Literature Reviews

Jewell, D. (2003). Programs that work. People who love children for the wrong reasons: Protecting our youthful participants and profession from pedophiles. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 21(2), 125-131.


Study:

• Recreation facilities are major attractions of pedophiles and for that reason this article lists implications for recreational professionals to ensure they are keeping children safe by not hiring pedophiles.

Implications:

• Management should screen employees and volunteers prior to their interview and request applicants come with their background check in their hand.
• Staff must educate children on inappropriate behaviors and what to do if anyone treats them improperly such as reproving the person and reporting the situation.
• Maltreatment on any scale needs to be handled with a zero tolerance policy by administrators.
• Directors and management need to examine their recruiting method to see if they are attracting the wrong people. A successful plan for recruiting new staff would encompass using professional circles and other trusted and well established organizations to post an employee wanted notification, or reputable recreation facilities, academic departments or professional publications.
• Along with posting the position available, the notification should address the zero tolerance policy regarding inappropriate actions with participants and if this policy is violated, the punishment is immediate termination and criminal and civil prosecution.
• Recreation agencies should inform candidates to provide police background checks with their application of each community he/she has lived and worked. Candidates should also be fingerprinted for additional background checks.
• Lastly, before the interview candidates should “undergo the agency’s child abuse reporter training in order to understand their legal responsibility of report any suspected child abuse or neglect by either someone in the child’s family or social circle or by another staff member.” If it is proven that a staff member knew of neglect or abuse without reporting the incident, they will be terminated immediately.

Lyons, K. (2000). Personal investment as a predictor of camp counselor job performance.
Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 18(2), 21-36.

Study:

• This study examined the link between motivation factors of camp applicants and their job performance once they were hired.

Findings:

• There were six motivational factors identified in this study: social enjoyment, future development, practical advantages, normative influences, external influences, and ethical interests.
• The data showed a positive correlation between the ethical interests’ motivational factor ethical and interpersonal skills, task orientation, use of knowledge, and team work. In addition, practical advantages negatively predicted task orientation and team-work; external influences predicted team-work; ethical interests predicted interpersonal skills, and application of knowledge; and gender predicted demeanor and application of knowledge.
• Both team-work and task orientation appeared to measure what people bring to the job rather than take from the job.
• In the areas of demeanor and application of knowledge, the results show that women perform significantly better than men.

Implications:

• There are three major implications found in this study that the author discusses for camp administrators to employ:
1. Staff who are motivated by the ‘practical advantages’ of a job may be less likely to perform the specific ‘tasks’ of the job as well as those who are not as concerned with such personal, practical needs;
2. An employer who is seeking staff who are likely to perform their duties well in general might consider individuals who are motivated to apply for the position because of their ‘ethical interests;
3. Due to female staff performing particularly well in the areas of demeanor and application of knowledge, camp administrators should seek to have a gender integrated staff so that the strengths of both men and women can be accessed.

Anderson, L., & Heyne, L. (2000). A statewide needs assessment using focus groups: Perceived
challenges and goals in providing inclusive recreation services in rural communities. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 18(4), 17-37.


Study:

• This study was conducted to determine if focus groups were significantly beneficial in assessing the suggestions, limitations and needs of the community for programming for persons with disabilities.

Findings:

• Focus groups were a great way for recreation departments to hear firsthand from their community members and to assess their needs their by enabling participants with disabilities to participate in community recreation.
• Focus groups were helpful to not only the recreation department but community members alike by providing ample opportunities for community residents to meet one another, increase the spirit of community, discuss ideas, and provide a catalyst for future networks and partnerships.
• There is a growing need for continuing education for recreation professionals on inclusion of persons with disabilities.
• Due to urban sprawl, rural residents often commute to their local urban city for several reasons. By holding focus groups, rural residents can voice their opinions on their recreation needs that often differ from members of urban cities. These focus groups can also buffer the dramatic change of lifestyle between urban and rural residents by creating friendships and networks between both types of recreation participants.

Implications:

• Suggestions on how to hold a focus group and the ideal moderator for this style of meeting are suggested at the end of the article. Since each community is different it is vital for recreation professionals to hold their own community focus group instead of implementing practices that may benefit a different community.

Long, T., Ellis, G., Tatsugawa, K., & Freeman, P. (2001). Animating recreation experiences through face-to-face leadership: Efficacy of two models. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 19(1), 1-22.


Study:

• Due to the limited research of integrating “knowledge about human motivation, learning, and experience into specific strategies for ‘animating activities”’ and for this reason the author has conducted an experiment “to determine the effects of different behavioral science-based models of leading a recreation activity on pleasure, self-efficacy, ego-protective attributions, and creativity.”

Finding:

• Recreation professionals who applied an outcome-specific model found participants had a significant difference in their experience.
• Self-efficacy, self-confidence, pleasure, and ego-enhancing were all benefits found in participants after recreation professionals implemented the creativity model and the COMPLEX model used in this study.
• Of all the strategies tested in this study, participants of highly directive (HD) sessions were found to have lowest pleasure scores.
• Lastly, this study presented convincing results that staff training by recreation managers and programmers have the possibility of creating “front-line activity leaders.”
• In order to help recreation professionals to better animate their programs, the author has listed several implications at the end of the article.

Shinew, K., Anderson, D., & Arnold, M. (2000). Perceptions of discrimination and inequity among professionals working in public recreation agencies: An extension of an earlier study. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 18(4), 73-91.


Study:

• This study examined women in the recreation profession and their perception of discrimination and inequity for upper management positions.

Findings:

• Within the public recreation agencies studied, women agreed they feel discrimination and inequity at work with fewer opportunities for promotions or upper management positions and unfair opportunities for increasing their salaries.
• Female professionals feel that having a family has been a deterrent from promoting their career which does not hold true for men creating a double standard in the workplace.
• Both male and female participants in this study agreed there is gender inequity at the upper management level of the recreation profession.
• Women and men both agreed there is gender equality in the recruitment process, selection practices, or task assignments within the profession.

Implications:

• In order for a recreation agency to recruit and maintain qualified women, it is vital to implement family programs/innovative work, such as offering resources for childcare, on-site child development centers, flexible schedules and family leave care.
• Other implications from this study include the following: remove cultural and environmental barriers; provide leadership development programs that emphasize lateral moves, provide employee training programs (such as gender awareness, diversity, sexual harassment); offer mentorship programs; develop networks that include women; apply meaningful developmental assignments and systematically track women’s progress; and, implement rotation programs intended to provide women with a network or support system and access to potential upper-management mentors.
• Further implications are listed at the end of the article for managerial use.