An analysis of nature in three African American autobiographical narratives
Drew Cavin and David Scott

The study of race/ethnicity and leisure has been an area of great interest to researchers since at least the 1970s. Numerous studies have shown that differences exist in the ways people from different racial/ethnic groups participate in outdoor recreation (Floyd, 1998). Most of these studies have found that racial and ethnic minorities (i.e. non-White groups) participate in many outdoor recreation activities at proportionally lower levels than do Whites. However, many of these studies have not examined the socio-cultural history of the relationship between race and nature. In this study we analyzed narrative and historical autobiographical accounts of African Americans from the three major racial eras in United States history in order to examine African Americans’ relationship with nature over time. The slavery era is examined through Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave by Frederick Douglass (written in 1845); the Jim Crow segregation era is examined through Darkwater: Voices from Within the Veil by W. E. B. DuBois (originally published in 1920); and the contemporary era is examined through Mississippi Solo by Eddy Harris (published in 1988). Each of these works allows a glimpse into the relationship of the author with nature and outdoor recreation. The authors of each book shared a reverence for and a fear of nature, while each encountered nature in unique and different ways. Taken together, the three works offer us a deep and expansive glimpse into the complicated relationship between the wild places of our country and African American people.
 

Truck and tractor pulls: Plowing into the future of recreation, leisure, and tourism
Gretchen Newhouse Berns

Baby boomers and seniors: A leisure value study
Lynda J. Sperazza and Priya Banerjee

Baby boomers worldwide are influencing the aging of society in different ways and greatly impacting recreation programs and facilities. The purpose of this study was to understand what tomorrow’s seniors (baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964) are searching for in terms of community leisure needs as is perceived by their value structure. As a comparison, today’s senior citizens (born from 1925 to 1945) were also examined. Through a written survey, 52 respondents indicated their preferences regarding leisure values, programs, and facilities. Additional commonalities and differences regarding leisure were identified between baby boomers and seniors based on their survey responses. Findings provide the recreation professional with valuable insights into leisure values between these two cohorts.
 

Study abroad in the recreation curriculum: A student perspective
Carolin Lusby and Brandy Bandaruk

The purpose of this mixed-method study was to investigate student perceptions towards study abroad. In particular, attitudes, motivations, and perceived barriers were investigated using a survey instrument. The impacts of short term, faculty-led study abroad programs were analyzed using semi-structured interviews and grounded theory. The survey instrument was administered to 240 students enrolled in recreation classes in the fall of 2008. Data were analyzed using a statistical software package and showed that students were in general very interested in study abroad and perceived money and time as their main constraints to do so. The most popular programs were found to be short term programs with faculty and students from the same university, with the most attractive locations being Western Europe followed by Central America. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with fifteen students who studied abroad through a large public university in winter 2009, several themes emerged pertaining to impacts on student learning and development. The constant comparison method of grounded theory revealed that students felt an increase in self confidence, became more socially aware, and changed their perspective towards the country visited as well as what it means to be American. All students felt their experience was beneficial and would recommend it to their friends. Following the tradition of grounded theory, a model of the study abroad process was developed. The model includes barriers and motives to studying abroad, the actual experience, and impacts derived from it. The needs for debriefing students upon their return as well as other implications for further research and study abroad administrators are discussed.

Family caregivers: An untapped travel market
Nancy J. Gladwell, Leandra A. Bedini, Erick T. Byrd, and David A. Cardenas

The purpose of this study was to investigate constraints to pleasure travel for family caregivers, specifically addressing constraints encountered from the industry's service provision providers. Data represented family caregivers' perceptions of physical, emotional, and social constraints that impact their leisure travel opportunities. Using a subset of data from a larger study that generated five constraints to leisure travel, this study focused only on the Service Provision factor that addressed physical and social accessibility of accommodations and services. Results showed that family caregivers not only missed their pleasure travel due to caregiving, but their travel-related decisions were shaped by their level of confidence in service provision. Recommendations address not only issues related to accessibility, but also ensuring that travel professionals are sensitive to unique travel needs of this travel market.