The Computer: Helping or Hurting Facilitating Leisure?

1
The Computer Helping or Hurting Facilitating
Leisure?

• by
• Marie-Claude Du Cap, MRM 02
• Acadia University

2
Purpose

• Purpose
• This research focused on 1st year students living
  in residence and their perceptions of the impact
  of 24/7 access on their leisure satisfaction and
  lifestyle.
• Provided an understanding of leisure motivations,
  constraints, satisfactions, and choices of the
  students.
• Helped to identify participants leisure
  activities and how Acadia Universitys (AU) 24/7
  access impacts their leisure satisfaction and
  lifestyle.

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Significance of the Study

• Little research has been done about the impact on
  the leisure satisfaction of computer users.
• The omnipresence of both the computer and the
  Internet in the lives of the Acadia University
  students raises some questions
• When developing and implementing the AA program,
  AU sought to enhance its teaching and learning
  environment (AU, 2001).

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Significance of the study

• A closer look of the literature on the impacts of
  the computer and the Internet on both the leisure
  environment and health of the users, questions
  are raised as to how the AA technology impacts
  the students leisure lifestyle and leisure
  satisfaction.
• It is during youth that individuals develop their
  adult identity and leisure ways.

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Methodology

• Recruitment
• Advertisement
• Snowball technique
• Participants
• 9 first-year students who graduated from
  high-school the previous year and living in the
  Chase Court or Crowell Tower residences.
• The study consisted of three phases
• initial interview
• time-budget study
• final interview

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Methodology

• Data Analysis
• Content of each transcript was coded by the
  researcher and an independent data coder.
• Identification of 25 predominant themes.
• Three sections
• (1) Leisure in the Participants Lives,
• (2) The Computer in the Participants Lives
• (3) The Impact of the Participants Social
  Environment on
• their Use of the Computer for Leisure
  Purposes

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Findings

• Participants do not have a wide leisure
  repertoire
• Participants do not appear to have a wide range
  of leisure activities.
• Not interested in novelty
• Computer could be a barrier to leisure diversity
• Lack of leisure diversity could impact leisure
  interest

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Findings

• Participants boredom
• Do not see much to do at AU and in Wolfville
• Lack of information
• Lack of leisure diversity could impact their
  passivity
• Computer is an easy time filler
• Being alone on the computer could contribute to
  boredom

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Findings

• Participants need to be present in their virtual
  community (VC)
• Mostly used for communication and socialisation
  purposes
• Multi-tasking
• Direct and indirect use of the computer
• Computer could be a barrier to optimal leisure
• Only at AU

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Conclusion

• Computer holds potential to enhance leisure
• Socialisation
• Communication
• Can assist in leisure organisation and leisure
  planning

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Conclusion

• Participants do not perceive an impact of the
  computer on their leisure satisfaction and
  leisure lifestyle
• Not aware of the potential of leisure (benefits)
• Loss of the benefits of the accompanying
  activities.

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Conclusion

• Participants could be more satisfied in their
  leisure
• Do not actively consider their needs (momentary
  feelings)
• Not proactive in pursuing leisure satisfaction
• Decision of using the computer is not the most
  satisfying one
• Not aware of leisure benefits
• Lack a leisure lifestyle

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Conclusion

• Impact of the study
• Development of an awareness of computer use and
  its impacts
• More conscious of their leisure decisions
• Possible role for leisure services providers