Revisiting the notion of cohesion in community sport: a qualitative study on the lived experiences of participants

Research has focused on the question if and how leisure can create social cohesion and can alleviate cultural segregation in divided community contexts. Community sport in particular is believed to create socio-cultural cohesiveness, as it aims at a sense of community, a task in which regular sports often seem to fail. However, the experiences of participants in relation to socio-cultural cohesiveness in community sport remain absent in the existing body of research. This article provides insights into those experiences, by drawing on a qualitative study in Flanders, Belgium. Based on the findings, we challenge the one-sided focus on socio-cultural cohesiveness to obtain a sense of community, as the perspectives of participants reveal that also political and economic dimensions of cohesion are relevant, next to socio-cultural dimensions. We argue that community cannot be reduced to socio-cultural cohesion, but should be understood from the intersection between cultural, economic and political dimensions of cohesion. Implications for practice, both in relation to community sport and the broader leisure field and further research are given.     

Health matters: the social impacts of street-involved youth’s participation in a structured leisure programme

In this ethnographically informed study, we used a Foucauldian approach to examine the social impacts of street-involved youth’s participation in a structured leisure programme. Our findings suggest that structured leisure activities help to facilitate social ties between the youth participants as well as the youth and programme staff/volunteers. Nevertheless, we found that structured leisure does not necessarily assist in the formation of relationships between street-involved youth and members of the mainstream community outside of the programme. We show how the ways the youth took up dominant discourses concerning street-involved youth and engaged with technologies of the self-influenced their social relationships and their ties to the community. These findings complicate our understanding of structured leisure’s potential benefits for street-involved youth.     

The impact of cultural orientation on perceived fairness over demand-based pricing

Revenue management practices are now being implemented by hotel firms on a global scale. This requires a finer understanding of how different cultures will relate to perceived unfairness that stems from the inequities inherent in demand-based pricing. In this context, individualism and collectivism as cultural constructs have been used extensively in cross-cultural research. These constructs are manifested with vertical and horizontal orientations that distinguish social patterns based on the acceptance of a hierarchy or conversely the preference over equality. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between vertical and horizontal orientations of individualism and collectivism with perceived price fairness over demand-based pricing. Findings indicate that vertical individualism has a significantly positive relationship with perceived price fairness. This can be attributed to the inherent acceptance of inequality in this cultural dimension combined with the emphasis of the individual over the collective unit. Marketing implications for lodging managers are discussed.     

Culture,Self-Construal,and Leisure Motivations

The purpose of this study is to examine Canadian and Mainland Chinese students' leisure by investigating the role self-construal plays as an intervening variable between culture and motivation. Separate hierarchical multiple regressions are performed on each motivation with culture entered first followed by a block composed of four types of self-construal: vertical collectivism (i.e., dutiful), horizontal collectivism (i.e., cooperative), horizontal individualism (i.e., unique), and vertical individualism (i.e., achievement oriented). Results suggest that: (a) higher levels of horizontal collectivism are associated with higher levels of introjected reward (i.e., pride), identified (i.e., personally important), integrated (self-identity), and intrinsic (i.e., interesting and enjoyable) motivations; and (b) higher levels of horizontal individualism are associated with higher levels of introjected reward, identified, and integrated motivations.     

Groundhopping: nostalgia,emotion and the small places of football

Groundhopping emerged in the 1980s as a primarily British social practice emanating from dissent with the capitalist structures of elite football and combining nostalgia, serious leisure, travel and collecting into a practice of regularly visiting small town football grounds. Most groundhoppers are middle-aged men, who value the atmosphere, architecture, camaraderie and sense of space of smaller venues. Groundhopping centres on travel, experiencing community, identity and the physical structures of grounds, thus invoking a sense of place and heritage in the ground and in its wider context. Greater social intimacy fosters and contributes to emotions centred on community, family, personal histories but also fetishised notions of the recent past.     

The relationships between the seriousness of leisure activities,social support and school adaptation among Asian international students in the U.S.

