Maria T. Allison

Breaking boundaries and barriers: Future directions in cross‐cultural research

Abstract The level and degree of understanding of the nature and meaning of leisure in the lives of blacks, native‐Americans, Hispanics, and other ethnic minority populations within the United States is lacking. Most research to date has utilized a social aggregate approach to the study of ethnic/racial differentiation; such research overlooks the dynamics and complexity of ethnicity within poly‐ethnic, pluralistic societies. The objectives of this article are: 1) to present an overview of the types of research which have been conducted among ethnic/racial populations within the U.S., 2) to discuss several ideological and theoretical assumptions which underlie such approaches, and 3) to present several alternative theoretical and methodological approaches which might prove more meaningful in attempts to understand the dynamics of cultural diversity.

Dyadic Exploration of the Relationship of Leisure Satisfaction, Leisure Time, and Gender to Relationship Satisfaction

Despite a substantial amount of leisure research, little is known about the leisure activity patterns and satisfaction of couples and their influence, if any, on relationship satisfaction. Further, satisfaction and leisure activity research has been limited to married dyads and has not included a range of romantic partners. Leisure research has focused primarily on individual data, and this impedes fully understanding the joint construction of leisure in a couple and its outcomes. The present research extends efforts by examining the perceptions of dyads in diverse relationships and their effect on their leisure and relationship satisfaction. The model in this study is that gender, joint leisure time, and individual leisure satisfaction affect the relationship satisfaction of both an individual and his or her partner: the partner effect model. Questionnaires self-administered to both members of romantic dyads obtained information on the variables of interest. Results indicated moderate participant leisure satisfaction and a near-significant relationship between gender and relationship satisfaction. However, the model that individual leisure satisfaction would influence both an individual and a partners relationship satisfaction was not supported by the data. Nonetheless, dyadic research remains a rich area for conceptual and methodological advancement, and therefore subsequent research suggestions are presented.Despite a substantial amount of leisure research, little is known about the leisure activity patterns and satisfaction of couples and their influence, if any, on relationship satisfaction. Further, satisfaction and leisure activity research has been limited to married dyads and has not included a range of romantic partners. Leisure research has focused primarily on individual data, and this impedes fully understanding the joint construction of leisure in a couple and its outcomes. The present research extends efforts by examining the perceptions of dyads in diverse relationships and their effect on their leisure and relationship satisfaction. The model in this study is that gender, joint leisure time, and individual leisure satisfaction affect the relationship satisfaction of both an individual and his or her partner: the partner effect model. Questionnaires self-administered to both members of romantic dyads obtained information on the variables of interest. Results indicated moderate participant leisure...

Race and Ethnicity in Leisure Behavior: Where Have We Been and Where Do We Need to Go?

Race and Ethnicity in Leisure Behavior: Where Have We Been and Where Do We Need to Go? Kimberly J. Shinew a , Monika Stodolska b , Myron Floyd c , Dan Hibbler d , Maria Allison e , Cassandra Johnson f & Carla Santos b a Department of Recreation, Sport, and Tourism , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Champaign, IL, USA b University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , USA c North Carolina State University , USA d DePaul University , USA e Arizona State University , USA f USDA Forest Service , USA Published online: 22 Sep 2006.

Nature of leisure activities among the Chinese‐American elderly

Abstract Despite the growing literature on the elderly population, there has been relatively little research on the nature of leisure among culturally diverse elderly populations. The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze the patterns and nature of leisure among a particular ethnic population, the Chinese‐American elderly. Qualitative techniques were used to identify the types of activities engaged in, the nature of those activities, and the reasons for continued participation among 25 Chinese‐American elderly residing in a large southwestern metropolitan community. Results indicated that these individuals, many of whom had lived in the United States for most of their adult lives, were involved in a wide range of leisure activities including tai chi, mah‐jongg, television watching, walking, reading, gardening, and sewing. Participants engaged in many of these activities for entertainment and personal development. These activities served educational and cultural functions as well. For example, ...

