The purpose of this study was to further examine the relationship between family leisure variables and the dependent variables of family functioning and satisfaction with family life among a broad, national sample of Canadian families using the Core and Balance framework. Specifically, this study examined how both family leisure involvement (core and balance) and family leisure satisfaction contributed to the explanation of variance in family functioning and satisfaction with family life. Because the data were nested in families, this study accounted for family-level variance by incorporating mixed modeling. The sample consisted of 943 families across Canada including one parent and one child between the ages of 11 and 16 (n = 1886). Findings added to previous Canadian family leisure studies by reporting empirical relationships between family leisure variables and outcome variables and doing so from a broad national sample. Findings were also consistent with trends in other countries reporting satisfaction with core family leisure involvement as the single strongest predictor of both family functioning and satisfaction with family life among Canadian families. Furthermore, while core family leisure satisfaction was the driving force in the explanation of variance in family satisfaction, findings suggest there must be participation in both core and balance family leisure. Additional implications for Canadian families, scholars, professionals, and policy makers are discussed.

Syftet med studien är att skapa kunskap om hur personer med utmattningssydrom kan uppleva sina möjligheter att utföra olika aktiviteter som de skattat som viktiga att kunna utföra i arbetslivet och privatlivet. Metoden till studien valdes till att vara en kvalitativ tvärsnittsstudie där data samlades in med en egenformulerad enkät som delades över sociala medier till personer som lever med UMS. Resultatet visar på att majoriteten av aktiviteterna inom samtliga aktivitetsområden skattats av över 50% av deltagarna som viktiga. Majoriteten av deltagarna skattade även de flesta av aktiviteterna till att ha en ”mycket”eller ”fullständigt” påverkan av deras utmattningssyndrom i utförandet. Inom samtliga aktiviteter så skattar mer än 50% av deltagarna att de ”inte alls” eller ”delvis” upplever ett socialt stöd från personer i sin omgivning att utföra aktiviteterna. Slutsatsen av resultatet visar på att det kan finnas en vikt i att beakta samtliga aktivitetsområden i det rehabiliterande arbetet samt att det skulle kunna finnas ett behov av socialt stöd i att utföra aktiviteterna. Behovet av stöd samt val av aktiviteter i rehabiliteringen måste däremot baseras på den enskilda individens subjektiva behov och vilja. Vilket kan kan skilja sig från person till person.

Mötesplats för alla är konceptet för Mötesplats Ljungdala, som är en mötesplats öppen för alla oavsett bakgrund. Syftet med studien är att öka förståelsen för fenomenet mötesplats, dels ur arrangörsperspektiv och dels ur brukarperspektiv. Studien fokuserar på hur mötesplatsen diskuteras som en del av fritiden och på vilket sätt personal och besökares uppfattningar kring mötesplatsen kan förstås och diskuteras utifrån meningsskapande. Kvalitativa intervjuer med personal och besökare utgör det empiriska materialet i studien. Mötesplatsen diskuteras främst genom spontana möjligheter och organiserade aktiviteter där de organiserade aktiviteterna i den här studien visar tendens på att vara det som motiverar besökare till att ta del av det som mötesplatsen erbjuder. Dialog och motivation lyfts fram i studien som viktiga i meningsskapande för en mötesplats. / The meeting place for all is the concept for Mötesplats Ljungdala, which is a meeting place that is open to all regardless of background. The aim of this study is to gain better understanding of the phenomenon of meeting place, both from the organizing perspective and from the user perspective. The study focuses on how the meeting place is being discussed as part of leisure time and the manner in which staff and visitors' perceptions about the meeting place can be understood and discussed on the basis of meaning. Qualitative interview with staff and visitors is the empirical evidence in this study. The meeting place is discussed mainly by spontaneous opportunities and organized activities in which the organized activities in this study shows tend to be it that motivates visitors to take part of what the meeting place offers. Dialogue and motivation highlighted in the study as important in sensemaking of a meeting place.

Mötesplats för alla är konceptet för Mötesplats Ljungdala, som är en mötesplats öppen för alla oavsett bakgrund. Syftet med studien är att öka förståelsen för fenomenet mötesplats, dels ur arrangörsperspektiv och dels ur brukarperspektiv. Studien fokuserar på hur mötesplatsen diskuteras som en del av fritiden och på vilket sätt personal och besökares uppfattningar kring mötesplatsen kan förstås och diskuteras utifrån meningsskapande. Kvalitativa intervjuer med personal och besökare utgör det empiriska materialet i studien. Mötesplatsen diskuteras främst genom spontana möjligheter och organiserade aktiviteter där de organiserade aktiviteterna i den här studien visar tendens på att vara det som motiverar besökare till att ta del av det som mötesplatsen erbjuder. Dialog och motivation lyfts fram i studien som viktiga i meningsskapande för en mötesplats. / The meeting place for all is the concept for Mötesplats Ljungdala, which is a meeting place that is open to all regardless of background. The aim of this study is to gain better understanding of the phenomenon of meeting place, both from the organizing perspective and from the user perspective. The study focuses on how the meeting place is being discussed as part of leisure time and the manner in which staff and visitors' perceptions about the meeting place can be understood and discussed on the basis of meaning. Qualitative interview with staff and visitors is the empirical evidence in this study. The meeting place is discussed mainly by spontaneous opportunities and organized activities in which the organized activities in this study shows tend to be it that motivates visitors to take part of what the meeting place offers. Dialogue and motivation highlighted in the study as important in sensemaking of a meeting place.

