Conceptual Frameworks for Evaluating Diversity and Inclusion in Collegiate Recreation

Persistent evidence of inequitable experiences within collegiate recreation exists. Within the same field are multiple articulations of diversity and inclusion's high significance. The intersection of these contrasting ideas suggests there is a need to expand understanding of the role of diversity and inclusion in collegiate recreation. Exploring germane theoretical conceptualizations may allow for those stated goals to consistently align with practical outcomes, resulting in more equitable experiences for collegiate recreation's multiple stakeholders. Thus, the purpose of this article was to propose the integration of two conceptual frameworks which can be applied by researchers and practitioners to increase the scope and depth of understanding pertaining to engagement with diversity and inclusion.

Passage Through the Leadership Labyrinth: Women’s Journey in the Collegiate Recreation Profession

The metaphor “glass ceiling” does not accurately articulate the complexities of experiences had by women as they progress in their professional career. The leadership labyrinth serves as a theoretical framework to describe the intricacies of women’s journeys throughout their professional career and personal life. The framework implies that there are walls all around and that the journey for women is complex. Human capital, gender differences, and prejudice influence women’s decisions about their professional trajectory in collegiate recreation. Using interviews of 36 women, this qualitative study used a phenomenological approach that concentrated on the direct experience of women. The study explored the trajectory of women working in collegiate recreation to understand their lived experience. Results from this study indicate four distinct themes: barriers, mentorship/allyship, self-efficacy/competence and interventions. The findings for this study provide insight into how mentors and supervisors can address organizational culture and support women’s leadership development while working in collegiate recreation. The study offers discussion and implications for future research and practice to address the complexities women experience while navigating their passage through the leadership labyrinth.

Exploring the Relationship Between Usage of Collegiate Recreation Facilities and Academic Achievement

The purpose of this study was to explore grade point average among college students with varied usage levels of collegiate recreation (CR) facilities. Turnstile data was paired with demographic and academic data from university databases, including degree seeking status, to add a quasi-experimental component to the study (first time in college (FTIC) versus non-degree seeking students). Multinomial logistic regression analyses identified differences in grade point average for CR usage level, gender, and race/ethnicity ( p < .0001). It was determined that high CR users were 3.1 (95% CI = 2.16, 4.39) times more likely to have a high GPA (≥3.8) versus low users. Results corroborate prior evidence that high users of collegiate recreation facilities are more likely to also have high academic achievement.

Examining Work Experiences Among Collegiate Recreation Employees

Research on the experiences of employees has been plentiful over the last decade; however, work examining the experiences of collegiate recreation employees is limited. In order to enhance employee well-being, it is important that management understands the experiences of their employees and can invest in job supports that best suit the needs of their employees. Therefore, this research study examined the impact of work and family conflict, workaholism, work engagement, burnout, and coping on employees within the industry of collegiate recreation. In this study, 2,474 National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) professional and student members were sent a survey in which 621 participated and 522 were analyzed. Results indicate employees with young children and those in early career positions may experience significant work–family conflict/family–work conflict and burnout.

Perceived Meanings and Implications of Transgender Inclusive Policies in Collegiate Recreation: An Exploratory Study

To examine the intersection of trans-identities and collegiate recreation program and services (CRS), this inquiry explored the perceived meanings and implications of gender-related competitive sport policy as interpreted by transgender students. Three trans-identifying students ( n = 3) participated in this inquiry; each student reviewed collegiate recreation competitive sport policy excerpts and provided qualitative responses during phenomenological, semi-structured interviews. The resulting transcripts underwent a two-part, cyclical analysis to identify and explore common themes and phenomenological essence. Conclusionary themes indicated that CRS competitive sport policy—while possibly having the intent to be gender inclusive—may not be conclusively perceived as such. In addition, select—yet common—terminology used in CRS lexicon was perceived as being exclusive to trans-identities. These themes suggest that CRS trans-inclusive policy should consider the reception of its content during development and furthermore address a gap in literature by providing practitioners with insight as to the manner of which CRS policy is being perceived by their intended trans-audiences.

Collegiate Recreational Sports Participation as an Adjustment Aid for Former High School Athletes Experiencing Athlete Role Exit

Successful transition to college is an important consideration in student retention and success. Students who highly identify as high school athletes may experience adjustment difficulty when entering college without this role. The current study investigates participation in collegiate recreation programs as part of a positive adjustment process after the transition out of high school athletics. Results indicated that those with high involvement in collegiate recreation programs had greater perceptions of loss related to the cessation of their athlete role, but also experienced greater perceptions of life satisfaction. Feelings of loss following sport role exit were found to interact with recreational sports involvement on the outcome variable of life satisfaction. Specifically, among those with high loss levels, high recreational sports involvement was associated with greater satisfaction. Results have implications regarding the support of collegiate recreation as a contributor to the successful transition to college, particularly for students experiencing difficulty related to an exit from the high school athlete role.

The Impact of New or Renovated Collegiate Recreation Centers on Recruitment and Retention

Colleges and Universities have invested a great deal of resources in constructing and renovating recreational facilities over the course of time. These facilities serve as a location for health, fitness, and socialization, and provide many other wellness benefits. This study examines the impact of new/renovated collegiate recreational facilities on three different campuses and the return on investment (ROI). The ROI is measured through student participation, impact on recruitment, and retention. Additionally, this study intends to provide other institutions with examples on how they can provide data to reflect the collegiate recreation facility ROI.

A Five-Year Comparison of High-Risk Behaviors in Collegiate Recreation: Overtraining and Eating Disorders—An Exploratory Study

College students are at a higher risk for developing body image issues than any other age group (Attwood, 2012). However, empirical research focused on high-risk behaviors in collegiate recreation (CR) is lacking. Therefore, this study served as follow-up to the Shepard, Barnes, Click, and Peden (2011) seminal research which centered on overtraining (over exercise) and eating disorders in CR. A random sample ( N = 71) of National Intramural and Recreational Sports (NIRSA) fitness and wellness professionals from CR departments across North America participated in the 2016 study compared with 128 participants in 2011. Statistical significance testing ( p < .05) indicated that the difference in sample size between the two studies was not significant. Ninety-four percent of CR professionals agreed or strongly agreed that having NIRSA supported best practices for addressing overtraining would be helpful compared with 96% in 2011. Similarly, 92% of CR professionals agreed or strongly agreed that NIRSA supported best practices for eating disorders would be helpful compared with 96% in 2011. Additional findings are discussed. Recommendations are provided and meant to serve as a foundation for development of best practices between NIRSA and other professional organizations.

Perceived Benefits of Service Learning: A Comparison of Collegiate Recreation Concentrations

Service learning is becoming a more utilized method of instruction in collegiate settings, and holds the potential to provide a deeper, more transferable meaning of course material for students. The purpose of this research was to examine if therapeutic recreation (TR) concentration students perceived service learning to be more personally and academically beneficial than non-TR concentrations in a collegiate recreation program. Undergraduate and graduate students in a recreation program at a regional, American university were asked to complete a survey in a class with a service learning component. A total of 307 surveys were completed, for a response rate of 76%. Results showed that the TR students perceived service learning as more personally and academically beneficial than the non-TR concentrations. Due to the scant amount of research available related to cognitive and affective effects of service learning on collegiate recreation students, this study will help bridge the gap between academia and the recreation workforce. The results of this study support future implementation of service learning at the collegiate level, specifically in recreation-related academic departments, and highlights possible discrepancies between TR and non-TR concentrations in the effectiveness of service learning on personal and academic outcomes.