The research presented in this thesis sought to explore the ways in which patriarchal relations are constructed and contested within and through the leisure policy process. Drawing on structuration theory, socialist feminism and malestream critical sociological analyses, a methodology was developed for examining the situated practices of leisure professionals and local politicians in the local state at a time of economic and political restructuring in the late 1980s. The research explored the gender dimensions of recruitment to and experience of local government leisure professional and party political groups, and the extent to which women and men as gendered subjects were able to influence the leisure policy process. Of particular concern was the significance of leisure policy in feminist struggle. Also explored in the research were the kinds of gender ideologies circulating and the articulation of professional and party political ideologies with gender ideologies. An important consideration was the kinds of ideologies which were emerging and gaining ascendancy during the period of economic and political restructuring. Arts and recreation policy in two local authorities were selected for detailed study. The main method of inquiry was semi-structured interviews with a number of local professional officers (n=30) and local politicians (n=37). Visits to sports centres and art galleries provided additional sources of data, as did policy documents and observations of council and relevant committee and sub-committee meetings. The contribution of the research presented in this thesis is twofold : the development of a methodology for exploring the gender dimensions of the leisure policy process; and the generation of knowledge of the gender dimensions of leisure policy process. The research methodology implies a strategic relations approach to analysis of the state in which the state is theorised as a set of distinct institutions which at any one moment reflect the outcome of former struggles and provide the context for future struggles. The research thus gives an indication of the complex configurations of struggles within the local state leisure policy process, and brings into focus the articulation of some key dimensions of those struggles - gender, professional, party political, and local-central relations.

In the United States, COVID-19-related restrictions included a stay-at-home order with the exception of essential services such as medical care, grocery shopping, etc. During this time, all universities transitioned to an online learning format. This study examined the impact of COVID-19 on physical activity lifestyle changes within a university community. This was a cross-sectional study in which assessed changes in lifestyle-related behavior during the Covid-19 pandemic, the amount of sedentary time spent each week, and the underlying reasons behind people’s decisions as to whether to engage in physical activity. The respondents (n=1536) The results of this survey (n=1536) showed that 52.2% were between 18 and 25 years of age, 87.4% Caucasian, 56.7% single and 67.7% female. The mean BMI was 25.8 with 2.6% underweight, 40.9% healthy weight, and 56.5% overweight or obese according to the CDC. Study results showed significant differences between Healthy weight and Obese and between Overweight and Obese with regard to lifestyle-related behavior with those having higher BMIs being affected most by COVID-19. This was the same trend seen with the Physical Activity Vital Sign (PAVS) which is a measure of time spent in physical activity. Underweight (m=265.2) and healthy weight individuals (m=262.5) spent more time being physically active. Lastly, those with healthy BMIs differed significantly from all other BMI categories with regard to the BREQ-3 Relative Autonomy Index suggesting that those with healthier BMIs felt greater autonomy with regard to exercise behavior.

Individuals within the United States Forest Service, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and state park systems were studied to determine their integrative orientation (general problem solving strategies). This orientation involves a preference for trying new ideas, working within a long time frame, generalizing in planning or managing, taking risks, working in close association with others, examining many aspects of a problem, working on difficult problems, developing a variety of skills, and working on problems requiring continual revision. An attempt was made to relate this orientation to education, major field of study, agency, time, tasks, level in the organization, important skills, and situations in which skills are acquired. The results, for the most part, were inconclusive. However, much of this can be attributed to the sampling procedure and the format of the questionnaire. Integrative orientation tested with skills thought to be important yielded significant results, with definite differences appearing between the groups. The overall pattern which developed showed that an individual with a high integrative ability feels that a wider varie y of skills is more important than does an individual with less integrative ability.

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This thesis was undertaken in order to explore aspects of the impact of outdoor recreation on water quality. It begins with a discussion of the rationale for monitoring and controlling such environmental degradation. Following sections include an investigation of water quality characteristics particularly indicative of recreational impact, a discussion of the potential contributions of various recreation activities to water pollution, a literature survey, a guideline for planning and implementing a water quality surveillance program, and recommendations for further research. Material for the thesis came from library research and was augmented by the author's personal experience as a water quality research technician.

Serious academic enquiry for the tourism sector may appear inconsequential, but the business of tourism is complex and fragmented. Tourism is a multi-disciplinary phenomenon facilitating research from a number of different angles and providing many services requiring partnership between public and private collaboration towards delivering an effective tourism sector. Waterloo Regional Council declared its aspiration for Waterloo Region to be a destination of choice. However, there has been no research conducted to understand the viability of this aspiration. Thus, this research understands from a stakeholder perspective how tourism development is being undertaken in the Region. This will provide a preliminary understanding on tourism development in the context of economic, social and environmental dimensions of development. The joint use of two theoretical frameworks helped to identify and manage divergent perspectives of sixteen stakeholders who provided the primary data for this research. The data revealed three major themes through a changing lens that first considers the role of tourism as an effective vehicle of development. This meets with change due to limitations and uncertainties due to constraints that lead to conflicts between stakeholders responsible for its development. Findings reveal that stakeholders confront numerous fundamental challenges, which provide constraints and bottlenecks for tourism development in the Region. This research understands the need for leadership, strategy and effective collaboration between all stakeholders as vital for tourism development.

