No. 1: Special Issue on Interpretation, Edited by Rosemary Black and Betty Weiler

Ham, S. & Weiler, B. (2004). Diffusion and adoption of thematic interpretation at an interpretive historic site. Annals of Leisure Research, 7(1),1-18.

Thematic interpretation has become a standard approach in both natural and cultural heritage interpretation programs and institutions across the world have begun the process of training their staff in the thematic approach. Depending on many factors, successful transition to this new way of thinking can be fast or slow, smooth or difficult. Using the recent experience of Sovereign Hill (a well-known outdoor museum in Victoria, Australia) as a case-study, this paper examines the diffusion and adoption of the thematic interpretive approach in order to explore the extent to which the process, from conception to adoption, is occurring at Sovereign Hill. At an organis­ational level, Sovereign Hill is seen as possessing an advantageous combination of factors that can facilitate and accelerate the adoption process, along with predictable barriers. Rogers' 'diffusion and adoption model' offers a useful conceptual framework for understanding how organisations like Sovereign Hill gradually embrace this new way of approaching interpretation. Implications for training and institutional adaptation are presented.

Markwell, K. (2004). Constructing, presenting and interpreting nature: A qualitative study of a nature-based tour to Malaysian Borneo, Annals of Leisure Research, 7(1), 19-33

This paper examines the ways in which the experience of nature is mediated via its construction, presentation and interpretation within the specific domain of tourism. It is argued that the concept of nature is characterised by ambiguity and contradiction, and that the understandings of, and meanings attached to, nature by tourists are not constant, fixed or homogenous. The data for the paper were derived from a study of a three-week nature-based tour to Malaysian Borneo, in which the author acted as tour leader. A range of complementary research methods was used, including participant and systematic observation, in-depth interviews and analysis of participants' diaries, photographs and postcards. These data shed light on the ways in which tourists experienced nature and, specifically, on the role of interpretation as a mediatory practice in their experiences.

Mayes, G., Dyer, P. & Richins, H. (2004). Dolphin-human interaction: Changing pro-environmental attitudes, beliefs, behaviours and intended actions of participants through management and interpretation programs. Annals of Leisure Research, 7(1), 34-53.

This paper reports on a comparison of the management and interpretation practices of two differing dolphin-human interaction sites in Queensland. The major objectives of the pilot study were to compare the management and dolphin-human interaction practices and to measure the post-experience effectiveness of the interpretation programs upon self-reported pro-environmental attitudes, beliefs, intended behaviours and intended actions of participants at the two sites. A further objective was to identify which interpretation practices were most effective in enhancing the intended pro-environmental behaviours and specific actions of the participants. A questionnaire based on the pro-environmental 'attitudes, beliefs, behaviours and actions' (ABBA) process, as presented in the paper, was administered to participants immediately after their dolphin-human interaction experience. Overall, visitors to both sites were very satisfied with their experience, but differences occurred between sites in individual satisfaction factors, visitor motivations and the degree to which participants perceived that their intended pro-environmental behaviours and actions were affected and/or enhanced. The effects upon pro-environmental attitudes and intentions were perceived to be directly related to the quality of the interpretation program offered.

Packer, J. & Ballantyne, R. (2004). Is educational leisure a contradiction in terms? Exploring the synergy of education and entertainment. Annals of Leisure Research, 7(1), 54-71.

Theoretical analysis highlights the complexity of the relationship between education and entertainment in educational leisure settings and indicates the need for research in this area. This paper contributes to developing an understanding of the connections between, and compatibility of, education and entertainment, from the perspective of visitors to educational leisure settings. Questionnaire data were collected from 499 visitors to six educational leisure settings in South-east Queensland and qualitative interviews were conducted with an additional 52 visitors. The data were analysed using three different methods: examination of visitors' own ratings of the extent to which education and entertainment are compatible; statistical examination of relationships between education and entertainment in visitors' goals, perceptions of the learning environment and learning experiences; and analysis of qualitative visitor interview responses. The findings support the proposition that education and entertainment are not only compatible, but synergistic, in the context of educational leisure settings. The importance of providing visitors with an experience that transcends both education and entertainment is discussed.

No. 2: Special issue on Disability

Stumbo, N., Martin, L. D. & Ogborne, V. (2004). Collective voices, shared wisdom: On the need for a professional association to represent therapeutic recreation in Australia. Annals of Leisure Research, 7(2), 85-94.

