Journal of Exercise Science and Fitness (2003), 1(2):129-132 SHORT COMMUNICATION

The relationships among leisure participation, leisure satisfaction, and life satisfaction of college students in Taiwan
Chun-Yen Huang, Bill Carleton
Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among leisure participation, leisure satisfaction, and life satisfaction of college students in Taiwan. By determining the relationship, if any, a more accurate picture of leisure involvement could be determined. A stratified random sample of 470 students enrolled during the 2002 fall semester at the Aletheia University in Taiwan was drawn from a list of potential participants provided by the universitys Registrars Office. The response rate was 78%. The results of this study indicated significant relationships existed between leisure participation and leisure satisfaction (r =0.32, P <0.01), leisure participation and life satisfaction (r =0.17, P <0.01), and leisure satisfaction and life satisfaction (r =0.35, P <0.01) of college students in Taiwan. Such findings supported other research on the relationship of leisure participation and leisure satisfaction to other facets of life. Keywords: Leisure activity, Lifestyle Introduction Higher education is no longer devoted exclusively to the education of the young but also to their lifelong learning structures and experiences (Patterson & Pegg 1999). Colleges and universities have not only allowed the entry of various racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups but have also welcomed adults of various ages. In Taiwan, colleges
Chun-Yen HUANG ( ) Department of Flight Service Management School of Tourism, Aletheia University, Taiwan 70-11 Pei-Shih Liao, Matou, Tainan, Taiwan Tel: 886-6-5703100 Ext.7435 Fax: 886-6-5703834 Email: hcy@mail1.mt.au.edu.tw Bill CARLETON Department of Human Performance, University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, Texas, USA

and universities have encountered an increased challenge for attracting new students as many junior colleges, training schools and vocational schools have turned into colleges and universities. From 1991 to 2001, the number of colleges and universities in Taiwan rose from 123 to 154, and the number of college and university students increased from 280,000 to almost 650,000 (Ministry of Education of Taiwan 2002). The college entrance examination in Taiwan was abolished in 2001, so now almost every senior high school student can attend college. Because of this, the college students life became an important issue for the government of Taiwan and college educational administrators (Chang 2001). College administrators had to determine how to provide an environment that met college students needs and contributed to their life satisfaction. In this researchers opinion, the main reason that Taiwanese students attend college is to prepare for future jobs; thus, todays college students are career oriented and the education institution is responsible for helping them become more capable. The environment inside and outside the college campus provides activities for students to participate in during their leisure and spare time. Leisure is an element that can be found in any activity, and it plays a significant role in the modern world. In past leisure research, little attention has been given to the relationship between leisure and the life satisfaction of college students in Taiwan. This study was an attempt to investigate the possible relationships among leisure participation, leisure satisfaction, and life satisfaction of college students in Taiwan. The researcher also examined the college rank and gender of the participants in relation to their leisure participation, leisure satisfaction, and life satisfaction. This study was limited to students enrolled during the 2002 fall semester at the Aletheia University in Taiwan. Caution should be taken when trying to generalize the results to a larger population (e.g., all college students in Taiwan, college students in other countries). College life has been called the most important part of a persons life (Cheng 2001). Traditionally, Taiwans education system focused on how to help students continue their studies so schools concentrated on the regular curriculum. But recently,

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schoolwork, love, and extracurricular activities have become the three basic elements for a college student. Many students had serious and extraordinary phenomena such as racing wildly, committing suicide, using narcotics, having chaotic sexual relationships, inducing abortion, and so on (Li 2001; Yen 1999), indicating that they didnt make good use of their free time. These phenomena influenced Taiwans society deeply and heavily. Solving these problems was a tough mission for Taiwanese government and college educational administrators. Some researchers have used the aging population to examine the relationship between leisure participation and life satisfaction (Caldwell & Smith 1988; Coleman 1993; Guinn 1995; Yusuf et al. 1996). These studies suggested that participation in leisure activities in earlier life could stretch into later life and help to reduce stress in later life. These studies also showed that the frequency of participation in leisure activities influenced the physical and mental health of human beings. Also, participation in leisure activities begun in childhood might influence later life. Satisfaction with leisure activities might increase the willingness of participation in that activity. Leisure activity usually refers to play behaviors in adults (Boley 2001). It is believed that the experiences gained through college student participation in leisure activities influences students in many areas of life, including job and life satisfaction. The literature review supported the relationships among leisure participation, leisure satisfaction, life satisfaction, and college students. Results of these studies indicated that a high level of participation in leisure activities influences an individuals perception of life satisfaction (i.e., the higher the frequency of participation in leisure activities, the higher the life satisfaction). It is believed that leisure is an important factor in life satisfaction (i.e., the greater the leisure satisfaction, the greater the life satisfaction). College students spend a lot of time participating in leisure activities on and off the school campus, but only a few studies have been conducted to investigate the relationship between leisure satisfaction and life satisfaction. The main reason for this study was that there appeared to be few studies that examined the variables of leisure participation, leisure satisfaction, and life satisfaction among college students in Taiwan, so this study fulfilled the literature of this field. Methods Participants The participants for this study were 470 students enrolled during the 2002 fall semester at Aletheia
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University in Taiwan. Aletheia University is a private institution affiliated with the Northern Synod of the Taiwan Presbyterian Church. It has two campuses; one in Tamsui, Taipei, and the other in Matou, Tainan. A stratified random sample of 470 students was drawn from a list of potential participants provided by the university Registrars Office. The sample included 380 students from the Tamsui campus and 90 students from the Matou campus. Instrument The instrument used in this study was a questionnaire consisting of four components. The first component consisted of demographic items. The second was the Leisure Participation Scale developed by Moss (1986) and modified by the researcher. The third was the Leisure Satisfaction Scale Short Form (Beard and Ragheb, 1980), and the fourth was the Life Satisfaction Index-Z (Wood, Wylie, & Sheafor, 1969). Data collection The method of distribution used in this study was a mailed questionnaire. The 470 students chosen to participate in the study received a packet containing a consent form, an English questionnaire, and a Chinese questionnaire, along with a pre-addressed, stamped return envelope. Each student was asked to complete and return the questionnaire within 10 days. Data analysis The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 10.0 version was used to analyze the data. The Pearson product-moment correlation was used to examine the relationships among the dependent variables of leisure participation, leisure satisfaction, and life satisfaction. Also, the independent-samples t test was used to examine the differences between college rank and gender in relation to leisure participation, leisure satisfaction, and life satisfaction. Results The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was used to examine any relationship between leisure participation and leisure satisfaction. Results indicated a significant positive correlation between leisure participation and leisure satisfaction, r =0.32, P <0.01 (n =353). Therefore, the null hypothesis was rejected. There was a significant relationship between leisure participation and leisure satisfaction of college students in Taiwan. The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was used to examine any relationship between leisure participation and life satisfaction. Results indicated a significant positive correlation between leisure participation and life satisfaction,

