While meanings of leisure have been widely studied from Western perspectives, to date, few researchers have explored the meanings of leisure in non-Western cultural contexts. However, in an era of globalization, it is particularly significant to explore leisure experiences of people from non-Western cultures. This study is then designed to investigate the role leisure plays in a Chinese culture context. Specifically, Chinese university students’ leisure experience and the values they ascribe to leisure in relation to their lives as a whole is examined. Their ideology of work and its impact on leisure participation is addressed in particular. In a Chinese university, criterion sampling method was first applied to recruit Chinese students who could provide information-rich stories about their leisure participation. Snowball sampling method was also used to find more information-rich cases for this exploratory study. 11 participants were engaged in this study. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted to discover leisure experience of these students. Data analysis was guided by a constructivist grounded theory approach to understand the participants’ perceptions and meanings of their leisure experience. The data analysis resulted in three major themes. The first theme “Valuations of Work” addressed that the students placed high valuation on work and their life was ruled by work. The second theme “Two Spheres of Leisure” illustrated the students’ ideology of leisure and its impact on their leisure experience. The last theme “Causes for the Subordinate Role of Leisure”revealed two underlying causes that shaped the subservient role of leisure in the students’ daily lives. The emerged themes reflected that the students’ lives were centered around work; and they gave little consideration to their leisure participation. Holding such work-leisure ideology, the students’ leisure participation cannot always contribute to their well being. Therefore, this study advocates the implementation of leisure education in China, which may facilitate the Chinese people to build a balanced and healthy life style.

While meanings of leisure have been widely studied from Western perspectives, to date, few researchers have explored the meanings of leisure in non-Western cultural contexts. However, in an era of globalization, it is particularly significant to explore leisure experiences of people from non-Western cultures. This study is then designed to investigate the role leisure plays in a Chinese culture context. Specifically, Chinese university students’ leisure experience and the values they ascribe to leisure in relation to their lives as a whole is examined. Their ideology of work and its impact on leisure participation is addressed in particular. In a Chinese university, criterion sampling method was first applied to recruit Chinese students who could provide information-rich stories about their leisure participation. Snowball sampling method was also used to find more information-rich cases for this exploratory study. 11 participants were engaged in this study. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted to discover leisure experience of these students. Data analysis was guided by a constructivist grounded theory approach to understand the participants’ perceptions and meanings of their leisure experience. The data analysis resulted in three major themes. The first theme “Valuations of Work” addressed that the students placed high valuation on work and their life was ruled by work. The second theme “Two Spheres of Leisure” illustrated the students’ ideology of leisure and its impact on their leisure experience. The last theme “Causes for the Subordinate Role of Leisure”revealed two underlying causes that shaped the subservient role of leisure in the students’ daily lives. The emerged themes reflected that the students’ lives were centered around work; and they gave little consideration to their leisure participation. Holding such work-leisure ideology, the students’ leisure participation cannot always contribute to their well being. Therefore, this study advocates the implementation of leisure education in China, which may facilitate the Chinese people to build a balanced and healthy life style.

It is estimated that 61% of people with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) don't engage in any form of leisure time physical activity (LTPA) (Morrato, Hill, Wyatt, Ghushchyan, & Sullivan, 2007). One of the primary interventions to manage T2D is regular engagement in Leisure Time Physical Activity (LTPA) (Sigal, Kenny, Wasserman, Castaneda-Sceppa, & White, 2006). Many studies have tried to increase the frequency of LTPA in this population with little success (e.g., Williams, Bezner, Chesbro, & Leavitt, 2005). A new innovative approach to increasing engagement in LTPA is needed. Feelings of enjoyment have been found to correlate with adherence to LTPA (e.g., Williams, Papandonatos, Napolitano, Lewis, Whiteley, & Marcus, 2006) and theorized to be an outcome of experiencing something that is personally meaningful (Snyder & Lopez, 2002). It has also been found that "participation in leisure...continues when the experiences and/or the activity are meaningful to the individual" (Ragheb, 1996, p. 247). Thus, exploration of personal meanings that are valued and experienced within LTPA may be a key approach to effectively increasing LTPA. A content-analysis of the literature yielded the identification of five leisure meanings and three outcomes that are derived within and/or from leisure activity engagement. A new scale, the Leisure Meanings Gained and Outcomes Scale (LMGOS), was developed to reflect the findings. It was confirmed by an expert panel for face and content validity and then administered to Temple University students (n = 163). Exploratory factor analyses provided evidence for construct validity and reliability and led to further refinement. The refined LMGOS was given to adults with T2D (n = 26). The results showed significant correlations between specific leisure meanings gained and LTPA engagement, as well as between outcomes of meanings gained and LTPA engagement. The implications of the study include demonstrating: (a) the utility of a theoretically and psychometrically sound measure of the meanings gained and its outcomes via leisure (i.e., LMGOS), (b) the need for acknowledging meaning-oriented experiential and emotional properties of LTPA from a more holistic and humanistic perspective, and (c) the importance of meaning-seeking or meaning-making through leisure as a key facilitator to active living and health promotion for people including individuals with T2D. / Therapeutic Recreation