Monster mines,dugouts, and abandoned villages: a composite narrative of Burra’s heritage

In a bid to join recent efforts to develop innovative approaches to heritage, this article argues that adopting a collaborative mode of inquiry is a useful way of coming to terms with the plurality of ways heritage landscapes are enlivened by their visitors. It also points to some of the advantages of incorporating researchers’ personal experiences into academic research. With a focus on the Burra Heritage Trail in South Australia (geared around the Burra Heritage Passport), the article brings together four sets of research experiences, each informed by different (though cognisant) disciplinary backgrounds: art history, anthropology, heritage studies, and tourism planning. The result is a form of experimental autoethnographic writing in which four voices reflect upon their embodied, sensuous, and mobile experiences as ‘tourist’ moving through the same places, thereby offering multiple ways of knowing and telling about a single setting.     

Place attachment,recreational activities,and travel intent under changing climate conditions

Globally, climate is changing and will likely alter where and when visitors decide to travel. This study looks at how visitors’ attachment to Mount Desert Island (MDI), Maine, affects their intended future visitation under changing climate conditions. Additionally, this research explores the relationship between recreational activities visitors participate in and their attachment to the destination. Visitors were identified on-site and asked to complete an online survey (n = 416). Segmentation analysis was used to group visitors by their level of attachment to the destination: high (27%), medium (49%), and low (24%). Results indicated that those with a high level of place attachment participated in more recreational activities during their trip, although only some activities elicited significant differences. Additionally, those with high attachment said they were less likely to be deterred from visiting MDI in the future under potentially negative changing environmental conditions. Results indicate that under changing conditions, visitors’ place attachment influences future visitation intent. It is easier to retain visitors than attract new ones, so destinations (including gateway communities) would benefit from developing strategies that enhances visitor place attachment to capitalize on repeat visitation and increase long-term economic sustainability.     

The role of voluntary sport organisations in leveraging the London 2012 sport participation legacy

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to understand the perceptions of national Voluntary Sport Organisations (VSOs) managers towards a mega sports event and identify the components they felt enhanced or inhibited their organisations capacity to implement a sport participation legacy. London 2012 was the first Olympic Games to explicitly attempt to deliver this type of legacy, and an exploratory, online mixed-method survey examined the perceptions of 105 senior managers from 37 VSOs, post-event. Principal Component Analysis identified four distinct factors: ‘objectives, standards & resources’, ‘event capitalisation & opportunities’, ‘monitoring & evaluation’ and ‘club engagement & implementation’, explaining 51.5% of the variance. Also, relevant organisational characteristics such as sport type, funding and sport size were examined to investigate the influence this had on their capacity. From these findings, the main recommendations are that future mega sport event hosts should: 1) Engage and consult with multiple stakeholders to engender sustained sport participation. 2) Set clear and monitorable objectives. 3) Establish funding and support mechanisms relevant to each sport. 4) Engage non-competing sports in the leveraging process. 5) Finally, event organisers should try to ensure personnel consistency.     

The program-length commercial: A study of the effects of television/toy tie-ins on imaginative play

A study was done examining the impact of toy-based television programs and program-related toys on children. One hundred and ten first- and second-grade children participated in an experiment which focused on imaginative play. The results indicated that, in general, the combination of watching a toy-based cartoon, followed by playing with a set of cartoon-related toys, produced stories that were more imitative of the immediately preceding experience, whereas watching the cartoon alone or playing with the cartoon-related toys alone led to more imaginative productions from other sources. However, for certain aspects of imagination at a more advanced cognitive level, the cartoon, especially when combined with cartoon-related toys, actually stimulated the imaginative processes of the younger children, thus serving as a learning tool at a transitional stage of cognitive development.     

What goes up must come down: an evaluation of a zoo conservation-education program for balloon litter on visitor understanding,attitudes, and behaviour

Abstract

Balloons used outdoors can fly away, posing ingestion and entanglement hazards to wildlife. “When Balloons Fly” (WBF) conservation-education program seeks to educate zoo visitors about these threats and encourage the use of wildlife-friendly bubbles at outdoor events. We examined the effect of WBF on visitor knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours (intentions and actions) over 6?months (N?=?624). We compared outcomes among visitors who viewed a presentation and exhibit, to viewing the exhibit-only, and investigated the priming influence of completing a survey before entering the exhibit (pre-survey). Visitors had greater depth of understanding about the impact of balloons immediately following the visit, but post-visit message recall was low. General Linear Models revealed that over 6?months WBF significantly (p < .05) influenced positive attitudes concerning balloon use, increased likelihood to use bubbles, and reduced likelihood to use balloons. Completion of a pre-survey significantly influenced positive attitudes and reduced likelihood to use balloons. WBF is promoting conservation behaviour, with two-thirds of the follow-up sample reporting that behaviours they changed while hosting or attending an outdoor event since their visit were influenced by the zoo experience. Future work can investigate materials that might mimic a priming effect (e.g., worksheets).     

How does qualitative data collection modality affect disclosure of sensitive information and participant experience? Findings from a quasi-experimental study

Quality & Quantity - Focus groups (FGs) and individual interviews (IDIs) can be conducted in-person or in several different online contexts. We conducted a quasi-experimental study and assessed...     

Risk and crisis communication narratives in response to rapidly emerging diseases

The uncertainty inherent in crises can create a narrative space that is often filled by multiple interpretations about both what is happening and what steps should be taken to resolve the crisis. As more information becomes known, these competing crisis narratives gradually merge into a dominant narrative about the crisis, lessons learned from it, and recommendations for the future. This case study examines the swine industry’s response to the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) outbreak. The virus spread rapidly throughout the industry and, in a matter of months, had killed approximately 10% of the U.S. swine population. This analysis examines the crisis communication that ensued during that time. More specifically, 13 specialists representing the National Pork Board, American Association of Swine Veterinarians, veterinarians highly active in treating PEDv, university extension agents, and academic researchers were interviewed for this study. A narrative analysis of the interview content revealed that communication efforts made by swine industry leaders successfully shifted the PEDv story from that of competing narratives to a dominant narrative that helped resolve the crisis efficiently. This success is attributed, in part, to effective use of all available industry resources for both conducting research and sharing information rapidly through pre-established communication networks and widely read resources. Results of this narrative analysis reveal a key recommendation that maybe generalizable to similar crisis events. That is, an effective crisis narrative should focus not only on what protective actions to take, but also on a clear explanation regarding the nature of the crisis. Moreover, such explanations must be translated intelligibly to diverse non-scientific publics and provide a compelling rationale for why the recommended actions are vital.