An increasingly important aspect of general education preparation is education for free time, or leisure education. Little experimental research concerning leisure knowledge and leisure attitude has occurred in education, social psychology, or in the field of leisure. / This investigation was designed to determine what effect a leisure-education workshop, adapting and implementing the Mundy/Odum Leisure Education Model, had on leisure knowledge and leisure attitude of selected student-affairs personnel. The 104 subjects were student-affairs personnel from Florida State University. / Subjects were randomly assigned to one of four groups (two experimental, two control). The experimental groups participated in a three-hour workshop based on the model. Subjects in experimental group (1) were asked to complete the Leisure Awareness Questionnaire and the Ragheb-Beard Leisure Attitude Scale as pre-tests. These two instruments were repeated, with the addition of the Workshop Questionnaire, at the conclusion of the workshop. Subjects in control group (1) completed the Leisure Awareness Questionnaire and Leisure Attitude Scale as pre-tests. Subjects in experimental group (2) were asked to complete the Leisure Awareness Questionnaire and Leisure Attitude Scale as post-tests, with the addition of the Workshop Questionnaire at the conclusion of the workshop. Subjects in control group (2) completed the Leisure Awareness Questionnaire and Leisure Attitude Scale as post-tests. / The dependent variables were leisure knowledge and leisure attitude. The independent variables were the treatment (three-hour leisure education workshop) and the pre-tests. Hypotheses were tested with 2 x 2 ANOVA. / Findings indicate the treatment had a significant (at .05 level) effect on leisure knowledge and the behavioral component of leisure attitude. The results suggest that a leisure-education workshop based on the Mundy-Odum Model can significantly affect leisure knowledge and the behavioral component of leisure attitude. The model should be further explored as a potentially useful model for educating student-affairs personnel in leisure education. Further research is needed in examining similar and longer-term effects, and in comparing results of other types of training based on this model. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-06, Section: A, page: 2097. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

Although research on the academic preparation and performance of college athletes is plentiful, the studies that have been conducted often do not distinguish the sport, race and sex of their samples. However, the academic performance of revenue-producing sports athletes has come under severe criticism, especially through the media. Some research findings do support the contention that the academic performance of football and men's basketball players, especially those of black ethnic origin, does pale when compared to that of non-athletes and non-revenue sports athletes (Renwick, 1982; Mayo, 1982, 1986; Bartell et al., 1984, Sandon, 1984, Ervin et al. 1984; American Institutes for Research (AIR), 1988, 1989). The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA, 1993) has responded to calls for reform by implementing legislation designed to return college athletic programs as "an integral part of the educational program and the athlete as an integral part of the student body" (p. 1). / The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between the academic preparation in high school and scores on the SAT or ACT and between academic preparation, scores on the SAT or ACT and the academic performance in college of Florida State football and men's basketball players, who initially enrolled from 1986-1990 on an athletic scholarship. These relationships were determined first for all subjects and then for subjects split by ethnic origin. / Multiple regression analysis concluded that high school academic grade point average was found to be the most important independent variable for predicting how subjects of both white and black ethnic origin will do on the SAT and ACT, as well as how they will perform academically during the first two years in college. Also, t-tests determined that subjects of white ethnic origin demonstrated a significantly higher level of academic preparation in high school than did subjects of black ethnic origin, but there was no such significant difference in academic performance in college. / These findings are intended to assist Florida State University in making admissions decisions and with implementing retention strategies that may include noncognitive measures and academic intervention and support programs. The results and implications of this study may also be of value to the NCAA in establishing initial eligibility academic standards. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-03, Section: A, page: 0505. / Major Professor: Robert A. Rider. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

Horseracing flourished in antebellum north Florida only to lose favor in the 1840s. A resurgence of interest after the Civil War sustained horseracing into the twentieth century as it spread to Jacksonville, Orlando, and Tampa. Opposition to gambling culminated in a 1911 state law which temporarily curtailed racing. Proponents bounced back with creative, alternative betting schemes and horseracing continued. With the south Florida land boom in the 1920s, racing moved into the Miami area to stay and prosper. First Hialeah Park in 1925, followed by Tropical Park in 1931, and then Gulfstream Park in 1939 opened to popular acclaim. Fighting anti-gambling opponents, horsemen convinced the state legislature to legalize pari-mutuel betting in 1931, a move designed to boost the ailing economy with much-needed revenue. While the three tracks battled for the best winter racing dates, organized crime infiltrated the tracks as race horse owners, bookmakers, and controlling interests in the tracks. Expelled in 1941 from Tropical Park, organized crime otherwise continued unabated until Senator Estes Kefauver's investigations in 1950-51. Horseracing survived the scrutiny to become the number one spectator sport in the United States in the 1950s. Sunshine Park near Tampa revived racing on the west coast, and the first new, all-weather track for summer racing, Calder, opened in Dade County in 1971. Tropical became a Dade County parks and recreation facility, Gulfstream surged ahead of Hialeah in attendance and money generated for state coffers, and economics threatened to close the grand-dame of Florida racing, Hialeah. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-01, Section: A, page: 0332. / Major Professor: Edward F. Keuchel. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