Organizational Barriers to Inclusion: Perspectives from the Recreation Professional

Recreation professionals continually strive to serve a host of diverse program constituents, while leisure researchers attempt to uncover barriers to leisure participation. Much of the barriers or constraints research has come from the perspective of program participants. This study identified, from the perspectives and experiences of 18 recreation professionals, the issues and barriers that they perceive inhibit recreation program access and availability to diverse constituents, particularly ethnic minority populations. Co-cultural theory, which integrates the concepts of muted group theory and standpoint theory, was utilized as the studys theoretical framework. In-depth interviews were utilized. Five primary barriers were identified that related to the changing faces of the community, the changing faces of management and staff, deferred program responsibility, language barriers, and negative attitudes and stereotypes held by some management and staff. This article demonstrates how these barriers impact leisure participation for disenfranchised groups. The findings suggest that recreation agencies, often unwittingly or unknowingly, foster organizational barriers that inhibit the perceived program accessibility or attractiveness to ethnic minorities. Implications for research and professional practice are explored.

Organizational barriers to diversity in the workplace.

The purpose of this study was to identify, from the perspectives and experiences of 18 professional women and people of color, how park and recreation agencies dealt with diversity issues and progr...

Optimal experience: Women, work, and flow

Paid work outside the home is becoming the norm for the majority of women in America. Men have traditionally devoted most of their energies to work and have derived from it the main support for their personal identities. How do women experience work? Are they also able to find productive activities in the workplace meaningful and rewarding, or does socialization into the feminine homemaker role prevent women from deriving the same kind of satisfaction from work that men occasionally get from their jobs? Despite the extensive research on the relationship between work and general quality of life (Spreitzer & Snyder 1974; Pryor & Reeves 1982), on job satisfaction (Wilensky 1960; Dubin, Champoux, & Porter 1975), and on leisure satisfaction (Kando & Summers 1971; Noe 1971; Neulinger & Raps 1972; Bacon 1975; Kabanoff 1980), few studies have incorporated working women in their sample. (For recent notable exceptions see Berk & Berk 1979; and Walshok 1979.) This neglect is particularly unfortunate in that 52.2% of all women and 54% of married women with young children now work outside the home. Participation in the labor force is increasingly required for economic survival (Hesse 1979; Walshok 1979; Mansfield 1982). Of all working women, 77% are now single, divorced, or are married to men with incomes under

Role Conflict and the High School Female Athlete

15,000 (Mansfield 1982). As these findings suggest, then, women now represent a major sector of the labor force.

The one-way mirror of leisure research: A need for cross-national social scientific perspectives

Abstract The primary purpose of this study was to assess perceived and experienced role conflict of high school female athletes in enacting the roles of female and female athlete. Data were collected on 133 high school varsity athletes by the use of a 33-item questionnaire designed to assess perceived and experienced role conflicts of the subjects, their socioeconomic backgrounds, and specific instances of encouragement or discouragement from significant others experienced during their athletic careers. Thirty-two percent of the subjects responded that they perceived little or no problem with role conflict, and 50% had experienced little or no role conflict. Seventeen percent of the subjects responded that they perceived role conflict to be a great or very great problem with 11% experiencing role conflict to the same degree. A chi square analysis of perceived and experienced role conflict computed for the entire group of subjects indicated that the athletes perceived greater role conflict than they had ex...

The attributional theory of achievement motivation: Cross-cultural considerations

The modernization of the world economy and information systems leads, presumably, to globalization in all areas, including leisure research. To explore this idea, the level of cross-national research published in leading leisure-science journals, including the Journal of Leisure Research , Leisure Sciences , and Leisure Studies was examined. F ollowing the dramatic shift toward globalization in the past 20 years, it was assumed leisure-science research would reflect an increase in cross-national research published. Using content analysis, 1352 published articles were reviewed and just 20 (1.5%) of these were cross-national. Reasons for this pattern are discussed, along with a call for scholars in the leisure sciences to shift toward a more international perspective.