RUNNING HEAD: Does Family Leisure and Recreation Have Long Term Effects?

Survey Research Report III

Ulfa Hall, Holly Sanjer, Caitilin Rice
RCLS 425
Emily Messina
6/3/2015
Eastern Washington University
Does Family Leisure and Recreation Have Long Term Effects?

DOES FAMILY LEISURE AND RECREATION HAVE LONG TERM EFFECTS?

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Methodology for Phase III

The purpose of our study was to find out whether or not, during ones childhood, family
influenced outdoor recreation attitudes and patterns as adults. The information collected from
the focus group we transcribed, provided us qualitative data. After the coding was done there
were three recurring themes. These were, family influence, outdoor sports and recreation and
reaction to those experiences. These themes were pertinent to our study as well as probable. So
we decided to use these themes to create our survey. The survey is attached in appendix B.
The survey was divided into four sections. The first section included the demographics
questions. These questions helped to find more information about our sample. We used class
ranking, sex, age, background information about where they grew up and who headed their
family. We used class status to provide ranked data. Since we were dealing with students, class
status was a pertinent piece of information. Class status is naturally a ranked variable. We also
used nominal questions for sex and background information. Sex, background information
about where they grew up and who headed their family are naturally nominal data. The answers
to these questions have no ordered relationship. We used age to provide us ratio data. Age is
naturally ratio variable. There is a clear zero point and every year there is an equal interval of
time.
The second section asked questions regarding frequency of participation and enjoyment
of the outdoor sports and recreation. These questions would provide us with the self-assessment
data. We also included a question about choice of those activities. These self-assessment
questions were pertinent to the original purpose of the study as well as the focus group themes.
The third section focused on family influences on the outdoor recreation. On one question we

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extended the influence on those outside the family. In the fourth section, we focused on
continued participation as a reaction to the experiences.
Outside of the demographic and background questions, most questions used Likert scales.
We wanted something that was easy to compare but also told us about the strength of ones
opinion on a topic. The Likert scale meets these criteria. According to Henderson and
Bialeschki (2010), Likert scales are often used to provide attitude measurements, both negative
and positive (p 145). In those sections we were trying to gage the reactions to the experiences
and the scales provided positive and negative attitudes. Most of the demographic questions
provided nominal data. The age information provided ratio data. The frequency question
provided ordinal data and the rest of the survey provided interval data.
The questions were group by theme. The last three sections formed a natural progression
of ideas. We spent time organizing the bubbles and checkboxes were aligned vertically and the
Likert scales were centered on the page. The section titles used larger bold fonts and
instructions also bold.
Our goal was to find a correlation between family time spent in recreation and the
eventual participation of outdoor recreation in adulthood. Henderson and Bialeschki (2010),
state that descriptive statistics, describe and summarize the characteristics ofdata (p. 270).
From these statistics we would gather information about how much students of RCLS 425
experiences and reactions varied. This information will give us the mean, median, mode and
standard deviation. For nominal data and some ranked data, we will use histograms to help with
the visualization of that data. The main goal of the study is to find correlations between
childhood and adulthood. Correlations require inferential statistics, which helps determine

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whether relationships, associations, or differences exists within data and whether statistical
significance exists (Henderson and Bialeschki, 2010, p. 281).

Analysis / Findings from Survey

The following tables provide demographic information about our sample which was
RCLS 424 students. Table 3.1 shows that out of 45 completed surveys, 71% of the sample have
junior class standing at Eastern Washington University, while 24% have senior class standing.
Sophomores comprised of 5% of the class.
Table 3.1
Current Class Status of RCLS 425-01 Students
Status

# of Students

Freshman

Sophomore

5%

Junior

32

71%

Senior

11

24%

Graduate Student

0%

Professional Student

0%

Continuing Education Student

0%

Totals (N=45)
Most Frequent (M=Junior32 )

45
Junior (32)

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The sample ranged from 20 to 45 years of age, with the mode age being 21 years old.
Table 3.2 shows that 26 of the 45 participants were female rounding out to 48% of the survey,
while 19 of participants were male. We also had an option for other, if there happened to be an
individual who is transgender, but no one selected this option.
Table 3.2
Sex of RCLS 425-01 Students
Sex

# of Students

Male

26

42%

Female

19

58%

Other

0%

Total (N=45)

45

Most Frequent (M=Female19)

Female (19)

Interval Data
Question 10 of the survey asked on a Likert scale, As a child I was free to choose my
own outdoor recreation activities, and produced some useful data for our research, which is
shown in Figure 3.1. The mean result was 3.83. For males, the mean equaled 4.00 while the
mean equaled 3.70 for females. Boys were more slightly likely to have reported having freedom
of choice as a child. Both the median and modes were 4, meaning agree.

