The current process of continuous change in South Africa causes that the outdoor instructor and recreation services are confronted with a variety of demands: the demand for better service delivery, more comprehensive and multi-purpose programs, higher training requirement in practice, better facilities, more expected outcomes by the consumer and a safer environment. Further challenges for the outdoor instructor include long work hours, consecutive camps and intense programs during which high risk and responsibility form part of the work circumstances of the outdoor instructor. Responsibility includes the physical, emotional, social and spiritual welfare of both the outdoor instructors and the participants. Pressure on the adventure organisation/-centre and the outdoor instructor to provide in the expected need can lead to several different factors (organizational policy and procedures; specific work aspects; personality factors) influencing the outdoor instructor's work experience with regard to satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Work satisfaction or work dissatisfaction is an emotional attitude that indicates the extent to which the individual's needs and expectations within the work environment are satisfied. The extent to which these needs are satisfied, can play a role in the staff turn-over amongst outdoor instructors in other words, the permanent withdrawal of a worker from a worker organisation.
A qualitative research design has been employed to determine the experienced relation between the personal and organizational factors that influence the work satisfaction of the outdoor instructor. From the available population of seven adventure organizations within the Gauteng and North-West Provinces, participants were selected by way of a probability selection. Eleven outdoor instructors agreed to take part in the study and were questioned through the use of semi-structured interview based on an interview schedule. The data was analysed after completion of the interviews based on Tesch and Giorgi's methods of content analysis.
Results were evaluated from literature and based on the results, the conclusion can be reached that outdoor instructors experience the work as positive with regard to personality factors if the work falls within the outdoor instructor's interest and work ethics. Most outdoor instructors seemed to experience the work as negative with regard to the organisation policy and procedures, as well as certain work aspects. In cases where the outdoor instructors' work satisfaction was low, it had the potential to lead to high staff turn-over. There is in other words a relation between the work satisfaction of the outdoor instructor and his experience with regard to values, field of interest and organisational factors. With regard to this study and the findings, three hypotheses are accepted.
Guidelines were formulated in addition to the conclusions regarding recreation research, recreation teaching and recreation practice. These guidelines contribute to the improvement of the work satisfaction of outdoor instructors and the lowering of staff turn-over at adventure organizations. The guidelines indicate further adjustments which organisations can make to keep outdoor instructors. These guidelines include the following: Guidelines to improve the experience relation between organisation environment and work satisfaction of the outdoor instructor with regard to work routines, terrain, finances, staff, time and organisational approach. There are also guidelines to improve the relation between field of interest, work ethics and work satisfaction of the outdoor instructor. / Thesis (M.A. (Recreation Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NWUBOLOKA1/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/5048 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Swanepoel, Hannelie |
| Publisher | North-West University |
| Source Sets | North-West University |
| Language | other |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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