The issue addressed by this research was the question as to what constitutes the most appropriate level of consumer motivation at which to target marketing activities, such as marketing mix strategies. Most recently, benefit segmentation has been recommended as the best approach for marketing. Underlying the fact that benefit segmentation "works", i.e., that it seems to provide marketers with access to consumers' motivational systems, however, is the recognition that benefit-seeking represents a "superficial level" of consumer motivation. The question arises whether there is a more basic level of motivation underlying the benefits sought by consumers and, if so, how important it might be to understanding, predicting, and possibly influencing consumer behavior. / Both qualitative and quantitative research techniques were used to explore the travel motivations and behaviors of three separate samples of leisure travelers. The research objectives of this study were: (1) to determine whether a more fundamental level of consumer motivation underlies the benefits sought by leisure travelers, and (2) to determine if an understanding and operationalization of this deeper level of consumer motivation might be meaningful from a marketing perspective, specifically in terms of market segmentation. / Results suggested that benefit-seeking in a leisure travel context does indeed seem to represent a more superficial level of consumer motivation and that a functional approach (i.e., Katz (1960)) appears to tap a limited set of more basic needs related to leisure travel motivation. Both the benefit-seeking and the functional approach were operationalized and evaluated against other traditional forms of tourism market segmentation. Under certain circumstances and for certain marketing objectives, it appears that a functional segmentation mode may be superior to benefit segmentation. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-03, Section: A, page: 1002. / Major Professor: J. Dennis White. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1991.

As college costs continue to rise, critics question why institutions are investing funds in “unimaginable college experiences” that include climbing walls, leisure pools, and state-of-the-art wellness centers (Martin, 2012; Yu & Effron, 2014; McNutt, 2014). The recent discontinuation of several dozen college outdoor recreation degrees and outdoor orientation programs suggests that the value of outdoor recreation has diminished on the modern college campus. The public challenge to such organizations occurs because of “legitimacy gaps” (Sethi, 2005, as cited in Brummette, 2015). Organizational legitimacy hinges on public acceptance of an organization’s actions within a socially constructed system of norms, values, beliefs, and definitions (Suchman, 1995). The same components that create the basis for organizational legitimacy also comprise the foundations for organizational culture. To survive in the modern system, college outdoor recreation programs must be able to articulate how their mission, behaviors, and decisions add value to their campus community and to institutional goals. This study explored how successful college outdoor recreation programs leverage the outcomes of effective organizational culture-building to maintain organizational legitimacy using data from three nationally-recognized college outdoor programs. The primary research questions were: 1) how does a college outdoor recreation program create a “cultural fit” within the mission and strategic plan of its institution, and 2) how does the program articulate goal congruence with institutional stakeholders? The researcher conducted interviews with 18 participants and conducted a document analysis to explore how programs shared their value with stakeholders. Findings suggest that successful programs 1) garner support when their organizational culture reinforces the institution’s organizational culture, 2) establish value by being the sole provider of specific experiences in support of the institution’s strategic priorities 3) can best maintain and extend legitimacy by cultivating a web of strategic, collaborative partnerships. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester 2017. / August 8, 2017. / college, higher education, legitimacy, organizational culture, outdoor recreation, value / Includes bibliographical references. / Robert A. Schwartz, Professor Directing Dissertation; Jeffrey James, University Representative; Kathy L. Guthrie, Committee Member; Bradley Cox, Committee Member.