No description available.

On the northern shores of the recreated lake apal an isthmus protrudes spanning east and west. A road runs along the isthmus and from its center a leisure and culture-center spans out over the water. The isthmus protects the surrounding countryside from flooding during extreme rainfall as it is predicted by MSB. There is an outlet for water connecting lake Hjälmaren with lake Mälaren containing a concrete obstacle for wandering crayfish.The Center is dedicated to the restored lake and its environmental benefits and to the Noble Crayfish domestic in Sweden but now faced with extinction due to the invasive Signal crayfish. The center follows the gentle curvature of the isthmus, half of it resting on the isthmus the other half protruding out over the water. 896 thin piles made of reinforced concrete carries the building with rests on a concrete slab. Large glulam frames and CLT beams makes out the carrying construction of the building. A long room whose width expands and collapses during its course spanns the entire length of the building and it too follows the curvature of the isthmus. No doors lead directly out to the long room, all room-exits go in an east and west direction. Large windows overlook the lake from the central restaurant, dedicated to the homegrown crayfish. The interior walls, roof and floor is made upp by wooden planks following the curvature of the Center. The glulam frames are, although clad because of the climatic surrounding, visible on the buildings exterior walls and roof like ribbs. The roof and ribbs are matt black and the walls are falu-red. Public spaces look out over the lake while the interior service rooms face north to the road. Main entrances and exits are on the eastern and western side, while cargo-loading is located on the northern side accessible from the road. / Längs den återskapade Apalsjöns nord östra strand ringlar ett näs i ost västlig rikting. På näsets norra sida löper en väg och söder om vägen samt ut över vattnet sträcker sig ett hus vars långsmala kropp följer näsets konturer. Näset skapar en vattenbarriär och skyddar den omkringliggande åkermarken från de översvämningar som beskrivs på MSB´s katastrofkartor vid framtida extremväder samtidigt som vattenutsläppet garanterar fortsatt sammanbindning av Hjälmaren och Mälaren. Ett vandringshinder i betong för signalkräftor finns i vattenutsläppet. Det långsmala huset är ett Folketshusdistriktet och Naturum, dedikerat till den återskapade sjön och till den inhemska svenska flodkräftan. Flodkräftan, snart stöd i vilt tillstånd, odlas i anslutning till huset i dammar på näset, för konsumtion i restaurangen samt försäljning. Kräftyngel odlas för försäljning till omkringliggande lantbrukare för odling i egna dammar. 896 20•20 betongpelare bär upp betongplattan och utgör husets grund. Stora ramar i limträ, takbjälkar i kl-trä och kl-vägskivor utgör husets huvudsakliga bärande konstruktion. Limträramarna är synliga i husets fasad. Inklädda till skydd mot vädret spänner dom över byggnaden som revben. Taket och "revbenen" är mattsvarta och ytterväggarna målade faluröda. Halva huset vilar på näset och halva skjuter ut över sjöytan. Husets södra del utgörs av publika rum med generösa fönster som blickar ut över sjön. Den norra delen av byggnaden består av interna personalutrymmen, toaletter, teknikrum, vaktmästeri etc. Ett långt rum löper genom hela husets längd i öst-västlig riktning, ömsom ökandes i bredd, ömsom avsmalnande. Inga dörrar öppnas direkt mot detta rum utan alla dörrar öppnas åt öst eller väst. De publika ingångarna till huset finns på östra och västra kortsidorna, inläsning sker på nordsidan från vägen.

The purpose of this study was to identify and assess Texas community orchestras and create a demographic and musical profile of participants. This was accomplished through use of two online questionnaires. A director survey questionnaire determined the organizational status of each orchestra. The directors surveyed were leaders in these organizations who provided information about their orchestras’ founding, budget, and membership numbers. The participant survey questionnaire was adapted from Bowen’s 1995 study of community band participants in the southeastern United States. Participant data included educational and musical training, musical activities, and demographics. Bowen’s study guided this venture in expanding a profile of community musicians to include those in community orchestras. Eleven of the 18 community orchestras identified in Texas responded to the questionnaires distributed, with 361 participant questionnaires returned. Although many music making opportunities for adults are available in Texas, the existence of only 18 community orchestras in the state indicates a tremendous gap between school music making and adult music making in these types of ensembles, given 44,000 Texas school orchestras reported competing in 2010–2011. Research has shown that making music increases the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual wellbeing of those who take part. As serious leisure, community music making experiences enable those involved an opportunity to engage in a challenging, satisfying, and meaningful activity. All members of a community should have access to such opportunities because these activities may improve their quality of life. According to the profiles in the participant survey questionnaires, the following activities may encourage more participation in adult music making: Offering diverse music making opportunities, intergenerational music activities, encouraging community music experiences, and the modeling adult music making by teachers.

