Guidebooks are argued to be significant elements of the tourism infrastructure (Koshar, 1998), influencing the perception of destinations and the travel practices of millions of tourists (Gilbert, 1999). Guidebooks have been depicted as mediators, interpreters, and communicators of place and people, yet the examination of these texts as part of tourism has received little attention in the academic literature. There are few studies focusing on what information guidebooks are presenting to tourists (Bhattacharyya, 1997; Lew, 1991; McGregor, 2000). <br /><br /> In pursuit of cultural, environmental, and leisure experiences, tourists are going all over the world and there is increasing concern over the economic, socio-cultural, and environmental impacts of this activity. Information on these impacts can be found in academic literature and government reports, but rarely is it presented to tourists. <br /><br /> The purpose of this study is to analyse and describe how travel guidebooks communicate information on socio-cultural, environmental, and other destination specific issues. The republic of Peru was the case study area for this research. <br /><br /> Destination data was collected through interviews with tourism representatives in Per??, Destination Management Organisation (DMO) website analysis, and participant observation. This data was analysed to provide a coding scheme for the current issues and impacts in Peru relating to tourism. This coding scheme was used to analyse the content of the most commonly used commercial guidebooks for Peru (Lonely Planet, South American Handbook, Rough Guide) to understand if and how guidebooks are addressing current issues in Peru tourism. <br /><br /> Qualitative content analysis of destination data resulted in 29 emergent categories which were evaluated based on theme distributions (socio-cultural, environmental, and other) and source information. Categories were grouped based on importance values to allow for further examination of the main issues and impacts involved in Peru tourism. <br /><br /> Qualitative analysis of guidebook content resulted in 4 additional categories for a total of 33 items. This was followed by quantitative analysis of guidebook content to better understand theme distributions, statement types, marketing communication types, and relationships with original category intentions. Guidebook content was organised into groups based on importance values and compared with the importance groups found in the destination data to determine differences in category relevance. <br /><br /> The implications of this research in presenting information to tourists are discussed in terms of their relevance to socio-cultural and environmental interpretation, marketing and communication theory, and responsible tourism. Similarities and differences found in comparing destination and guidebook data are examined. Findings and discussions based on this research indicate that the role of the guidebook is multi-dimensional. These texts, juxtaposed between host and guest, mediate and interpret ecological, cultural, and social information. Findings of this research suggest that though guidebooks are involved in persuasive messaging which raises issues of power and representation, guidebooks are the only popular tourist information source in Peru attempting to influence tourists to reduce cultural and environmental impacts. This discussion is followed by suggestions for future research in this area.

Unsatisfactory working conditions and job stress may be indicative of working in a society where work-life balance is a desired, but often elusive, goal (Duxbury & Higgins, 2001; Smola & Sutton, 2002; Sturges & Guest, 2004). Working conditions in the healthcare sector are reported to be particularly problematic and stress inducing compared to other work sectors (Yassi, Ostry, Spiegel, Walsh, & de Boer, 2002). In fact, quality of work life (QOWL) among healthcare workers is believed to have deteriorated to the point where it is impeding the capacity of the system to recruit and retain staff needed to provide effective patient care (Koehoorn, Lowe, Rondeau, Schellenberg, & Wager, 2002). The purpose of the study was to examine the experiences of healthcare staff who participate in QOWL initiatives aimed to provide employees with creative, educational, and fun activities designed to address feelings of stress. This study included thirteen staff members from disciplines that comprise the Health Care Team at a facility specializing in aging and veteran's care. Data were collected through conversational interviews with staff from each of the following disciplines: nursing, recreation therapy, physiotherapy, creative arts, clinical nutrition, social work, audiology, occupational therapy, and pastoral care. The data were deconstructed into common themes through an open-ended process, which lead to the identification of common experiences across the data provided by the staff. Upon further comparison of the themes, it was identified that work demands were believed to detract from care provision and strained manager relations were believed to minimize quality of care. However, a strong professional identity was evident as staff described being able to rise above adversity and use their skills and competencies to provide quality care to residents. The data also suggested QOWL initiatives seem to be valuable because they provide opportunities for staff to interact socially. This interaction helps foster and strengthen connections amongst staff, which they feel transfers to the work place through improved working relationships. Participants described feelings of personal gratification that can be derived from team cohesiveness. They also acknowledged the carry over value that team work brings to residents by way of improved care provision. Furthermore, the relationships that staff members develop with one another were viewed as sources of strength, particularly in times of increased stress. In addition to the social element associated with the QOWL initiatives, these initiatives also seem to address a need for restoration, humour, and balance within the work day. Without planned opportunities for rejuvenation and humour appreciation, participants admitted that they would seldom take the time to incorporate these into their work day. Therefore, QOWL initiatives can provide staff with a reason to take a break and find their balance. The findings indicate the factors affecting QOWL are varied and complex. The findings also indicate that there can be a paradoxical nature to work within a health care setting. Paradoxes exist in relation to the provision of professional care and the provision of minimized care. Paradoxes also exist in relation to the expressed need for restoration, humour, and balance and the low priority staff will place on taking time to fulfill these needs.