Grounded in Basic Psychological Needs Theory (BNT; Deci & Ryan, 2000) and integrating theory from the group dynamics literature (i.e., team cohesion; Carron, 1982) this thesis extended current understanding of the determinants of optimal functioning in elite youth athletes and teams. The studies aimed to highlight the roles of task and social cohesion as antecedents and outcomes of basic psychological needs satisfaction (BPNS) in teams and provided supporting evidence of structural invariance across elite and non-elite competitive levels in hockey players. A team-referenced examination of the tenets of BNT in teams was supported providing a novel approach to the conceptualisation of optimal functioning in teams. The mediating role of BPNS in the relationships provided further information explicating the differing associations between the BNT-related variables between and within teams. The examination of rugby players’ perceptions of the coach-created climate revealed that autonomy support was negatively associated with mean rates of change in levels of negative affect over time. The chapters provided a systematic examination of the BNT processes that extends knowledge beyond conceptualisation and measurement of athletes’ perceptions with a focus on youth athletes operating within elite and non-elite teams.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) remains the primary cause of death in the United Kingdom today and postprandial lipaemia (exaggerated elevation of the plasma triacylglycerol (TAG) concentration after intake of a fat-containing meal) is gaining recognition as an independent CHD risk factor. This thesis provides an overview of the effect that single bouts of exercise can exert on postprandial lipaemia. The conclusions from the experimental chapters within this thesis are that: prior moderate exercise reduces the lipaemia associated with moderate and high fat meals to a very similar extent in percentage terms; a single session of resistance exercise does not lower postprandial TAG concentrations in overweight, sedentary men, regardless of exercise intensity; ad libitum energy intake is not significantly increased on the morning after a brisk walk, with the exercise-induced lowering of lipaemia akin to percentage reductions from studies where fixed size meals were given; and aerobic exercise which lowers postprandial lipaemia, also increases postprandial hepatic portal vein and femoral artery blood flow. The general message from this thesis is that moderate-intensity aerobic exercise should be advocated as a strategy to lower cardiovascular disease risk, based on experimental evidence that postprandial lipaemia is consistently reduced after single bouts of brisk walking.

The prevalence of obesity in childhood and adolescence is increasing and is often accompanied by poor physical and psychological health. Cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension and impaired glucose tolerance are prevalent in up to 30% of obese children whilst psychological impairments such as low self-esteem and depression are also commonly observed. Numerous factors have been implicated in the development of obesity, and include both metabolic and environmental factors. This thesis explored these determinants with particular reference to the role of physical activity, dietary intake and cardiorespiratory fitness. Obese children and adolescents demonstrated very low levels of physical activity, reduced cardiorespiratory fitness and significant psychological impairments. Many interventions have been employed to counteract obesity in childhood; however most are limited by high attrition rates. Children and young people are unwilling to give up sedentary behaviours and therefore the development of interactive media games offers a potential strategy to increase physical activity. This thesis identified dance mat exercise as being sufficiently intense to improve cardiorespiratory fitness in obese, sedentary children and young people. Furthermore 12 weeks of dance mat exercise promoted favourable changes in body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness and psychological well-being; all of which point towards an improved quality of life.

The present thesis extends the goal striving literature by exploring personal and primed autonomous and controlled goal motivation in relation to goal-related outcomes (e.g. persistence, attainment, inter-goal relations), the responses to goal failure, and well- and ill-being. Aligned with the Self-Concordance (SC) Model (Sheldon & Elliot, 1999), the central hypothesis was that autonomous motives would be associated with more adaptive goal pursuit and higher well-being. We investigated this hypothesis within a sporting context. In Chapter 2, we used ecologically valid video primes to manipulate goal motives. Extending the previous literature, we demonstrated that primed autonomous motives were associated with higher objectively assessed persistence towards an increasingly difficult goal than primed controlled motives. Chapter 3 showed that primed goal motives did not moderate the responses to goal failure. However we presented recommendations for how future research can investigate how individuals react to goal failure. Within Chapter 4, we blended the SC model with the Hierarchical Model of Motivation (Vallerand, 1997) to explain how coach behaviour can facilitate adaptive goal striving and well-being in team-sport athletes. Finally, Chapter 5 used a person-centred approach to examine autonomous and controlled goal motives when pursuing goals in multiple domains. The results suggested that higher autonomous motives are important for adaptive facilitation between goals. The research presented within this thesis represents important conceptual advancements of the goal striving literature. Furthermore, we present important practical implications for those engaging in goal pursuit in sport. Overall, we demonstrate the importance of individuals striving for goals which are underpinning by autonomous goal motives.

The aim of this thesis was to investigate the effects of positive and negative imagery content and ability on cognitive, affective, and behavioral outcomes. After reviewing the literature in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 examined whether negative image interpretation was influenced by imagery content and skill level. This chapter also investigated the effect of imagery content and skill level on performance, anxiety, and confidence in a golf putting task. Following a similar study design to Chapter 2, Chapter 3 investigated imagery’s effectiveness for regulating psychological and cardiovascular responses to competition stress. This chapter also examined whether mastery imagery ability was associated with psychological and cardiovascular outcomes. Following an experimental investigation of mastery and affect imagery ability, Chapter 4 explored these types of imagery ability as mediators between confidence and appraisals and responses to stress. This chapter also explored negative imagery ability’s role in these models through a negatively worded version of the Sport Imagery Ability Questionnaire. Overall, this thesis makes novel contributions to imagery literature by adding new relationships to the revised applied model of deliberate imagery use, testing a new measure of negative imagery ability, and highlighting mastery imagery ability’s role for protecting against debilitative imagery and regulating stress outcomes.