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Figure 3.1
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

Question 10: As a child I was free to choose my own outdoor recreation activities.
Mean = 3.83 Mean (Male) = 4.00 Mean (Female) = 3.70
Median = 4 Mode = 4

Question 13, My parents were overly eager outdoor recreation, also asked on a Likert
scale, hinted that there might be some negative aspects of family recreation. Figure 3.2 shows
that nearly the same number of participants felt that their parents were overly eager about
outdoor recreation as those who felt their parents were not overly eager about outdoor recreation.
Participants who were neutral on the topic encompassed 30%. The mean result was 3.02. In our
pool of participants, we see very consistent results between the two sexes. For males, the mean
equaled 3.00 and for females the mean equaled 3.04. The median result was 3, meaning
neutral, and the mode was 2, meaning disagree.

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Figure 3.2
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

Question 11: My parents were overly eager outdoor recreation.

Mean = 3.02 Mean (Male) = 3.00 Mean (Female) = 3.04
Median = 3 Mode = 2

Figure 3.3 shows data for question 17, I continue to participate in the outdoor activities
that my family encourages me to participate in by myself during my childhood. The mean
response was 3.61, between neutral and agree. The variance was 1.22 and the standard
deviation was 1.11. Therefore 68% of scores should fall between 2.50 and 4.72.
Figure 3.3
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

Question 17: I continue to participate in the outdoor activities that my

family encourages me to participate in by myself during my childhood.
Mean = 3.61 Variance = 1.22 Standard Deviation = 1.11

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Correlations
In the survey we conducted, we wanted to find any correlation between family influence
during childhood and recreational activities during adulthood. Most questions in the
questionnaire were ordinal in nature. Because of this, we decided to use Spearmans Correlation
which tests the association between two ordinal variables, or one ordinal variable and one
interval or ratio variable ("Spearman rank correlation," n.d.). Statistical-Research.com describes
how to calculate Spearmans Rho (), the measure of correlation ("Spearmans Correlation,"
2012). When rho is zero, there is no correlation between the variables; when rho is +1 or -1,
there is perfect correlation between the variables. A value rho lying between -1.0 and -0.5 or
between 0.5 and 1.0 is considered a strong correlation; a value of rho lying between -0.5 and -0.3
or between 0.3 and 0.5 is considered a moderate correlation; a value of rho lying between -0.3
and -0.2 or between 0.2 and 0.3 is considered a weak correlation; and a value of rho lying
between -0.1 and +0.1 is considered to have no correlation or extremely weak correlation
("Statistical Correlation," n.d.).
Beyond the measure of correlation, we need to understand the how likely it is that a
correlation exists. It is possible to have a strong correlation with low likelihood if the sample
size is small, and possible to have a weak correlation that is probable if the sample size is large.
The Fisher Transformation is used to transform values of rho to a null hypothesis rejection ZScore (Fieller, Hartley, & Pearson, 1957). A Z-Score is a way to specify probability with respect
to a normal curve ("Review of Z Scores," n.d.). The null hypothesis for correlation is the
hypothesis that no correlation exists. So the Z-Score helps indicate how likely that a correlation

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does exist. To turn the Z-Score into a confidence probability, we use the two-tail conversion
("Test of hypothesis (two-tail)," n.d.).
We found a couple of strong correlations in our survey data. Most interesting is that
freedom for a child to choose his or her own outdoor recreation activities is strongly correlated
with how frequently the same person participates in outdoor recreation as an adult for current
RCLS 425 students. This correlation has a confidence of 99.98% for rejecting the null
hypothesis.
Figure 3.4

With our participants, a strong correlation exists between whether one enjoyed outdoor
recreation with ones family as a child and whether that person enjoys outdoor recreation as an
adult. This correlation has a confidence of 99.98% for rejecting the null hypothesis.