ABSTRACT The cruise sector constitutes one of the fastest growing sectors of the tourism industry. With the continued growth of the industry comes the need to develop new ports to accommodate the increased volume of ships as well as the increasing size of modern cruise ships. It is important to understand how the development of new cruise ports impacts the local community. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify the attitudes and perceptions of residents regarding the impacts of the new cruise ship port development in Falmouth, Jamaica. The Historic Port of Falmouth was developed through a partnership between Royal Caribbean and the Port Authority of Jamaica and is the largest purpose-built port of call in the Caribbean. A case study approach was utilized to identify the attitudes and perceptions of residents regarding the impacts of the new port development in Falmouth, Jamaica. The study consisted of semi-structured interviews, and participant observation. The research took place in Falmouth in March 2012. A total of 23 interviews were carried out with residents who had varying levels of involvement with tourism. The three overarching themes emanating from the analysis of the data are: Big Ships, Big Disappointment, What could be improved? and All is Not Lost at Sea. Findings revealed that Falmouth residents are disappointed with the development because they have not received the economic benefits they were promised by Royal Caribbean. Despite the residents’ frustration and disappointment with the port, many still believe that it has given some opportunity for residents to improve their quality of life. The powerlessness of members of small Caribbean communities in the face of large tourism developers is evident throughout the study.

Camps provide an avenue for examining positive youth development. Camps represent environments where children can develop their social capital and emotional intelligence insofar as camp activities teach children how to build positive relationships and to relate to others emotionally that lead to positive outcomes. Little research has examined children’s social capital and emotional intelligence and the relationship between them. Using a longitudinal dataset, this study examined the change of social capital and emotional intelligence experienced by campers. Findings revealed that increases in social capital caused increases in emotional intelligence. Differences were found based on gender. Furthermore, residential camps were found to have a stronger effect on the relationship between social capital and emotional intelligence than day camps. This study lends itself to furthering the understanding of the development of emotional intelligence and the importance of camp in children’s development.

Despite many sports leagues for participants over the age of 18 being co-gendered, little research has explored how women experience co-gendered sport. Women are typically underrepresented in these leagues so it is important to understand what attracts them to the sport and their experiences of playing. The current study examined how women experience co-gendered soccer in a Region of Waterloo soccer league. Semi-structured conversational interviews with seven women, who participated in co-gendered soccer for more than one season, were conducted. The findings suggest that upon facing unfavourable stereotypes about women's athletic abilities, women who play co-gendered soccer felt the need to prove their skills to male teammates, thus changing the way they played and experienced soccer. Women also both resisted, by their confidence and skill, and reproduced, by their acceptance of male athletic superiority, dominant gender ideologies that frame co-gendered soccer. Therefore, although co-gendered soccer experiences are gendered and teammate interactions can reinforce dominant gender ideologies, the current research found that co-gendered soccer is also a space for women to resist and challenge what it means to be "feminine." Furthermore, this study suggests that there is need for organizational change based on how women experienced gendered rules and organizational structure in co-gendered leagues. Although co-gendered soccer is experienced positively by some women, there is much work to be done by players, captains, and sport organizations to decrease gendered constraints and create more positive sport experiences for all players.

ABSTRACT This qualitative study utilized a systems theory approach and followed the premise that families are systems that seek a balanced state, interact with their environment, and are goal directed to explore the impact of anaphylaxis on families from a parental perspective. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of family leisure in families while living with a child diagnosed with anaphylaxis. This was done by exploring parental meanings and experiences of living with anaphylaxis and how this impacted their family leisure. Five research questions guided the inquiry relating to experiences and meanings of anaphylaxis, experiences and participation in family leisure, valuations and meanings of family leisure, caregiving as a constraint to family leisure, and gender considerations. A local support group for families and individuals living with anaphylaxis (WRASE) was contacted and aided in identifying parents who would be interested in participating in this study. Specific attention was given to obtaining a sample that included different allergies, ages of children, and number of children in the household. Four families were selected and both parents were interviewed separately in all but one case. Four core themes emerged from the in-depth interviews and included An Emotional Journey, Seeking Community Support and Dealing with Negative Feedback, Impact on Family Leisure, and The Increased Domestic Workload and Changing Role of Mother. In essence, parents experienced intense feelings of fear, paranoia, and stress as they sought to manage their child’s allergy and these feelings were just as intense during their family leisure time. Role changes and strain were particularly severe for the mothers in this study. The parents of children with anaphylaxis have received little attention in social science research to date. This research adds to the literature on chronic illness and also offers new insight into how anaphylaxis affects family leisure. Key findings in this area were the lack of opportunities for travel and social isolation. Furthermore, it was found that leisure, although often thought to be beneficial in managing stress and improving family functioning, may not be available to those living with anaphylaxis.