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r =0.17, P <0.01 (n =353). Therefore, the null hypothesis was rejected. There was a significant relationship between leisure participation and life satisfaction of college students in Taiwan. The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was used to examine any relationship between leisure satisfaction and life satisfaction. Results indicated a significant positive correlation between leisure satisfaction and life satisfaction, r =0.35, P <0.01 (n =353). Therefore, the null hypothesis was rejected. There was a significant relationship between leisure satisfaction and life satisfaction of college students in Taiwan. Discussion The results of this study indicated that significant relationships existed among leisure participation, leisure satisfaction, and life satisfaction of college students in Taiwan. Also, the results showed that significant differences existed between college rank and leisure participation, and gender and leisure participation of college students in Taiwan. From this research, college educational administrators in Taiwan could benefit from understanding and realizing how leisure participation and leisure satisfaction affect students life satisfaction. Although this study found the same results as other studies, this study is different because this was the first study in which the participants were actively attending a private, Christian university in Taiwan. There are 25 private, Christian colleges and universities in Taiwan (Ministry of Education of Taiwan, 2001). The results of this study will assist in developing future research. For college educational administrators, the results might be helpful in the formation of programs designed to increase college students leisure participation. The college administrators could encourage students to participate in different kinds of leisure and extracurricular activities. Several researchers stated that students with higher leisure satisfaction scores have significantly lower levels of stress (Chang 1998; Cunningham & Bartuska 1989; Hu 2000; Wu 2001). Therefore, colleges should provide students with an adequate fitness center and appropriate equipment to increase students leisure motivation and leisure satisfaction. In addition, college administrators should plan leisure activities for both males and females. These suggestions are designed to increase college students leisure participation and leisure satisfaction, which will in turn enhance life satisfaction. Because college is an important time in the life of college students and because there is a significant relationship among leisure participation, leisure satisfaction, and life satisfaction, Taiwanese students

should participate in leisure activities on and off campus. By participating in different kinds of leisure activities, college students could release academic stress, make their bodies stronger, make good use of their free time, build personal confidence, and adapt to a new college life. This could help decrease some of the negative factors associated with Taiwanese colleges and society. The results of this study indicate that leisure participation is positively related to leisure satisfaction. The more satisfied college students are with their leisure, the more frequencies they participate in leisure activities and vice verse (r =0.32). The results of this study show a positive relationship exists between leisure participation and life satisfaction of college students in Taiwan (r =0.17). And the results of this study indicate that leisure satisfaction has positive relationships with life satisfaction (r =0.35). Several studies have pointed out that leisure satisfaction is an important component of a healthy life (Driver et al. 1991; Guinn 1995; Wu 2001). So leisure satisfaction is one of the main contributors to life satisfaction. From this research, educators in Taiwan can realize that leisure activities are an important factor of life for college students and provide an essential element of life satisfaction. College administrators can benefit by knowing how leisure participation and leisure satisfaction affect students life satisfaction. The results of this study may help them plan and organize leisure activities, and provide a more satisfying college environment for students. References
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Li SC (2001) The relationship between partnership and leisure activities of Nan-Kai Institute of Technology students. Unpublished masters thesis, Chao-Yang University of Technology, Taichung, Taiwan Ministry of Education in Taiwan (2002) 2001 sourcebook of college student statistics. http://www.edu.tw Moss LH (1986) A study examining the relationship between leisure participation and life satisfaction among college seniors at the Florida State University. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL Patterson I, Pegg S (1999) Adult learning on the increase: the need for leisure studies programs to respond accordingly. JOPERD, 70(5): 4554

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