The purpose of this and the following paper is to make public the debate being conducted across Australia about the future direction of the professions of diversional therapy, and therapeutic recreation in particular. Are these leisure professions meant to co-exist in relative opposition or coalesce into a synergistic consolidation? This paper first explores the foundations of diversional therapy and therapeutic recreation and then examines the sociological study of professions as a backdrop to the current controversy which is concerned with whether the needs of the health care delivery service in Australia would be best served by a single profession or by multiple professions. Some of the many challenges that need to be addressed in the near future are noted.

Fullagar, S. & Darcy, S. (2004). Critical points against an Australasian therapeutic recreation association: Towards community leisure through enabling justice. Annals of Leisure Research, 7(2), 95-103.

The purpose of this paper is to articulate arguments against the establishment of a therapeutic recreation association in Australasia. We believe that this is an important debate as the outcomes will place people with disabilities in very different locations within leisure discourse. It is argued that the establishment of a therapeutic recreation association will reinforce medicalised conceptions of disability that dis­empower individual freedom for professional control. Such a course of action would fail to recognise the contemporary influences of social approaches to disability that seek to provide an enabling environment to empower people with disabilities to forge their own leisure identities. Further, the history and development of therapeutic recreation has cultural contexts that require careful examination from an Australasian perspective. The arguments presented are informed by contemporary ideas within leisure theory, disability studies, human rights approaches to marginalised groups and the broader citizenship literature.

Stumbo, N. & Pegg, S. (2004). Choices and challenges: Physical activity and people with disabilities. Annals of Leisure Research, 7(2), 104-126.

While it is widely known that physical activity is a prerequisite to maintaining good health, few Australians and Americans meet the recommended guidelines of 30 minutes of moderate activity per day, for five or more days per week. It is also widely accepted that, if individuals were to adhere to these guidelines, significant physical, social and psych­ological benefits would be achieved. The same two facts, although not as well researched as in the general population, are becoming more evident for people with disabilities. This article reviews concepts and statistics related to physical activity and people with disabilities in Australia and the United States, highlights the most crucial yet overlooked barriers to physical activity for people with disabilities and reviews considerations for physical activity programming for people with disabilities that have previously gone unrecognised by leisure service providers. The paper seeks to challenge leisure providers to create more and improved and inclusive physical activity programs and discusses various program considerations that would greatly enhance such services. It is argued that, if the health and well-being of individuals with disabilities is truly of concern and if this concern is to be reflected in practice, then leisure and recreation professionals will need to improve their programs in significant ways.

Taylor, R. & Taylor, C. (2004). Circus 'C': An innovative approach to leisure for people with disabilities. Annals of Leisure Research, 7(2), 127-142.

The concept of inclusivity is constantly discussed by a range of stakeholders from strategic to operational levels within arenas such as sport, tourism, the arts and leisure, often without any concrete understanding of the outcomes of such practices. The widest possible access to leisure for all likely participants is now the expectation by society at large and not just an ideal propounded by advocacy groups and people with disabilities. The challenge to operationalise these ideals into successful leisure programs is addressed in this paper through a case-study of a circus program that is creative, innovative and inclusive. The case study reports findings from a program designed for children with intellectual and/or mobility disabilities. It presents the use of circus as a leisure and learning program, developed in an education support unit. The program has had positive outcomes in a range of learning areas relating to cognitive, physical and affective attributes. These achievements include enhanced communication and physical skills, improved self-esteem and self-confidence and positive changes in behaviour patterns. Many of the skills developed relate to lifelong leisure skills learning. These findings are significant for people with disabilities, given the limited supply of leisure opportunities for this and other sectors of the community due to constraints in government, not-for-profit and commercial programs.

Stensrud, C. (2004). From special recreation to enabling recreation in New Zealand – KiwiAble case study. Annals of Leisure Research, 7(2), 143-156.

