No. 1: Special Issue: Papers from the 2004 World Leisure Congress

Dionigi, R. (2005). A leisure pursuit that 'goes against the grain': Older people and competitive sport. Annals of Leisure Research, 8(1), 1-22.

Although today's older generation are encouraged to be physically active, society does not recognise 'serious competition' in physically demanding sport as an 'age-appropriate' leisure activity for them. It is generally assumed that older people partake in sport to have fun, make friends and keep fit. Older people competing in sport to win, achieve a personal best, break world records or push their bodies to their limits resist the 'friendship, fun and fitness' philosophy that is used to legitimise their participation. This paper discusses research involving in-depth interviews with 28 older Australian Masters Games athletes aged 60–89 years. The participants' stories were analysed using coding, constant comparative and thematic analyses. The voices of these older athletes are presented within a poststructural framework, which shows that, despite age-appropriate norms, competition is significant to many of them. This finding exposes alternative ways of understanding leisure behaviour in later life and raises questions about orthodoxies of sport and ageing in Western society. The research also points to potential applications of these findings to the provision of leisure services for older people.

Fabiansson, C. (2005). Youths' leisure milieus in rural settings – gender equality in utilisation of leisure opportunities. Annals of Leisure Research, 8(1), 23-37.

Physical leisure and sports activities are extensively promoted to encourage healthy living and wellbeing among young people. This paper explores the everyday recreational activities of Australian rural youth and their involvement in community events, both as beneficiaries of what the community has to offer in sports and leisure pursuits and as active participants influencing the community's youth agenda. A survey was undertaken in 2003, of 751 school-age youths in two Australian rural communities.  The research elucidated youths' leisure activities, utilisation of available community activities, social cohesion and social network systems. Utilisation of leisure facilities, preferences for leisure activities and retention rates within the chosen leisure activity, all showed significant gender differences.

James, K., Hsu, Y., Redmond, J., & Hope, P. (2005). Cultural differences in physical activity of adolescents: Australia and Taiwan. Annals of Leisure Research, 8(1), 38-53.

This study explores the levels of participation and enjoyment in physical activity in adolescents from two different cultures, Australia and Taiwan, replicating an earlier Australian study. A combined sample of 853 Australian and Taiwanese adolescent high-school students aged 15–16 years completed a questionnaire on physical activity. Australian students reported a higher level of participation and of enjoyment in physical activity, with boys scoring significantly higher than girls in both countries. The paper considers the links between academic achievement and physical activity which have been established by researchers within different cultures. It is concluded that these links require further research both in Australia and Taiwan in order to optimise the balance in adolescents' lives within their respective cultural frameworks.

Young, I. (2005). Recreating the workplace: Leisure, lifestyle and work-life balance for micro-business accommodation operators. Annals of Leisure Research, 8(1), 54-67.

No. 2 - 3

Brown, P. & Warner-Smith, P. (2005) The Taylorisation of family time: An effective strategy in the struggle to 'manage' work and life? Annals of Leisure Research, 8(2-3), 75-90.

Research suggests that perceptions of time pressure are increasing and are particularly acute in households where both parents combine paid work with household and caring respons­ibilities. What specific strategies do working parents use to 'manage' the three-way juggling act of 'his' job, 'her' job, and family responsibilities, while still finding time for leisure and civic contribution?  This question was addressed in a series of focus groups conducted in New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland in 2003/2004 that are part of a larger study investigating issues of work/life balance among parents in dual-earner households in Australia. In reviewing the range of strategies used to 'manage' competing demands on parental and family time, our data lend support to Arlie Hochschild's observation in The Time Bind that family time has taken on an 'industrial tone', is succumbing to 'a cult of efficiency previously associated with the workplace', and is linked to Taylor's idea of scientific management.

Condon, S. (2005). Sole mothers … sleep, control  and leisure. Annals of Leisure Research, 8(2-3), 91-104.

This paper investigates the interrelatedness of sleep and leisure for sole mothers. Data were drawn from a small qualitative study of sole mothers and their work/life balance. For these sole mothers, leisure was experienced as sleep (sleep-ins and naps) and through accessing 'me' time when the children were asleep. Although such leisure time was highly valued by the women, their access to this time could be denied by their children's disrupted sleep. Sleep was experienced as a contested leisure space. Managing children's pre-sleep and bedtime routines provided the space for women to experience time for themselves. Much of the research to date has viewed sleep as a biological function: the interrelatedness of sleep and leisure for the sole mothers in this study suggests further research needs to be conducted into the multifaceted role sleep plays in the health and wellbeing of mothers and their families.

Schänzel, H.A., Smith, K.A., & Weaver, A. (2005). Family holidays: A research review and application to New Zealand. Annals of Leisure Research, 8(2-3), 105-123.

Holidays with children have largely been marginalised in research that examines leisure travel. This paper is a critical review of the available literature and presents a summary of themes relevant for the study of family holidays. Most tourism work is market-driven and from an adult perspective, with children treated as passive members of the family. Neglected areas include the social and cultural dimensions of the family holiday experience, such as social interactions and relationships, and the tangible and intangible benefits of holidays for family members. This discussion is contextualised within the current trends and issues relating to families in New Zealand. A research agenda is proposed that seeks to address the gaps in the tourism and travel literature, and particularly the need to lend a voice to children themselves, and recognise the experiences of all family members.