This thesis proposes an empirical approach to the history of film distribution and exhibition in Scotland before 1918. It deploys geo-database tools as a way to collect and analyse data from a range of archival and print sources, and to engage with historiographical questions about the emergence of cinema as an institution in a non-metropolitan context. The first part introduces the theoretical and methodological premises that underpin the project, situating it in relation to growing academic interest in early distribution and local film practices. A research method is outlined, involving the construction of a relational database documenting the places of film exhibition and the geographical variation in programming practices. This database, working alongside more detailed archival case studies, constitutes the foundation for broader discussions about the commercial, social and ideological roles of film and cinema. The analytical framework incorporates notions such as the commodity nature of film and the tension between different conceptions of the social role and position of cinema within Scottish communities. The emergence of institutional practices and structures in Scotland is thus described as occurring in a complex field of forces where two main polarities appear as prominent: Firstly, a tension between decentralised, local practices and the increasingly globalised operations of the film industry; and secondly, a shifting balance between regularisation and distinction, or the ordinary and the extraordinary. It is in terms of this fluid equilibrium that two overlapping moments in the history of the early Scottish film trade are described in the second and third parts of the thesis. Part II follows the creation and expansion of the Scottish market and popular demand for moving pictures, showing how different forms of film supply enabled the coexistence of various types of itinerant exhibition, and then of a gradual transition to fixed-site shows. It starts by exploring the continuities between film exhibition and existing cultural forms such as lantern lecturing and the music hall. It highlights the significant level of agency exercised by local exhibitors and renters within an open-market model that allowed the outright sale of films, and which also established a commercial interdependency between city-centre and peripheral exhibition. Part III argues that, once the market reached a relatively stable state with the regularisation of supply and the growing standardisation of the film product, the increasing concentration of capital and power in larger companies (both in the regional and the global scale) marked a shift in the balance of forces, away from unrestricted circulation and towards exclusivity. This is seen as a reformulation of the commodity status of film, associated with the emergence of feature programming. The consequences of the new textual and industrial trends for the Scottish distributors and exhibitors are considered, revealing geographical variation in their adoption, as well as incipient forms of resistance to the emerging institutional practices.

Golfers have been encouraged to develop consistent pre-performance routines (PPRs) in order to enhance their performance. However, the theoretical underpinning of these recommendations is unclear. Issues relating to the overall function(s) of the PPR, psychological components; routine usage across different shot types; and the impact of task difficulty on routine execution have yet to be explored in detail. The general purpose of this thesis was to quantify differences in the duration / composition of PPRs across shot types and task difficulty while developing a greater understanding of the psychological skills utilised and the function of the PPRs To achieve this general purpose four studies were completed. Study one (n=6, age M = 22.5yrs) explored the behavioural and temporal consistency of the PPRs utilised by the participants within shot type and across three different environmental conditions (competition, practice, and simulated). PPR behaviours were classified according to four categories (head, club, posture, still). The results revealed that the participants were very consistent in their routines and no significant differences were identified between environmental conditions. In Study two (n= 6, age M= 22.5years) the extent to which participants utilised different routines for different shots (putter, driver, wedge) as well as the impact of task difficulty on routine duration were explored. Significantly different routines were used for the three shot types. However, with the exception of one component for one participant, there were no significant differences between the conditions of task difficulty (easy Vs hard Vs very hard). In Study three (n=6, Age M= 23.7yrs) heart-rate deceleration (HR-D) characteristics for each participant prior to shot execution were explored for good versus poor shots as an indicator of attentional focus. There were clear differences between good and poor performance in the duration of the inter-beat intervals (IBIs). The specific purpose of Study four was to explore the psychological strategies utilised by golfers during their PPRs and the function of the PPRs. A number of key psychological skills were identified including: imagery, self-talk, relaxation techniques, trigger-words, concentration/focusing strategies, and achieving a ‘flow state’. The evidence suggested that the function of PPRs is to focus attention on the task. The findings of all four studies informed the development of practical guidelines for the future use and development of PPRs in golf.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

The writer of this thesis with the counsel of Dr. Lee F. Jones of the Education Department, and Dr. E. Kelly Thompson, President of Western, decided to make a survey of the status of physical education in the Ohio Valley Conference by means of a questionnaire and through personal interviews. With the materials obtained from the questionnaire and personal interviews with the Directors of Physical Education of the various colleges a proposed program of physical education was organized for Western Kentucky State College.