Although social support is a significant contributor of school adaptation, Asian international students tend to have a lack of social support. To build up social support, leisure engagement could be an effective way for Asian international students. In particular, taking leisure seriously may have important effects on Asian international students to build strong social networks and obtain a sense of belonging to help them adapt to school. A total of 190 Korean and Chinese international students were focused to explore the relationships between the seriousness of leisure activities, social support and school adaptation among Asian international students attending U.S. colleges/universities using structural equation modeling. While the model showed an acceptable model fit to the sample data, the results indicate that engaging in leisure seriously has a positive association with gaining social support from friends. Furthermore, social support from friends was not only a predictor of school adaptation but also acted as a mediator between the seriousness of leisure activities and school adaptation. We also found that the seriousness of leisure involvement maintained a direct effect on school adaptation. This study advocated the importance of serious leisure engagement in the lives of Asian international students adapting to college.     

The lived experience of London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games volunteers: a serious leisure perspective

Along with other sporting mega-events, the Olympic Games, in all its versions, makes extensive use of volunteers. The 70,000 London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic volunteers, for example, played a vital role in the delivery of the event. Stebbins’ theoretical perspective of serious leisure includes consideration of volunteering and there are calls for its further empirical evaluation. This study, therefore, uses a qualitative study of the lived experience of London 2012 volunteers to test the relevance of the serious leisure framework to Olympic volunteering. The data are drawn from the reflective diaries of 20 participants who volunteered in a variety of roles during London 2012. It is concluded that all of the qualities of serious leisure are identifiable to various extents within the experiences of the London 2012 volunteers. This finding will help Olympic and other sporting mega-event managers to understand and improve the experiences of their volunteers. Recommendations are also made, in the light of the findings, for the further refinement of the serious leisure perspective. Particular attention is paid to highlighting how the findings might contribute to recent debates around whether sporting mega-event volunteering is best explained by the serious leisure quality of career volunteering, or by the serious leisure associated concept of project-based leisure, or alternatively by the competing term of episodic volunteering.     

Culture As A Moderator Of The Relationship Between Service Quality And The Tourist'S Satisfaction With Different Distribution Channels

The present research analyzes the influence of culture on the relationship between each of the dimensions of service quality and tourists' satisfaction with the distribution channel, differentiating between travel agencies and the Internet. More specifically, the research seeks to understand the influence of the cultural dimensions of uncertainty avoidance and individualism/collectivism on the relationship between each of the dimensions of service quality and satisfaction, depending on the medium through which the service is purchased. The sample was made up of 600 tourists. Of these, 300 tourists (150 Spanish and 150 English) had purchased hotel accommodation for their last holiday via a travel agency, and the other 300 (150 Spanish and 150 English) had purchased hotel accommodation for their last holiday via the Internet. The findings indicate that there are variations in the relationships between each of the dimensions of service quality and satisfaction, and that these variations are shaped by the cultural dimensions of uncertainty avoidance and individualism/collectivism.     

The art of wasting time: sociability,friendship, community and holidays

Slow tourism is motivated by the desire for personal and communal well-being. It emerged as an antidote to the fast-paced imperatives of global capitalism that urge the entrepreneurial self to speed up and work harder to achieve and demonstrate desired social status. The entrepreneurial self can be understood in the contexts of neoliberalism and the class- and gender-based histories of time-thrift and rational recreation; the entrepreneurial self uses leisure time purposively in the pursuit of status, avoids idle pursuits and has restricted capacity to experience leisurely social relationships. In this article, it is argued that leisurely social relations can be reclaimed by letting go, even temporarily, of time-thrift and the compulsion to use leisure time purposively. Data drawn from in-depth interviews with repeat visitors at two Australian caravan parks revealed that for the period of their holiday the tourists relax, refuse to be driven by schedules, socialise with other tourists and feel no compulsion to use time purposively. The key reasons the tourists return to the parks each year were for the friendships and the sense of community they experience as part of the holiday. Slow tourism by its very nature rejects time-thrift, however, as the movement is harnessed by global capitalism, slow tourism risks becoming a source of conspicuous consumption. The findings of this study suggest that friendship and community thrive more readily in conditions where the need to achieve and demonstrate social status is discarded along with time-thrift.     

Regionalism in Tourism-The Case for Kenya and Ethiopia

Abstract

To understand the behavior of tourists from different cultures, a cross-cultural study was conducted to examine Japanese and American college students' travel preferences. A psychographic approach based on value orientations was used to understand the relationship between travel preferences and students' cultural tendencies of horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism. The study confirmed previous findings that Japanese and American college students have different cultural tendencies and travel preferences. In addition, horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism significantly correlated with several travel preferences among Japanese and American college students.     

