Rowe, D. (2002).  Producing the crisis: the state of leisure studies. Annals of Leisure Research, 5, 1-13.

This article examines the common perception that the field of leisure studies is in a state of crisis. It reviews some recent millennial evaluations of the state of leisure studies and prescriptions for its development. It sceptically assesses the prevailing diagnoses of crisis and its causes and prescribed cures, especially those that seek to fix the object of leisure studies. It is argued that leisure studies practitioners have often not taken sufficient account of the wider historical and social conditions that produced the field in the first place, or of the institutional forces that, in changing, have re-fashioned leisure studies and problematised the work-leisure dialectic out of which the field of study was formed. The article concludes with a call for those who identify with leisure studies to be more self-reflexive about the conditions of their practice and to be less restrictive in their conception of what constitutes leisure, and leisure studies.

James, K., & Embrey, L. (2002). Adolescent girls' leisure: a conceptual framework highlighting factors that can affect girls' recreational choices,,  Annals of Leisure Research, 5, 14-26.

In Australia adolescent girls are less fit than boys, and this is a matter of some concern. This has also been found in American and Canadian studies. Although many adolescent girls engage in physically active recreation activities in public places, others choose more passive recreation in private spaces, which has implications for their health. This article shows how a conceptual framework can be useful to provide a pictorial representation of the relationships between factors that can affect girls' leisure choices and their potential outcomes. For example, prior to choosing to participate in a recreational activity, girls often weigh up the potential for ridicule of their physical appearance or athletic competence against the potential enjoyment of the activity. This paper contains a vignette to illustrate how the framework can work, followed by potential strategies to consolidate or challenge the framework, and how it could be used to develop strategies for change. This snapshot of girls' decision-making processes should be of use to recreation programmers, facility providers and education authorities. It can help to focus efforts to improve factors that increase girls' levels of participation in healthy physical activity and decrease those factors that inhibit participation.

Iwasaki, Y. (2002). Exploring leisure coping processes: roles of leisure activities and psychosocial functions of leisure coping. Annals of Leisure Research, 5, 27-50

The aim of this study was to explore detailed mechanisms by which the type of leisure activity and the psychosocial functions of 'leisure coping' jointly contribute to describing ways in which people manage stress and maintain good health through leisure activity. Path analysis of data from police and emergency response service workers suggests that frequency of participation in leisure activities, enjoyment of the experience and psychosocial functions of leisure conducive to coping with stress, both directly and indirectly influence immediate adaptive outcomes, such as coping effectiveness and stress reduction, and distal adaptive outcomes, that is mental and physical health. Some of these leisure variables also seem to act as mediators of the relationship between other leisure variables and adaptive outcomes.

Howat, G., Crilley, G., Mikilewicz, S., Edgecombe, S., March, H., Murray, D. &  Bell, B. (2002).  Service quality, customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions of Australian aquatic centre customers, 1999_2001. Annals of Leisure Research, 5, 51-64.

Improved service quality can help retain customers of leisure services and facilities and satisfied customers are more likely to recommend the service to other potential customers. Operators can use customer service quality and customer satisfaction data to assist in the continuous improvement of their operations. In particular, the collated data generated through research reported in this paper can be used for external benchmarking by operators of Australian aquatic centres. Data gathered from samples of Australian local government aquatic centre customers in 1999, 2000 and 2001 include customer use profiles and customer assessments of service quality, problem identification and resolution, satisfaction, and behavioural intentions. Service quality indicators highlight the priorities that different user groups place on such aspects of service as pool water cleanliness, staff responsiveness, value for money and instructors' experience and knowledge. Other comparative data include overall satisfaction levels, problem reporting, problem resolution and customer advocacy. The paper contributes to the growing literature on service quality in a diversity of leisure service contexts.

Greenaway, R. (2002). Measuring the significance of multi_use outdoor recreation resources: a comparative analysis of three sites in New Zealand. Annals of Leisure Research, 5, 65-79.

When recreation researchers are asked to identify the significance of a recreational resource they face the difficult task of assembling a wide range of data to guide what is inevitably a partly subjective assessment. Where that assessment influences planning decisions about resource development, the judgement as to whether a resource is, for example, 'nationally' or 'regionally' significant may be contentious and should be clearly justified. This paper reviews the findings of three visitor surveys in New Zealand, on the Hurunui River, Waitaki River and the Port Hills near Christchurch, and the use of a 'visitor profiling' exercise designed to assist in the assessment of resource significance. The 'visitor profiles' of each resource are compared using five indicators: loyalty, total loyalty, frequency, localness and alternatives. By helping to create an accessible image of the 'average' recreational visitor for a particular activity, the profiles have proved useful in assisting assessments of significance.