Based on the literature and interviews with key stakeholders, the first part of this article is a historical and policy analysis of the evolution of inclusive recreation services in North America and Australasia over the past three decades, particularly as it has related to people with disabilities. It draws on research from an ongoing project titled Making a World of Difference? Policy and Legislation Effecting Inclusive Recreation in New Zealand. The review notes that, throughout most of the period from the 1970s to the 1990s, inclusive recreation programs, under a variety titles, were primarily focussed on direct programming services addressing integration of program participants and their ability or lack of ability to negotiate intrinsic leisure constraints. When applied to people with a disability, this mode of inclusion reflected an individual­ised medical approach. More recently inclusive recreation theory and practice has begun to reflect alternative community development and social model approaches. The latter is a newer and relevant model which focuses attention on socially constructed disabling barriers and encompasses an organisation-wide and proactive planning approach to inclusion. The second part of the paper is a case-study of the 'KiwiAble' program adopted by the Leisure Unit of Christchurch City Council, New Zealand, which is presented as a best practice example of the social model in action and the development of a system-wide enabling approach to inclusive recreation in the community

No 3-4

Ravenscroft, N. & Curry, N. (2004). Constraints to participation in countryside recreation in England. Annals of Leisure Research, 7(3-4), 172-187.

This paper addresses the already substantial literature on constraints to participation in outdoor recreation, by offering a European perspective on what has largely been a North American debate and by grounding constraints within a participative rather than a predominantly non-participative framework. Using the findings from a telephone survey of nearly 2000 households in southern England, the paper argues that constraints have to be understood in the context of people's broader choices and existing patterns of participation. It is therefore argued that, rather than being universal, constraints to outdoor recreation are essentially conditional on people's ontological construction of the environ­ments in which they seek to undertake outdoor recreation. Thus, for a large proportion of respondents, nothing actually constrains their desired activity patterns, although factors such as a relative lack of time or money may be articulated as a defence for their position. For those who are able to identify constraints, most have concerns about the range and quality of the options available to them, or the quality of the experience that they are likely to have. To this extent, the paper demonstrates that the constructions of constraints developed in North America are relevant to the perceptions and experiences of those living in southern England.

Kibicho, W. (2004). A critical evaluation of how tourism influences the commercial sex - workers' operations in Malindi area, Kenya. Annals of Leisure Research, 7(3-4), 188-201.

This study uses a case study of the Malindi area in Kenya to critically examine the operations of female commercial sex workers. A survey of commercial sex workers identified several factors influencing respondents' decisions to work in the sex trade, including: unemployment; family problems; the need for supplementary income; and the prospect of pleasure and adventure. It was discovered that many of the commercial sex workers in Malindi organise their business through a welfare association which, although not formally recognised by the authorities, plays an important role in the social and professional life of its members. Commercial sex workers in Malindi can, therefore, be divided into 'organised' and 'unorganised' groups and this study concentrated on the former group. The study shows that tourism has significantly affected the lives of some sex workers in Malindi, since tourists form a significant proportion of their clients and some participate in pleasurable travel experiences with their clients, sometimes leading to marriage.

McCleave, J., Booth, K. & Espiner, S. (2004). Love thy neighbour? The relationship between Kahurangi National Park and the border communities of Karamea and Golden Bay, New Zealand. Annals of Leisure Research, 7(3-4), 202-221.

 The establishment of national parks can generate significant changes for the people living in and around these protected areas. This paper describes a qualitative study that investigated the nature of the people-park relationship for two rural New Zealand communities: Golden Bay and Karamea, near Kahurangi National Park. Data were collected through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 20 Karamea residents and 21 Golden Bay residents. Three dimensions of the people-park relationship were explored: 1. lifestyle, place attachment and recreation; 2. tourism; and 3. interactions with the national park management agency. Despite their relative proximity, important differences emerged between the two communities in terms of residents' relationships with the park, and their perceptions of the park's effects. These differences are discussed in the context of the primary people-park dimensions.

Grant, B. (2004). A new sense of self and a new lease of life: Leisure in a retirement village. Annals of Leisure Research, 7(3-4), 222-237.

As life expectancy increases society will face many unprecedented challenges. One of these will be housing tenure, for the type of home and community in which people live can have a direct impact on health and quality of life. In New Zealand, retirement village living is attracting considerable interest from an increasing proportion of the older population. The purpose of this paper is to consider how living in a retirement village influences the leisure experiences of 121 men and women, ranging in age from 69 to 91 years. Two themes that emerged from focus group discussions in 12 different villages were 'sense of belonging' and 'new lease of life'. The residents argued that the lifestyle within a retirement village provided a supportive and invigorating environment that resonated with their changing circumstances and offered a chance for self-contentment and self-fulfilment in a way that prompted a new lease of life.