Family Leisure Functioning: A Cross-National Study

The purpose of this study was to, first, determine whether positive relationships between family leisure (involvement and satisfaction) and family outcomes (cohesion, adaptability, family functioning, and satisfaction with family life) were present in a multinational sample, and second, determine whether the core and balance model could provide a consistent framework for between country comparisons of relationships between family leisure and family outcome variables cross nationally. Families were recruited from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Data were analyzed using blocked multiple regression models, and generalized linear models to compare relationships across countries. Overall, findings indicated positive relationships between family leisure and family outcomes were consistent across all five countries. Some differences in relationship strength, not directionality, occurred primarily in family leisure involvement rather than family leisure satisfaction.     

Exploring the relationship between types of leisure activities and acculturation among Korean immigrants

Research has suggested that leisure engagement facilitates acculturation among immigrants. A dearth of information exists about which types of leisure activities are associated with acculturation among immigrants. This study focused on 434 Korean immigrants in order to determine what types of leisure activities were associated with behavioural acculturation (e.g. language usage and social context) and cultural value acculturation (e.g. collectivism, self-control and success). The results showed that participation in hobbies and indoor activities were the positive predictors of behavioural acculturation, while engagement in cultural and volunteer activities was the negative predictors of behavioural acculturation. In addition, cultural value acculturation had a positive association with social activity engagement, but had a negative association with participation in physical, cultural and volunteering activities. Overall, these findings indicated that engaging in leisure activities is positively associated with acculturation. This study suggests that leisure engagement can be beneficial in the successful acculturation process of the Korean immigrant in Western society.     

The Essential Role of Sense of Community in a Youth Sport Program

This multiphased study identifies the salient benefits that parents seek for their families from a youth sport program. Phase 1, a preseason focus group study of parents of swimmers in three clubs (N = 15), indicated parents seek a sense of community for their children and themselves, and sense of community is linked to their desire for children to learn sport and life skills. Phase 2, a postseason survey of parents in the same three clubs (N = 129), tested the relationships among coaching quality, friendships, organizational communication, sport and life skills, sense of community, parents' satisfaction, and their repeat purchase intention. Using path analysis, sense of community was identified as the key driver of satisfaction and repeat purchase intention, with swimming improvement also having a significant effect on satisfaction. These findings highlight the central role sense of community plays for participants and their families in youth sport contexts.     

Use of Leisure Facilities and Wellbeing of Adult Caregivers

The current research examines leisure facility use as a moderator of the negative association of caregiving demands with wellbeing among informal caregivers. In accordance with the leisure constraints model, the study also explores the role of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural factors that may constrain or facilitate caregivers' use of leisure infrastructure. Data were collected as part of a survey conducted by the Canadian Index of Wellbeing in three communities. Results showed that greater use of leisure facilities buffered the association of greater hours of care with lower levels of mental and physical wellbeing for informal caregivers. Attitudes toward leisure, sense of community, and facility accessibility all positively predicted caregivers' use of leisure facilities. The results suggest that leisure infrastructure plays an important role in supporting wellbeing among caregivers and identify three types of constraints to consider when supporting caregivers' use of leisure facilities in their communities.     

Serious Leisure,Life Satisfaction,and Health of Older Adults

This study explored the relationships among serious leisure, life satisfaction, and health. The study sample consisted of 454 older adults from two annual events: the 2008 Indiana Senior Olympic Games and 2008 Colorado Senior Olympic Games. Cluster analysis was used to identify distinct groups based upon patterns of serious leisure involvement. In addition, relations among life satisfaction, health, and membership in serious leisure clusters were documented. This analysis resulted in three clusters, and they were named high/medium/low involvement groups. A one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was employed to determine cluster differences in life satisfaction, physical health, and mental health. MANOVA results revealed significant differences among the clusters on dependent variables. The findings document significant heterogeneity in the expression of serious leisure involvement among the Senior Games participants. The results also suggest that there are positive relationships between level of involvement in serious leisure and life satisfaction and health.     

