Parents play a vital role in influencing their children's outdoor recreation participation. Families can enjoy nature and stay active in state parks, which provide abundant opportunities for outdoor recreation and education. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between parents' experiences with, and attitudes toward, outdoor…

Ecologists have long theorized about humans' psychological relationship to the natural world. The importance of feeling connected to nature is a theme in the writing of ecologists (Leopold, 1949; Orr, 1994; Roszak, 1995). They have argued that this connection to nature is a key component of fostering ecological behavior. In a meta-analysis of the…

Academic researchers dedicated to contributing to quality improvement in professional practice need to find more effective ways to bridge the gap between research and practice. Bridging the gap requires understanding what encourages the use of research findings by practitioners and what discourages it, as well as understanding how practitioners…

Service learning is becoming a more utilized method of instruction in collegiate settings, and holds the potential to provide a deeper, more transferable meaning of course material for students. The purpose of this research was to examine if therapeutic recreation (TR) concentration students perceived service learning to be more personally and…

Beyond the standard definitions found in the dictionary, words commonly used in the recreation field have subtle, yet powerful connotations of which senders and receivers of information may not be consciously aware. These words elicit different conscious and subconscious reactions that likely bear significant consequences for recreation agencies…

Identity research has focused primarily on outcomes associated with identity formation. Far less attention, however, has been given to understanding the facilitating contextual elements of this process. This qualitative study examined a context, a 2-week adventure recreation program for youth, quantitatively shown in previous research to have…

Authors in this paper present the design and implementation of daily routines in Slovenian kindergartens. Slovenian national document for preschool education, "Curriculum for Kindergartens" (1999), describes daily kindergarten activities (communication and interaction with and among children, use of compliment and reprehension, and rules…

The retention of racial minority students lies at the core of diversity efforts instituted by colleges and universities across the nation. Withstanding the changing racial demographics of the U.S. and the need to have qualified racial minority professionals serving diverse communities retention and matriculation heighten in importance. With the…

A survey was conducted of 140 city and country public recreation agencies in Kentucky to determine the programs offered for the aging. Of the 44 agencies responding to the questionnaire, only 47.7 percent offered programs especially designed for the senior adult. However, the other agencies indicated that there were programs in which the senior…

Intramural recreational sports directors from 117 universities were surveyed to obtain information about the status and trends in administration and activities of their intramural-recreational programs. Program personnel, administrative control, revenue sources, and activities are discussed. (DF)

The study examined relationships of 8 categories of leisure participation and enjoyment with 10 selected demographic variables. A Likert-type questionnaire was designed to ascertain the degree of participation and enjoyment in 89 activities. Results indicate that planners should consider the ethnic orientation of senior clubs in delivery of…

Students who do not have leisure skills, cannot manage leisure time, or are not aware that leisure can be psychologically rewarding are more likely to be bored during leisure. This study examined the impact of boredom on leisure of college students in relation to gender, level of education, and activity choice. Subjects at a Midwestern university…

A survey examined fear of crime among an elderly population as it related to leisure behavior and the use of public recreation facilities. Response to the survey showed that, although the elderly population was surprisingly mobile, reasons preventing respondents from using parks and senior centers included: lack of interest, fear of crime, health,…

A national survey of 500 postsecondary institutions was undertaken to assess the services, programs, and facilities accessible to handicapped students. Among findings were that 22% of those responding provided special physical education course(s) and that, of 31 colleges or universities listed as members of the Association on Handicapped Student…

Interspersed among the results of a five-state regional survey, conducted in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas, the authors offer guidelines for conducting a student activity program. (JW)