Identifying leisure education topics for university student well-being: A Delphi study

Abstract

Leisure education (LE) is a purposeful intervention that can enhance quality of leisure experiences and well-being. University students can benefit from LE because many encounter mental health challenges. There are no LE interventions specifically designed for university students. Thus, this study’s purpose is to identify areas of LE to enhance mental health and well-being of university students. A Delphi method was employed, in which 48 experts (e.g., professors, recreation therapists, counselors) completed three rounds of online surveys. The first round inductively generated potential topics, while the second and third rounds statistically determined which topics experts considered as important. Of the 114 initial topics, 67 met the statistical criteria. These topics revolved around themes of leisure and life skills, reflection and motivation, negative emotions, healthy and meaningful leisure, and environmental resources. We discuss the findings in relation to the literature on mental health, LE, and university students.

Keywords:

• Delphi method
• leisure education
• mental health
• subjective well-being
• university students

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank participant experts in this study for sharing their expertise.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the University of Alberta Endowment Fund for the Future Advancement of Scholarship (EFF-SAS).