Purposive Leisure: Examining Parental Discourses on Family Activities

Current social psychological definitions of leisure may not adequately capture or describe family leisure. This study used discourse analysis to explore the meanings of family leisure as revealed by parents of preteen children (aged 10-12 years). The data came from a study of 31 families (23 two-parent families and 8 one-parent families) living in Ontario, Canada. Thirty mothers and 23 fathers were interviewed about their family leisure activities, experiences, attitudes, and beliefs about family participation. Analysis showed that family participation was highly valued by all of the parents. However, rather than being freely chosen or intrinsically motivated, family leisure was purposive in that it was organized and facilitated by parents in order to achieve particular short- and long-term goals. One set of goals related to family functioning, including enhanced family communication and cohesion, and a strong sense of family. Another set of goals related to the beneficial outcomes of family activities for children, including learning about healthy lifestyles as well as learning moral values. It is argued that the purposive nature of this form of leisure practice reflects current ideologies about motherhood, fatherhood, and the family in North American society.     

Becoming a belly dancer: gender,the life course and the beginnings of a serious leisure career

Serious leisure careers have a beginning, middle and end, yet few studies examine the beginning stage of leisure careers dominated by women. Drawing from interviews with male and female belly dancers in the USA, this study examines how people join serious leisure activities. Results show that both men and women were interested in dance, arts and history, had personal ties to belly dance, and wanted an enjoyable form of exercise to match their capabilities when they entered the world of belly dance. Unlike men, the women in this study also experienced major life transitions, such as diminishing familial responsibilities, job and school issues, moving and shifting relationships. These findings have implications for the gendered nature of serious leisure.     

Investigating customer loyalty formation for wellness spa: Individualism vs. collectivism

Visitor retention is undeniably a major issue for every destination marketer. This study was an attempt to develop an international tourists’ loyalty framework for wellness spa tourism destination by considering quality and value of spa tourism in Thailand, affect, satisfaction, desire, and culture. Our proposed framework and hypothesized relationships were evaluated by using a structural analysis. A field survey was used. Results indicated that our conceptual model included a satisfactory fit to the data. Quality and value were found to have a critical role, and other study constructs were identified to act as direct/indirect driving forces of loyalty intentions. In addition, mediating role of affect, satisfaction, and desire was found. Moreover, moderating impact of culture (individualism vs. collectivism) on the loyalty formation was identified. Overall, our theoretical framework was demonstrated to be capable of explicating wellness spa tourists’ destination loyalty formation. Implications for destination marketers in Thailand are discussed.     

Lifelong learning as serious leisure: policy,practice and potential

This paper seeks to examine the extent to which post-compulsory education can be viewed as a serious leisure activity. Such links between the fields of leisure studies and adult education have yet to be fully explored, especially from a UK perspective. Although Stebbins (1998) has explored the concept of learning serious leisure through adult education, the concept of adult education as serious leisure has yet to be examined. Since 1995 successive UK Governments have engaged in high profile policy initiatives to encourage ‘lifelong learning’, a somewhat controversial concept which has attracted criticism as well as a significant bandwagon. The principal impetus behind the policy is the perceived need to skill the workforce so that industry can operate in an increasingly competitive global market. Emphasized to a much lesser extent, however, is the wish to create a ‘learning society’ in which continual learning, (including that for non-vocational purposes) becomes integral within society, with a subsequent enhancement of social capital. It is argued that it is through learning as ‘serious leisure’, rather than as vocationally oriented that will be most appropriate for such a policy. In this paper the authors have sought to concentrate on this non-vocational dimension of lifelong learning and to explore the links between the concept of serious leisure and lifelong learning. The paper then draws upon literature from the fields of leisure studies and education policy to examine the implications of ‘lifelong learning as leisure’ for the individual, the community and society as a whole.     

Visitor centre staffing: Involving volunteers

Volunteer involvement in visitor centres has received little attention by tourism researchers despite the critical role staff play in welcoming tourists to a destination and promoting tourism activities. The community function of visitor centres - of which volunteering is part - has also been underplayed in previous research. Using data from a survey and interviews with visitor centre managers in Australia, this paper investigates the rationales for staffing visitor centres with volunteers and/or paid employees and, related to motivations for volunteering, the factors influencing the attractiveness of visitor centre volunteer programmes. The dominant rationales for involving volunteers are need, community involvement, visitor experience, and the personal qualities and motivations of volunteers. Visitor centre volunteering is attractive because of location and local pride, interactions with tourists and social relationships with other volunteers, and the reputation of the visitor centre and its volunteer programme.