Thesis
Get them back in the game: constraints to participation in collegiate intramural sports
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
05/2016
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/103537
Abstract
Intramural sport programs are common on college campuses and are often the largest program under the campus recreation umbrella. Over the past couple decades studies have revealed the benefits of participation in intramural sports, yet a common problem for many programs today is a decline in participation numbers, especially among the female demographic. Research has continued to present findings of what college students want and need in their leisure, but this research often lacks information on what is actually constraining the choices to participate. The purpose of this study is to provide findings for practitioners to understand what constrains and motivates students to participate in intramural sports, and secondly to discover if there are differences between males and females in those constraints and motivations. The theoretical foundation for this study is leisure constraints with a focus on the constraints students experience when deciding whether to participate in collegiate intramural sports. For the purposes of this study, intramural sports were viewed as a leisure activity based on the lack of skill, involvement, and time required to participate. Using focus groups as the method of choice, a qualitative approach was selected to uncover constraints that are often difficult to identify in predetermined surveys. Four focus groups were conducted with males and female students of a Division I-A university in the northwest. Focus groups were split by gender and participation, or lack thereof, and findings were transcribed and analyzed using the model of leisure constraints. Findings from the study show that students experience all three types of constraints: intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural when deciding whether to participate in intramural sports. The study found differences between male and female experiences of constraints with females being heavily constrained by lack of knowledge, interpersonal issues with finding enough women to play, and past negative experiences of not getting to play. The research is intended to provide findings on what constrains students from playing, so practitioners can segment groups and direct efforts into helping remove constraints to participation.
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Details
- Title
- Get them back in the game
- Creators
- Dj Allen Mackie
- Contributors
- Yong Chae Rhee (Chair)Tammy K Crawford (Committee Member) - Washington State University, Educational Leadership, Sport Studies, and Educational/Counseling Psychology, Department ofSimon Licen (Committee Member) - Washington State University, Educational Leadership, Sport Studies, and Educational/Counseling Psychology, Department of
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Educational Leadership, Sport Studies, and Educational/Counseling Psychology, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Number of pages
- 77
- Identifiers
- 99900525093201842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis