International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

search-icon

Leisure Activities’ Selection And Motivation

Open access
The recent academic interest in the youth population has shown a significant increase in research pertaining to leisure. Leisure is a vital lifestyle component to balance people’s lifestyle. Students incline to gain benefits from leisure activities not only to reduce academic stress but also to motivate academic achievement. The objective of this study was to explain the characteristics and motivations of leisure activities’ selection among high school students in Taiwan. A total of 380 questionnaires was collected from the target group. Descriptive statistics, t-test, chi-square test and cross comparison for surveyed students to the questionnaires were used to analyze the valid data by SPSS version 16.0. The results revealed that playing on Computer Internet, going to coffee or tea shops and listening music and broadcasts were the top three leisure activities. In addition, entertainment, exercise and leisure were the top three characteristics of leisure activities. Enjoyment, pressure relaxing and killing time were the top three motivation selections among the surveyed group. This research may suggest that the Taiwanese government should develop more appropriate leisure places for teenagers.
Bergin, D. A. (1992). Leisure activity, motivation, and academic achievement in high school students. Journal of Leisure Research, 24(3), 225-239.
Carr, N., and Axelsen, M. (2009). International and domestic university students’ leisure behaviour: a comparative analysis. Annals of Leisure Research, 12(1), 47-64.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1975). Beyond Boredom and Anxiety, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Deci, E.L., and Ryan, R.M. (1980). The Empirical Exploration of Intrinsic Motivational Processes. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 13). New York: Academic Press.
Deci, E.L., and Ryan, R.M. (1985). Intrinsic Motivation and Self-determination in Human Behaviours, New York: Plenum Press.
Euromonitor. (2010). Tourism Flows Domestic-Taiwan. Retrieved December 20, 2010, from Euromonitor International: http://www.euromonitor.com.
Mannell, R.C., and Kleiber, D.A. (1997). A Social Psychology of Leisure, State College, PA: Venture Publishing.
Misra, R., and McKean, M. (2000). College students’ academic stress and its relation to their anxiety, time management, and leisure satisfaction. American Journal of Health Studies, 16(1), 41-51.
Parr, M. G., and Lashua, B. D. (2005). Students’ perceptions of leisure, leisure professionals and the professional body of knowledge. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education, 4(2), 16-26.
Pelletier, L. G., Vallerand, R. J., Green-Demers, I., Blais, M. R., and Brière, N. M. (1996). Vers une conceptualisation motivationnelle multidimensionnelle du loisir: Construction et validation de l’échelle de motivation vis-à-vis des loisirs (EML) [Construction and validation of the Leisure Motivation Scale (LMS)]. Leisure and Society, 19, 559-585.
Ryan, C. (1991). Recreational Tourism: A Social Science Perspective. London: Routledge.
Ryan, C. (1997). The Tourism Experience: A New Approach. London: Cassells.
Ryan, R.M., and Deci, E.L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development and well-being. American Psychologist, 55, 68-78.