The purpose of this study was to determine women's perceptions of their
physical activity needs and preferences, survey their evaluation of how the
Intramural Sports Department accommodates those needs and preferences,
and determine if and how intramural sports programming might be adjusted
to serve women better. An open-ended survey was administered to female
Oregon State University intramural sports participants and potential
participants; the survey probed for customer needs, communication aspects,
and assessment of program services. Utilizing a grounded theory analysis,
five significant findings emerged from the survey results. The first category,
women participate in intramural sports for the social aspects, revealed that
female respondents participate in the intramural sports program to enjoy the
camaraderie that takes place with friends and other participants; this finding
is consistent with past research. A lack of opportunities and a desire for a
team formation service emerged as the second category; this category
indicated a barrier to participation in intramural sports. The third category
that emerged indicated that respondents have a desire for multiple skill
levels from which to choose to participate; however, a lack of female
participation prohibits a multiple skill level option. Although past research
has suggested that women prefer a cooperative playing environment, the
fourth significant finding indicated that survey results did not confirm nor
disconfirm that theory. Female participants and potential participants
reported a desire for both competitiveness and cooperativeness in their
playing environments. The final significant finding indicated that women
are getting the message about intramural sports; however, the message does
not entice them to participate. Interactive interviews with three participants
and two potential participants confirmed the research findings and analysis.
Suggestions to assist with team formation, increase female participation,
reduce participation barriers, provide a mixture of competitiveness and
cooperativeness, enhance promotion efforts, and conduct future research are
presented. / Graduation date: 1996
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/34986 |
| Date | 08 June 1995 |
| Creators | Bussler, Andrea C. |
| Contributors | Bowker, Judith |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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