This study presents the results of a comparison of traditional grass-twist backstops frequently used on indoor ranges with one of corrugated cardboard design. The findings indicate that the corrugated cardboard design is substantially superior. The four factors selected for testing were: Arrow pass-through levels and subsequent arrow repair costs Arrow penetration levels, tested over several distances and using several bow weights Arrow-stopping potential with beginning and inexperienced archers Storage Testing showed the first three factors supporting the corrugated cardboard design. The last factor, storage, was found to be about equally supportive of both designs. Several recommendations are made. These recommendations include the adoption of the corrugated cardboard backstop design for use on indoor ranges and the use of shorter distances in the instruction of beginning and inexperienced archery students.

Introduction: Health, and well-being of older Canadians have been extensively studied. Less is known about health and well-being of older Canadians with disability. Study Objectives: 1) describe social participation patterns of older Canadian adults with disability; 2) determine the most commonly reported barriers for their participation in leisure and social activities; and 3) examine the independent effect of participation in leisure and social activities on their general health and life satisfaction. Methods: A secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the 2006 Participation and Activity Limitation Surveys (PALS) was performed. Results: A significant independent effect of participation in leisure and social activities on the positive general health and positive life satisfaction of older Canadians with disability, for both men and women, was confirmed. Conclusions: Participation in leisure and social activities is a potential venue to enhance health, and well-being of older Canadian adults with disability. / October 2016

The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent the existing Recreation Program of Denton, Texas provides for the leisure time needs of the citizens of Denton. After the existing program was surveyed, the results were compared with the standards set up by the National Recreation Association for a city the size of Denton. From a comparison of the present program and the standards, an effort was made to formulate a program that would meet the leisure time needs of the citizenship of Denton.

National parks have famously been called "America's best idea" and preserve the nation's natural and cultural resources for the enjoyment of all. One of the current working priorities of the National Park Service (NPS) is enhancing the relevancy and engagement of the national parks with diverse audiences, especially for underserved groups. To address this priority, transportation is needed to provide access to national parks, but transportation may not be equally accessible to all groups in society. Understanding the effects of transportation on visitation to the national parks by racial/ethnic groups is essential for the NPS to improve the accessibility of transportation systems and encourage greater visitation by racial/ethnic minority groups. Moreover, transportation can be more than a means of access, it can also be a form of recreation itself, providing opportunities for visitors to experience and appreciate parks and related areas. But, differences in desirability of transportation recreation opportunities across recreation settings and among racial/ethnic groups are rarely addressed. The intent of this dissertation is three-fold: 1) identify transportation related barriers impacting visitation to national parks by racial/ethnic groups, and the effects of transportation on the visiting national parks, 2) identify the differences in indicators of the transportation recreation opportunity spectrum among racial/ethnic visitors and across recreation settings, 3) measure spatial accessibility of national parks and the effects of spatial accessibility and other factors on visitation to national parks among racial/ethnic groups. The first phase of research is designed to identify barriers to visiting national parks that are related to marginality, subculture, and discrimination hypotheses, and examine the effects of transportation incentives on visitation among racial/ethnic groups. Study results found that racial/ethnic minority groups visited national parks less frequently than Whites. Hispanics were more likely to perceive transportation-related barriers to visiting national parks than Whites. Moreover, providing transportation incentives can increase visitation by Hispanics significantly. The second phase of research developed indicators for a transportation recreation opportunity spectrum (T-ROS), and examined the differences in desirability for T-ROS indicators among alternative transportation modes, different types of recreation settings, and different racial/ethnic groups. Study results identified the important indicators for transportation service in different types of recreation areas, which can help inform transportation planning and management for the NPS. The final phase of research examined the spatial accessibility of national parks from different geographic locations by incorporating geospatial analytics, assessed the spatial accessibility of different types of national parks among racial/ethnic groups, and estimated the effects of spatial accessibility on visitation to national parks. Results showed that Hispanics and Blacks had higher accessibility to national parks than Whites within short distance radii, however, Blacks and Hispanics were more likely to perceive distance as a barrier to visiting national parks than Whites. Study results can help the NPS understand the spatial structure of national parks, provide visual information for visitors about proximate national parks and recreation opportunities, and identified effective management strategies for enhancing visitation of racial/ethnic minority groups from different geographic areas.