Notes on the stability of the factor structure of leisure meanings

Abstract

This paper reports data concerning the stability of the factor structure of leisure meanings in the same recreational activity in two different geographic settings. Leisure meanings were conceptualized as a function of human needs and motivation. Data were obtained through surveys of river floaters in Dinosaur National Monument and Big Bend National Park. Summary findings include: (1) Recreationists did not tend to make fine distinctions between motive constructs; (2) some motivational dimensions were stable across the two study areas while others were not; (3) stability of motives appeared to be related to the specificity of the constructs involved, their meanings to recreationists, the importance recreationists attributed to the motives, and to situational differences of the two study areas; (4) factor structures in this study tend to support results of other studies using hierarchical clustering procedures to identify the structure of recreational motives.

Key Words:

• Leisure meanings
• motives
• factor structure
• float trips

Notes

At the time of this writing, Alan R. Graefe was Research Associate at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Texas A&M University.