Examining the Role of a Negative Social Representation on Resident Recreation in a Past Peak Community
Presenter(s)
Phileshia Dombroski
Abstract
In and around the post-industrial city of Scranton, Pennsylvania, a negative mantra regarding local leisure opportunities has been present for decades, despite a number of successful public and private revitalization efforts Uttered by a number of residents, echoed in the media, and even considered a mockery is the oft-heard complaint that "there's nothing to do around here". While this shared criticism of the greater Scranton area was pervasive, it was certainly not ubiquitous. Moreover, identifying why this pessimism was so widespread was only assumed, not known. Many believed that those who shared their pessimism regarding local recreation opportunities simply did not participate. Thus, to ascertain if residents' negative perception of local recreation amenities and activities may have stemmed from a lack of awareness or participation, the Theory of Social Representation was utilized as the theoretical framework in this study. A self-administered online survey with a quantitative survey design was created to collect data in a cross-sectional analysis of residents using non-probability convenience sampling. To identify respondents which exhibited tenets of a negative Social Representation (SR), three yes/no questions about respondents' perceptions of that region's recreation opportunities as well as the communication of these ideas were posed on the survey. From this, most respondents were able to be separated into two categories, those who ascribed to the negative SR of local recreation opportunities and amenities, and those who did not. Next, to measure residents' awareness and participation, seven domains of activities were created for this analysis: heritage and cultural attractions; places to watch sports; participation in sports and physical activities or places to participate; outdoor recreation activities or places to participate; performance, media and visual art venues and events; participation in creative or performing arts; and lastly, fellowship and community activities. In analyzing residents' self-reported awareness, results suggested that residents who held a negative SR of local recreation amenities had a significantly lower awareness across five of the seven activity domains. However, in comparing residents' SR with participation, six of the indices for activity domains were found to be non-significant showing no difference in participation levels between those who held a negative SR and those who did not. This study indicated that while residents with a negative SR reported a lower awareness across most domains, their participation rates in such did not differ from the residents who did not ascribe to a negative SR of local recreation opportunities and activities.
College
College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Department
Recreation, Tourism & Therapeutic Recreation
Campus
Winona
Location
Oak Rooms E/F- Kryzsko Commons
Start Date
4-18-2024 12:20 PM
End Date
4-18-2024 12:40 PM
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Format of Presentation or Performance
In-Person
Examining the Role of a Negative Social Representation on Resident Recreation in a Past Peak Community
Oak Rooms E/F- Kryzsko Commons
In and around the post-industrial city of Scranton, Pennsylvania, a negative mantra regarding local leisure opportunities has been present for decades, despite a number of successful public and private revitalization efforts Uttered by a number of residents, echoed in the media, and even considered a mockery is the oft-heard complaint that "there's nothing to do around here". While this shared criticism of the greater Scranton area was pervasive, it was certainly not ubiquitous. Moreover, identifying why this pessimism was so widespread was only assumed, not known. Many believed that those who shared their pessimism regarding local recreation opportunities simply did not participate. Thus, to ascertain if residents' negative perception of local recreation amenities and activities may have stemmed from a lack of awareness or participation, the Theory of Social Representation was utilized as the theoretical framework in this study. A self-administered online survey with a quantitative survey design was created to collect data in a cross-sectional analysis of residents using non-probability convenience sampling. To identify respondents which exhibited tenets of a negative Social Representation (SR), three yes/no questions about respondents' perceptions of that region's recreation opportunities as well as the communication of these ideas were posed on the survey. From this, most respondents were able to be separated into two categories, those who ascribed to the negative SR of local recreation opportunities and amenities, and those who did not. Next, to measure residents' awareness and participation, seven domains of activities were created for this analysis: heritage and cultural attractions; places to watch sports; participation in sports and physical activities or places to participate; outdoor recreation activities or places to participate; performance, media and visual art venues and events; participation in creative or performing arts; and lastly, fellowship and community activities. In analyzing residents' self-reported awareness, results suggested that residents who held a negative SR of local recreation amenities had a significantly lower awareness across five of the seven activity domains. However, in comparing residents' SR with participation, six of the indices for activity domains were found to be non-significant showing no difference in participation levels between those who held a negative SR and those who did not. This study indicated that while residents with a negative SR reported a lower awareness across most domains, their participation rates in such did not differ from the residents who did not ascribe to a negative SR of local recreation opportunities and activities.
