The Core Body of Knowledge as Perceived by Therapeutic Recreation Students vs. Leisure Services Management Students

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to determine if the core body of knowledge associated with leisure services represents a systemic culture pattern for leisure studies students, and to determine if therapeutic recreation (TR) students and leisure services management (LSM) students represent subcultures within the broader recreation culture pattern. Data were collected over the course of 3 semesters from 81 students enrolled at an NRPA accredited degree program. A pile-sort technique was used to determine the structure of the cultural domain for each student. Consensus Analysis was used to determine the amount of agreement regarding the structure of the domain and Correspondence Analysis was used to map the similarity among the students in multidimensional space. The concepts did not represent a systemic culture pattern for the leisure studies students as a group nor for the TR students. The concepts represent a weak culture pattern for the management students. Educational implications and future research needs are discussed.

Keywords:

• leisure services professional knowledge
• undergraduate education
• systemic culture pattern

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mary Greenwood Parr

Biographical Information

Mary Parr is an Assistant Professor in the Leisure Studies Department, Kent State University, P.O. Box 5190, Kent, Ohio 44242–0001.