This study used Ajzen's (1991) Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to explore Polynesian student-athletes' motivation to improve academic performance (AP), while participating in Division I (D1) college football. Specifically, this study examined how attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control influence motivation to achieve a higher GPA. Furthermore, ethnic identity, family obligation and cultural values were examined as potential contributors to subjective norms. The sample consisted of 70 Polynesian football student-athletes at 10 U.S. D1 universities. A modified TPB questionnaire was used to assess the TPB variables (attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control) as contributors to Polynesian football student-athletes academic, athletic, and career motivation toward achieving a higher GPA. A factor analysis indicated family obligation and cultural values were contributors to subjective norm. Further, a stepwise regression analysis indicated subjective norm was a consistent predictor of academic, athletic, and career motivation. Positive relationships were also found between perceived behavioral control and athletic motivation, as well as, attitude and academic motivation. Although AP was not predicted in this study, findings highlight the impact of Polynesian football student-athletes perceived social pressure from family and culture on their academic, athletic, and career motivations. Findings provide implications for advisors, administrators, and scholars.

As the United States becomes increasingly urbanized, the importance of federally designated wilderness areas as places of reflection and refuge from city life becomes even more apparent. These wilderness areas provide visitors with opportunities for solitude, recreation, and connecting with nature. Wilderness has long been important to American society, influencing the likes of John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, and Henry David Thoreau. With the passage of the Wilderness Act of 1964, the assurance that these areas would remain protected in perpetuity for the enjoyment of the American people was enshrined into law. While these wilderness areas remain protected by Federal law, increasing visitation rates and changing social norms may begin to threaten the so-called "wilderness experience," making it difficult for visitors to enjoy and experience the conditions set forth in the Wilderness Act. Wilderness managers must therefore seek to understand the attitudes, preferences, and motivations of wilderness visitors using these areas to ensure that management conditions provide for a high-quality wilderness experience. This study uses quantitative survey methods to explore differences in management preferences, wilderness conditions, and crowding perceptions between overnight and day visitors to wilderness areas. Visitors were surveyed at 30 trailheads throughout the Olympic National Park Wilderness during the summer of 2012. While wilderness visitors held many similar opinions on management preferences and wilderness conditions, there were differences in the degree to which they agreed or disagreed. Overnight visitors tended to be more sensitive to crowding than day visitors, both on hiking trails and at attraction sites, and were more supportive of management policies that limited access in favor of increasing opportunities for solitude experiences. This study supports the use of a management by objectives framework that incorporates indicators and standards of quality to ensure that certain conditions are met. Findings from this study can aid in the development of standards for crowding and the establishment of other management policies in Olympic National Park Wilderness to ensure that all visitors are provided with the opportunity for a high-quality wilderness experience.

Extreme sport participation has traditionally been conceptualized as a psychological disorder and something to be avoided (Cashmore, 2002). Viewed in this way, these individuals are thought to be enacting an unhealthy psychology (Ogilvie, 1997; Slanger & Rudestam, 1997). Other research has described participants in extreme sports as sensation seekers under-stimulated by their normal surroundings and out of control (Zuckerman, 1979). Using Brymer's (2005) focused definition of extreme sports, "activities where a mismanaged mistake or accident would most likely result in death, as opposed to injury" (p. 5), this study utilized a phenomenological method to analyze semi-structured interviews with 16 free-solo climbers (n =16). The participants described their motivations in terms of overwhelming enjoyment, heightened focus, and personal progress. These results support more recent research describing extreme sport experiences as opportunities for positive transformation with outcomes including gains in courage, humility, eco-centrism, and emotional engagement (Brymer, 2009; Willig, 2008). These findings challenge the traditional, stereotypical notions of extreme sports participants as young and male (Wheaton & Beal, 2003), sensation-seeking (Zuckerman, 1979), and psychologically unwell (Ogilvie, 1997; Slanger & Rudestam, 1997). Answering Brymer's (2005) call to investigate all extreme sports individually, this study focused on the specific extreme sport of free-solo climbing and found the experience of the free-solo climber is a powerful undertaking enjoyed by young, old, male, and female.

The purpose of this study was to investigate if and how comparative skill levels within marital leisure activities relate to marital satisfaction, and if gender or activity type affects that relationship, and if Flow theory could help explain a potential correlation of these leisure activity contexts. Specifically, this study examined three different comparative skill differences and similarities of couples engaging in leisure activities in three different types of leisure activities as factors in marital leisure satisfaction and ultimately Satisfaction With Married Life (SWML). Their gender and the skill-gender interactions were also included in the analysis. This study followed up on Johnson et al.'s (2006) recommendation for “œmore consideration . . . to be given to the context of the activities themselves and the motivation behind participation” (p. 20). The sample consisted of 657 participating couples regionally reflecting the population and ethnicity across the United States. The Modified Marital Activity Profile (MMAP) was used to measure marital leisure satisfaction. The Satisfaction with Married Life (SWML) scale was included after the MMAP to obtain the overall satisfaction with married life score. The flow experience was measured using items from the Flow State Scale (FSS). A mixed models analysis of co-variance indicated the most common joint leisure activity of both spouses at a similar skill level, and husband is noticeably better than wife, reported significantly higher SWML scores than when the wife is noticeably better than the husband most often. Also, couples who are satisfied with their leisure participation in worse than spouse activities have significantly high SWML scores. Analysis further showed three of the four significant Flow variables had high SWML scores when experiencing Flow, whereas non-athletic activities appeared to be opposite of the other three Flow variables. These relationships were significant even when accounting for the variance explained by demographic variables of gender, age, years married, marriage history, education obtained, ethnicity, and location. Findings support existing family leisure research. This study, however, goes beyond existing research by indicating which comparative skill levels, by gender, and activity types, are positively correlated to SWML. The findings provide implications to couples who are interested in maintaining a healthy marriage, to those considering marriage, scholars, and professionals.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the Applied Ancestry program meets its objectives of assisting at-risk youth with regard to character development. The sample consisted of 40 youth (12-17 yrs) enrolled in the Anasazi Foundation Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare program. These teens were randomly assigned to either the control (n = 22) or treatment (n = 18) group. To measure the impact of Applied Ancestry on character development the VIA Signature Strengths Survey, developed by the VIA Institute, was used. A pre-post test comparison found no difference between the two groups, however the overall negative changes in survey scores for the entire sample (N = 40) were found to be statistically significant. The negative change in scores was attributed, in large part, to participants' self-concept at the time they took the survey, with lack of humility being a key factor in pre test scores.