Sibson, R. (2005). BBQs and beers, or cappuccinos? Globalisation, field hockey and social change. Annals of Leisure Research, 8(2-3), 124-141.

Since the early 1990s, there has been a steady growth in discussions about sport under the rubric of globalisation. Not surprisingly though, different interpretations exist in regard to the globalisation-sport connection. Significantly, scholars have argued that global trends must be examined alongside the cultural contingencies of specific localities. Using a case study of field hockey in Newcastle, Australia, this paper examines the impact that global processes have had upon the consumption and management of 'local' grassroots sport. It is argued that the introduction of synthetic turf playing surfaces has effectively compelled local hockey associations to establish new facilities, and that this development has contributed to a loss of many of the sport's social aspects, and also to notions of club commitment. Conversely, this development has provided both players and spectators with a centralised facility incorporating undercover viewing areas and an all-weather surface, and, for many participants, playing hockey at a 'professional' standard facility is now more important than the potentially negative impacts of this change.

Soupourmas, F., Ironmonger, D., Brown, P., & Warner-Smith, P. (2005). Testing the practicality of a personal digital assistant questionnaire versus a beeper and booklet questionnaire in a random-time experience-sampling method context. Annals of Leisure Research, 8(2-3), 142-152.

The Random-Time Experience-Sampling  (RTES) method has been used to examine people's subjective experience of time in particular activity contexts as they are experiencing particular events at random times throughout the day. The method involves a signalling device that cues respondents (at random intervals) to evaluate and report their activities for up to 70 moments of time during a week. While many empirical studies have used electronic pagers or 'beepers' to signal respondents, advances in information technologies have led to the increasing use of computerised platforms in Experience Sampling Method (ESM) research. This paper reports on a pilot study to examine respondent reactions and ability to complete a time use survey using two different reporting methods. Each respondent was asked to complete a time diary at random times of the day using: 1. a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) (for three days); and 2. a Beeper and Booklet (B&B) (for four days). PDAs are handheld computers. The researchers loaded the PDAs with specialised survey software for participants to electronically report time use experiences in response to signals from the PDA. The B&B method required respondents to report their time use experiences in a survey booklet when signalled at random times by a purpose-built electronic beeper. Based on positive respondent feedback on the merits of the PDA platform and the ability to download responses directly from the PDAs, a full-scale RTES study of parents in dual-earner households will use this method to gather data about work-life tensions, leisure and wellbeing in future years.

Stolk, P., Markwell, K., & Jenkins, J. (2005). Perceptions of artificial reefs as scuba diving resources: A study of Australian recreational scuba divers. Annals of Leisure Research, 8(2-3), 153-173.

Marine-based recreation and tourism activities have experienced substantial growth over the past few decades and concerns about the ecological sustainability of many of these activities have been recognised by researchers, policy-makers and the recreation and tourism industries. One strategy to deal with diver-induced impacts is the creation of new or artificial reefs which, when established, can become substitute dive sites for more naturally occurring reefs. However, there have been very few studies into the acceptability of these substitute reef environments to divers and the social aspects of diving on artificial reefs. This paper explores the perceptions of diving on artificial reefs through a questionnaire survey of a sample of 337 Australian scuba divers. The awareness of artificial reefs as dive sites among respondents was very high, as were the levels of satisfaction with diving on such sites. Many divers recognised the value of these reefs in reducing diver impacts on natural reefs, and the study shows that artificial reefs do hold considerable attraction to divers. It is concluded that artificial reefs have significant potential for broadening the scuba diving resource base and the range of experiences available, and for simultaneously reducing visitor impacts and pressures on natural reefs.

Straker, J. (2005). Freedom of the hills: An exploration of the nature of freedom as it is experienced in outdoor environments. Annals of Leisure Research, 8(2-3), 174-187.

This research explores the subtleties of freedom and the drives of people to experience freedom in the outdoors. There are many occasions when the term 'freedom' is used by individuals to explain their attraction to outdoor experiences, but freedom in this context has not received a lot of examination. Recollections of freedom were gathered from people who have a professional involvement in the outdoors as writers, photographers, professional adventurers, instructors and teachers, and stories of mountaineering from the New Zealand Alpine Club Journal were read to gather background material on the culture of mountaineering and how the meaning of 'freedom of the hills' has been constructed. The research is based on Peile's  ecological paradigm which has five main themes: holism; complexity; participatory involvement; being; and creativity. These themes underpin the ontological and epistemological foundations of the research and also provide the framework for describing the experiences of freedom.

Tsai, E. H., & Coleman, D.J. (2005). An application of the theory of planned behaviour to active recreation participation: Cultural and gender differences. Annals of Leisure Research, 8(2-3), 188-205.

The theory of planned behaviour was adopted as the theoretical framework to examine factors that underpinned participation in regular active recreation in Australia and Hong Kong. The study samples comprised 991 Australian and 892 Hong Kong undergraduate university students. Structural equation modelling was used to test the theory. The hypothesised model fitted both the Australian and Hong Kong data satisfactorily. For both cultural groups, a positive attitude towards active recreation was the strongest predictor of participation intention. Perceived behavioural control was also a significant predictor, whereas subject norm failed to predict participation intention. As expected, participation intention was positively associated with regular participation for both groups. However, perceived behavioural control had a weak direct influence on participation for Hong Kong but not for Australian students. The application of the model separately to Australian men and women and Hong Kong men and women found similar relationships between the constructs for the gender groups.