Recreational Sports Journal 

About: Recreational Sports Journal is an academic journal published by SAGE Publishing. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Recreation & Sport management. It has an ISSN identifier of 1558-8661. Over the lifetime, 522 publications have been published receiving 4226 citations. The journal is also known as: NIRSA recreational sports journal & RSJ.

Undergraduate Student Benefits from University Recreation

Abstract: Research that determines the benefits that undergraduate students gain from participation in university recreation and its importance is needed to defend the existence of university recreation and ...

Assessment of a Campus Recreation Program on Student Recruitment, Retention, and Frequency of Participation across Certain Demographic Variables

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of campus recreational sports facilities and programs on student recruitment and retention and to provide analysis regarding the number of times students participate in recreational sports activity. A convenience sample of students from classes in the Department of Physical Education and Health at a small southeastern university was used in the study. The instrument consisted of a modified version of the National Intramural-Recreational Sport Association’s Quality and Importance of Recreational Services Survey. The chi-square test of homogeneity was used to test for differences, alpha = .05. Significant differences were found on the gender and class standing variables studied. Although limitations of the study exist, the results provide further evidence that students report that the availability of recreational sports facilities and programs has an impact on both their decisions to attend and remain at an institution. Furthermore, the study shows that dif...

The Influence of Campus Recreation Beyond the Gym

Abstract: Increasing student retention is an important issue on college campuses. Researchers have found that nonacademic aspects of campus such as campus recreation can positively influence students’ lives (Belch, Gebel, & Maas, 2001; Lindsey & Sessoms, 2006). The purpose of this study was to examine some ways in which participation in campus recreation positively influenced students’ lives. After receiving IRB approval, students were randomly selected to complete the campus recreation survey. The survey was based on the NIRSA/Student Voice Campus Recreation Impact Study survey. Of the students who answered the demographic questions, 45% were graduate/professional/continuing education students and 55% were undergraduate students; 43% were male, 56% were female, and < 1% transgender; and the majority of the sample was White (78%). The results showed that students reported a variety of benefits including health and social benefits from their participation in campus recreation facilities and programs.

Impact of a University Recreation Center on Social Belonging and Student Retention

Abstract: While studies have been conducted to determine the social-emotional development and learning outcomes associated with participation in sport clubs, very few similar studies have been done on the re...

The Contribution of Campus Recreational Sports Participation to Perceived Sense of Campus Community

Abstract: Out-of-class involvement provides students with opportunities for rich social lives which, according to Cheng (2004), are closely associated with sense of campus community. Based on Astin’s (1984) Theory of Involvement, and Boyer’s (1990) principles of community, the purpose of this study was to examine the degree to which involvement in campus recreational sports programs is associated with students’ perceived sense of campus community. Three hundred and thirty respondents completed an on-line questionnaire which consisted of demographics and questions related to their out-of-class involvement in 14 areas as identified by the institutions’ Dean of Students Office, and a 25-item sense of community scale developed by Cheng (2004). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to examine the underlying factor structure of the sense of community scale. The six factors extracted from the EFA served as independent variables in a multiple regression analysis used to predict student perceived sense of campus c...