Scheduled for Research Consortium Leisure & Recreation and Sport Management & Administration Poster Session, Thursday, April 14, 2005, 3:45 PM - 5:15 PM, Convention Center: Exhibit Hall Poster Area I


A Comparison of Faculty and Staff Leisure Constraint Differences in Campus Recreation Services (Leisure & Recreation)

Amy Hurd, Illinois State University, Normal, IL and Scott A. Forrester, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada

Most college and university campuses offer recreation services in the form of intramurals, club sports, fitness, and special events. Although most think of campus recreation as being for students, faculty and staff pose a potential market, and gaining a better understanding of the constraints faced by this group is essential to improving programming and marketing. The purpose of this study was to examine staff and faculty structural, intrapersonal, and interpersonal constraints to participating in campus recreation services using the Hierarchical Model of Leisure Constraints. This model defines intrapersonal constraints as things affecting an individual's preference for an activity such as a lack of skill. Interpersonal constraints result from relationships with others such as a lack of friends to participate with, and structural constraints intervene between leisure preference and participation such as lack of knowledge. A survey was mailed to 1,000 faculty and staff members at a large comprehensive university in North America. There were 424 (42.4%) usable surveys returned. The results indicated there were significant differences in terms of interpersonal and structural constraints but not intrapersonal constraints. It was found that faculty who exercised less than once per week reported significantly higher levels of interpersonal constraints than faculty who exercised 2 times per week and 3 times per week. Also, staff who exercised two times per week reported significantly higher levels of interpersonal constraints than those who exercised 3 times per week. In terms of structural constraints those who exercised less than once per week reported significantly higher levels of structural constraints than those who exercised 3 times or more per week. Also, those who exercised twice per week reported significantly higher levels of structural constraints compared to those who exercised 4 times or more per week. Overall the results of this study show that increasing the number of times per week people exercise and increasing knowledge of available programs may help reduce interpersonal and structural constraints. Searle and Jackson argued that developing a better understanding of leisure constraints can contribute to leisure service delivery at four distinct levels: (1) programming philosophy development, (2) policy development, (3) specific programming strategies, and (4) marketing. Understanding the constraints faced by faculty and staff allows the programmer to adapt these 4 elements in their programming in order to better enable this population to negotiate constraints therefore increasing participation in campus recreation services.
Keyword(s): intramurals, recreation programming, sport management

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