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Figure 3.5

Conclusions
Based on the data provided by the RCLS 425 class, we believe that for the RCLS
students, parents play a role in the type of outdoor recreation we participate in as adults. This
information was based on the 46 surveys completed. According to the data, we were able to
make the conclusion that those in the RCLS 425 class enjoyed participating in outdoor recreation
and this carried over to how they feel about recreation today. However, we discovered that in
some cases the participants did not enjoy the activity but would participate in it because it was
something that the family did. Another aspect that this survey brought forward was how parents
could be overly eager about their child's participation in outdoor recreation. Two correlations
exist between childhood and adulthood outdoor recreation for our survey participants. The more
freedom a child has to choose his or her own outdoor recreation activities correlates positively

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with that person participating in outdoor recreation more frequently as an adult. Also a child
who enjoys outdoor recreation as a child correlates positively with enjoying outdoor recreation
as an adult.
Recommendations
As a whole this evaluation process posed the possibility for expanding. An example of
further research by using a broader sample group possibly those not in a recreation major. This
would allow for data from different demographics. The data would then not be as biased.
Another recommendation to research in the future is the topic of the negative effect of family
interaction with outdoor recreation, for example childhood burnouts. During our focus group,
this topic came up a number of times. It would be interesting to take a deeper look at it. Another
recommendation that our group has is to have a quota for head-of-household. Over 85% of our
participants were raised in households headed by two parents. We believe our data could have
been more diverse with a quota for head-of-household. A change in the head-of-household can
greatly change the dynamics of a family, such as amount of available time, finances, and socioeconomic status. The effect of socio-economic status on adulthood outdoor recreation is another
topic that could be researched in more depth. However, topics like these can pose a threat on
individual's private life and they may not feel comfortable responding.

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Appendix B:
Demographics
1. Please check your current class status :
Freshman

Sophomore

Junior

Graduate student

Professional
student

Continuing education student

2. Sex: Female

Male

Senior

Other ______________________

3. Age: ________ Years old

4. Where did you grow up?

State________________ City___________________

5. When you were a child, who headed your family? Choose one answer that best
represents you.
Single parent Two Parents Grandparents Older sibling
Other:__________________
For the following sections select the best answer that is true for you in the
response for each statement.

Outdoor Sports / Recreation

6. How often do you participate in organized sports? Choose one answer that best
represents you.
Daily

2 to 3 times a week

Weekly

Monthly

Once every three months

Not at all

7. How often do you participate in outdoor recreation? Choose one answer that best
represents you.
Daily

2 to 3 times a week

Weekly

Monthly

Once every three months

Not at all

Below are a number of statements regarding outdoor recreation. Please read

each one and indicate to what extent you agree or disagree with each
statement.
8. I enjoyed outdoor recreation as a child.
Strongly
Disagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

Strongly
Agree

9. I enjoy outdoor recreation as an adult.

Strongly
Disagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

Strongly
Agree

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10. As a child, I was free to choose my own outdoor recreation activities.
Strongly
Disagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

Strongly
Agree

Family Influence
11. I enjoyed spending time with my family during outdoor recreation.
Strongly
Disagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

Strongly
Agree

12. During my childhood, I enjoyed spending time with my family doing outdoor
recreation.
Strongly
Disagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

Strongly
Agree

13. My parents were overly eager about outdoor recreation.

Strongly
Disagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

Strongly
Agree

14. The following people strongly influenced my choices of outdoor recreation. Check
all that apply.
Parents
Siblings
:_____________

Extended family

Friends

Other-

Reaction to Experiences
15. My friends influence my current outdoor activities more than my family.
Strongly
Disagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

Strongly
Agree

16. I continue to participate in the outdoor activities that my family and I participated in
together during my childhood.
Strongly
Disagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

Strongly
Agree

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17. I continue to participate in the outdoor activities that my family encouraged me to

participate in by myself during my childhood.
Strongly
Disagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

Strongly
Agree

References
Henderson, K. A. & Bialeschki, M.D. (2010). Evaluating Leisure Services: Making
Enlightened Decisions (Third ed.). State College, PA: Venture Publishing,
Inc.
Spearman rank correlation. (n.d.). Handbook of Biological Statistics, Retrieved from
http://www.biostathandbook.com/spearman.html
Review of Z Scores. (n.d.). Signal Detection Theory Tutorial, Retrieved from
http://wise.cgu.edu/sdtmod/reviewz.asp
Statistical Correlation. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://explorable.com/statistical-correlation
Test of hypothesis (two-tail). (n.d.). Handbook of Biological Statistics, Retrieved from
http://www.cs.uni.edu/~campbell/stat/inf3.html
Spearmans Correlation [PDF document]. Retrieved from Statistical-Research.com:
http://statistical-research.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Spearman.pdf
E. C. Fieller, H. O. Hartley, and E. S. Pearson Tests for Rank Correlation Coefficients.
[PDF document]. Retrieved from University of California, Berkeley:
http://solarmuri.ssl.berkeley.edu/~schuck/public/manuscripts/Fieller1.pdf