation administrators should consider establishing more 50 and over sport leagues in their recreation program delivery systems, c) 50 and over sport leagues should better address the needs of specific population groups (e.g., women and ethnic groups), and d) awareness should be enhanced for potential entrepreneurial opportunities for the establishment of 50 and over sport leagues.

Institutional Type and Campus Recreation Department Staff as a Mediating Factor for Diversity/Multicultural Training

The main purpose of this study was to identify what factors restrict campus recreation departments from performing diversity/multicultural training. This study addressed the lack of research on diversity/multicultural training programs within campus recreation departments and examined the relationship between type of institution, department size, and the number and types of diversity/multicultural training programs offered in an academic year. Of the 210 campus recreation departments surveyed, 52% indicated they did not have enough time to give the necessary attention to diversity/multicultural training and any related strategies and initiatives. Of the 108 institutions that offer diversity/multicultural training, limited staff (47%), limited expertise/knowledge (46%), and other constraints (41%) hindered their ability to carry out effective diversity/multicultural training. By identifying diversity/multicultural training as a priority, campus recreation administrators could focus on what they are capable of providing given their department's staff, resources, budget, and knowledge of diversity/multicultural training programs.