In the last five years, the world has experienced unexpected tragic events and natural disasters. However, international tourism is expected to grow continually and tourists are therefore becoming more concerned with safety and security during their international travel. This dissertation investigated individuals' risk perception of vacationing at two scenario international destinations, Australia and Japan. While ten dimensions of perceived risk in international leisure travel were identified in the literature and one additional dimension of "Communication Risk" was proposed for this study, only seven dimensions were found in this study: "Health Risk," "Value Risk," "Psychological Risk," "Social Risk," "Terrorism Risk," "Equipment Risk," and "Communication Risk." The other four dimensions — "Financial Risk," "Time Risk," "Satisfaction Risk," and "Political Instability Risk" — were either merged into other dimensions or did not appear as an independent dimension in this study. The "Communication Risk" which was proposed in this study was found to be a valid dimension of perceived risk in vacationing at international destinations. The relationships of perceived risk to other factors were also examined. Individuals' characteristics of novelty seeking were negatively related to their risk perception, as were individuals' proficiency of the destination's native language. Those who have experience visiting the destination tended to perceive less risk in vacationing at the destination; the more familiarity/expertise with the destination, the less risk was perceived. When an individual perceived a higher level of risk towards a destination, s/he was less likely to vacation at the destination. Individuals were more likely to choose a packaged tour than independent travel when they had a higher level of risk perception towards vacationing at a particular international destination. / Ph. D.

The study examines students perspectives and experiences of free play at the school age educare. Our purpose is to shed light on how students at the school age educare experience free play, and to get their view of play, we try to answer the questions: What do the students mean by free play at the school age educare and how is it experienced? Are the students descriptions of their free play in the school age educare similar to the descriptions of free play that dominates research and literature? We conducted interviews with students and through them explored the students view of free play and its importance for their well-being and development. The results indicate that the students see free play as an important and a positive part of after-school activities and they appreciate the opportunity to control and decide their own playtime. Play appears as a place for social interaction, creativity and learning. The analysis of the results was done with the help of different play theories, both where play is emphasized as an instrument for learning and theories where play is seen as an end in itself. We identify challenges and barriers to free play, including limited time and resources. The study emphasizes the importance of understanding and promoting free play as an integral part of the after-school environment to support pupils' well-being and development in a holistic way.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur pedagoger i fritidshem resonerar kring elevinflytande. Mer specifikt analyseras hur sju pedagoger upplever att elevinflytande integreras i undervisningen. Tillgång till skola har funnits i Sverige sedan 1000-talet då kyrkan stod som källan till kunskap. Dagens fritidshem har sitt ursprung från 1800-talets arbetsstugor där barn skulle lära sig ett hantverk och komma ifrån tiggeri. Fritidshemmet ska vila på en demokratisk grund och eleverna ska få både omsorg och lärande. Alla elever ska mötas med respekt, nyfikenhet och öppenhet för att lära och utvecklas tillsammans. Fritidshemmet styrs av Barnkonventionen, Skollagen och Läroplan för grundskolan, förskoleklassen och fritidshemmet, där undervisningen ska utgå från elevernas intresse, behov och erfarenhet. Svenska forskare skriver om elevinflytande, hur eleverna görs delaktiga på fritidshemmet. Empirin till denna kvalitativa studie har tillkommit genom sju intervjuer med pedagoger i fritidshem. Teorin som används till analysen av empirin är barndomssociologi med begreppen barnperspektiv, barns perspektiv och makt. Resultatet visar att respondenterna tycker att det är viktigt att eleverna får göra sin röst hörd och att deras tid på fritidshemmet är värdefull. Trots det kan respondenterna se att vissa elever upplever att deras röst inte blir hörd, då deras val inte var det som majoriteten valde. Pedagogerna använder ett barnperspektiv i verksamheten då de utgår från vad de tror att eleverna vill lära om. / The purpose of this study is to investigate how educators in leisure time centers reason about student influence. More specifically, how seven educators feel that student influence is integrated into teaching si analysede. Access to school har existed in Sweden since the 11th century when the church stood as the source of knowledge. Today’s leisure time centers have their origins in 19th-century workhouses where children would learn a craft and get away from begging. The leisure center must rest on a democratic foundation and the students must receive both care and learning. The leisure time center is governed by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the School Act and the Curriculum for primary school, pre-school and leisure time center, where teaching must be based on the students' interests, needs and experience. Swedish researchers write about student influence, how students are made to participate in the leisure time center. The experience for this qualitative study has been gained through seven interviews with educators in leisure time centers. The theory used for the analysis of the empirical evidence is childhood sociology with the concepts of child perspective, children's perspective and power. The results show that the respondents think it is important that the students are allowed to make their voices heard and that their time at the leisure time center is valuable. Even so, the respondents can see that some students feel that their voice is not being heard, as their choice was not the one chosen by the majority. The educators use a children's perspective in the activities as they start from what they think the students want to learn about.