The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of Duerden, Courtright, and Widmer's (n.d.) Recreation at Work (RAW) Model and explore the relationship between RAW and employee flourishing (i.e., resilience, work engagement, organizational identification). This study explored the unique contribution from RAW and work activities in relation to employee flourishing. Structural equation modeling revealed RAW and leisure as a state of mind (LSM) perceptions (i.e., intrinsic motivation, perceived freedom, positive affect) had positive relationships with personal expressiveness (β = .704, p < .001) and organizational identification (β = .164, p = .002). Additionally, RAW had a positive relationship with resilience mediated by personal expressiveness (β = .157, p = .001). Results suggest RAW provides added value to the workplace by facilitating personal expressiveness, resilience, and organizational identification. Comparisons are discussed around the benefits of LSM perceptions during work and RAW activities. Practical applications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Adventure recreation (AR) has been found to supplement addiction treatment and recovery in valuable ways. However, questions about the components and processes of AR and its influence on behavioral addiction specifically, e.g., gambling, video gaming, pornography, etc., still remain. Using the Meaningful Learning Experiences Model (an AR-based framework) and a quasi-experimental pre-post design, the present study examined AR's influence on three therapeutic principles (authenticity, social network support, and therapeutic engagement) that have been found to significantly influence addiction recovery. Seventy-five participants with sexually related addictions, namely pornography addicts, supplemented their 12-Steps recovery meetings with a Meaningful Learning Experience and scuba diving intervention. MANOVA results indicated that AR influenced all variables in therapeutically beneficial ways, with the most saliently effected subdomains being inauthentic living and social support networks. These findings elucidate certain AR components and processes in an addiction treatment context and support previous claims that AR is also a viable and unique supplement for behavioral addicts seeking recovery.

The purpose of this study was to gain understanding about the influence of technology, specifically cellular phones, on decision making during potentially risky situations in the backcountry. Previous research in this area is contradictory and some studies indicate technology is influencing people to take more risks while others suggest it is not. Further confounding the relationship is the fact that previous studies have found people may be taking more risk in the presence of technology were based largely on respondent perceptions, not observation data. The current study used a scenario-based decision model to examine the difference in decision making between those who carried a cell phone on a hike and those who did not. A one-way ANCOVA revealed there was no statistical difference (F=2.18, p=.0898) between the two groups. This indicated people did not take more risks because they carried a cell phone into the backcountry. Risk tolerance and experience hiking long mountain hikes similar to the mountain used in the scenario were the only two variables that influenced decision making in this model. Because cell phones do not adversely influence decision making, it is proposed cell phones and other wireless communication devices be added as a recommended piece of gear to the 10 essentials to help reduce the time it takes for search and rescue to arrive on scene when help is needed.

The purpose of this study was to determine the existence and extent of the relationship of coaching styles and adolescent athletes in terms of Self Determination Theory (SDT). Specifically, this study adapted Baumrind’s parenting styles of authoritative, authoritarian, and permissiveness to coaching styles and examined the relationship between each coaching style and the tenets of SDT, namely competence, autonomy, and relatedness. This study also examined the effect of the number of years an athlete participated in a chosen sport, the number of years played on a specific team, and the number of years played for a particular coach. The sample consisted of 194 Brigham Young University students who had participated in either club or high school level sports for at least one year while in high school. Study participants completed the Basic Needs Sports Satisfaction Scale (BNSSS) and a sports-adapted version of the Parenting Authority Questionnaire (PAQ). Results from block entry method linear multi-regression analysis suggested Baumrind’s Parenting Typology could in fact be successfully applied to adolescent sports and that coaching style could impact athletes’ levels of perceived autonomy, and competence. Results revealed that an authoritative coaching style was a significant predictor of athlete autonomy and competence while an authoritarian coaching style was a significant negative predictor of athlete autonomy levels. Results hold practical implications for coaches, athletes, parents, and league administrators.

The purpose of this study was to examine family communication within the Core and Balance Model of Family Leisure Functioning. This was accomplished using path analysis, specifically using a mediator model. Family leisure was measured using the Family Leisure Activity Profile (FLAP), family functioning using the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACES II), and family communication using the Family Communication Scale (FCS). The sample was youth (n = 90) and parents (n = 123) from 25 different states in the US. Family leisure involvement predicted family functioning variables from the youth and family perspectives, but only partially from the parent perspective. Family leisure also predicted family communication from the youth and family perspectives, but not from the parent perspective. Family communication predicted family functioning from all of the perspectives. Path analyses from the youth perspective indicated that the relationship between core family leisure and family flexibility was mediated by family communication, as well as the relationship between balance family leisure and family cohesion. Path analyses from the parent perspective indicated the same mediation by communication as the youth, with an addition of the mediation of the relationship between balance family leisure and family flexibility. The data indicated that family communication does mediate some of the relationship between family leisure involvement and family functioning.