Background/Purpose: Several studies examined the impact and benefits resulting from involvement in campus recreation (i.e. Artinger, et al., 2006; Beggs, et al., 2005; Ellis, et al., 2002; Watson et al, 2006; Zizzi et al, 2004). The purposes of this study were to examine students' involvement in campus recreation activities at the new recreation center and to explore various aspects of student recruitment and retention through campus recreation.
Method: The modified Salant and Dillman (1994) “four-mailing basic survey procedure” was used. A total of 138 (males = 58, females = 80) participants took part in this study. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to identify the factors affecting students' decision on participation in campus recreation and university enrolment.
Analysis/Results: Ten factors were retrieved with eigenvalues equal to or greater than 1.0. However, seven items were eliminated because they did not contribute to a simple factor structure or without cross-loading of .4 or above. Thirteen items were eliminated because they did not contribute to the theoretical construct. Consequently, four factors with 27 items were retained (i.e. Retention and Recruitment, Facilities, Programming and Social). The Cronbach Alpha Coefficients for each factor ranged from .85 to .95. The overall Cronbach Alpha Coefficient was .94 which indicated that the questionnaire was internally consistent and reliable.
Conclusions: The finding revealed that involvement in campus recreation would lead to the establishment of relationships with peers and others and an attachment to the university which could be an effective retention and recruitment strategy.
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