Group projects have long been an important element of higher education classes. Class projects involve additional cooperation and coordination among students. Student perceptions are an important factor in evaluating the effectiveness of projects. This exploratory study used a 39-item questionnaire to examine undergraduate student perceptions of…

The aim of this study is to assess the perceived benefits of National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) certifications. The NRPA offered three certifications in 2010: Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP), Aquatic Facility Operator (AFO), and Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPS). The electronic survey sent from authors…

The purpose of this study was to better understand sport management students within departments of parks, recreation, and tourism, and to address the often uneasy fit faculty experience when trying to educate sport and recreation students in the same classes. Researchers sent a 16-item online questionnaire to 1,337 undergraduate sport management…

The number of women in higher education is growing. Yet, challenges exist for female faculty in the academy. The purpose of this study is to examine the strategies used by female faculty in parks, recreation, sport, tourism,and leisure programs as they negotiate their careers in higher education. Data were collected using an online survey that was…

Women represent growing numbers of faculty members in higher education as well as in recreation/leisure departments. The purpose of this study is to describe the career development of women faculty in recreation-related areas and to offer implications for faculty development and the preparation of future faculty. Data were collected from women who…

The current generation of college students is so adapted to the digital world that they have been labeled the multi-tasking generation (Foehr, 2006; Wallis, 2006). College students routinely use digital playback devices in their lives for entertainment and communication to the point that students being "plugged in" is a ubiquitous image.…

In order to explore the link between multicultural service-learning (MSL) and the development of multicultural competence, a participatory action research paradigm and constructivist grounded theory were used to qualitatively explore the perceptions of multicultural competence development in 30 recreation and leisure studies majors. Major themes…

This article is a call for research to be conducted on how to adequately design and evaluate outdoor leader preparation programs (Sugerman, 1999). The profession of outdoor leadership has been slow to examine effective ways of assessing the development of student knowledge, disposition, and performance that inform instructional practice and…

This study assessed the nature of the relationship between earning advanced degrees and career outcomes such as salary, job satisfaction, social capital, and human capital among professionals in the parks and recreation field. The sample (n = 196) was drawn from parks and recreation agencies located in the United States. Agencies, excluding…

The retention of racial minority students lies at the core of diversity efforts instituted by colleges and universities across the nation. Withstanding the changing racial demographics of the U.S. and the need to have qualified racial minority professionals serving diverse communities retention and matriculation heighten in importance. With the…

This study examined recent reading practices and beliefs of parks, recreation, and leisure services professionals. For many years, faculty members have engaged in informal discussions at professional meetings and in journals about the need to bridge the gap between academicians and practitioners in terms of moving research findings into practice.…

The purpose of this paper is to use reflexive methodology to describe the emotions and experiences of doctoral students and a professor who collaboratively conducted a research study using triangulated qualitative research data. The study was the major learning strategy in a doctoral seminar focusing on qualitative research approaches. In using an…

Despite extensive research, grading and the potential for grade inflation remain areas of concern within higher education. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to obtain collective understandings regarding grading and pressures to inflate grades from faculty and instructors within a research-intensive university. The study focused on a…

There has been a great deal of debate regarding the value of program accreditation. Two research questions guided this study: 1) are students enrolled in accredited parks, recreation, and leisure programs more academically engaged than students enrolled in non-accredited programs, and 2) do students enrolled in accredited parks, recreation, and…

Collected and applied student feedback intended to help revise one therapeutic recreation program's curriculum in response to student concerns about excessive course content during the final semester before internship. Data from surveys and focus groups indicated a need to move some course content from senior level courses to courses taken…