A longitudinal study on leisure of Hong Kong adolescents

ABSTRACT

This longitudinal study examined the leisure of adolescents over a ten-year period starting from the last year of secondary school. Employing a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a group of 35 senior secondary students over three phases with an interval of 5 years each. Five themes emerged from the data analysis: variability in leisure pursuit over time, steady recognition of leisure as disengagement from obligations, satisfying emerging needs through leisure, longed-for leisure and perceived constraints, and the role of significant others. These themes revealed change and stability in leisure participation and perceptions of the respondents and the way these dimensions were shaped by role and contextual changes. The study added to the knowledge of leisure across the life course and especially during the period between adolescence and young adulthood. Through the longitudinal contextualised examination of leisure among Hong Kong youngsters, this study also shed light on significant cultural factors shaping leisure in non-Western contexts.

KEYWORDS:

• Adolescent leisure
• life course perspective
• longitudinal study
• Hong Kong

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Interviewee code and study phase are indicated inside bracket at the end of each excerpt.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Hong Kong Baptist University Faculty Research Grant.

Notes on contributors

Atara Sivan

Atara Sivan is professor and head of the Department of Education Studies at the Hong Kong Baptist University.Her research focuses on youth leisure and leisure education and she has contributed to the body of knowledgethrough numerous journal articles, books, and presentations in international conferences worldwide. She is theeditor-in-chief of the World Leisure Journal, president and fellow of the World Leisure Academy, and the founderand president of the World Leisure Organization–Hong Kong Chapter.

Gertrude Po Kwan Siu

Gertrude Po Kwan Siu is a nurse educator who has been involved in various mental health nursing programs inHong Kong, including registered and enrolled, hospital-based, and university programs. She pursued her PhD ineducation in the area of adolescents’ serious leisure and is an active member of the World Leisure Organization –Hong Kong Chapter. She has been teaching at the Open University of Hong Kong.