| Summary |
This study was designed to explore faculty and staff participation patterns, satisfaction levels, and perceived benefits of Recreational Services at East Carolina University. The 308 subjects were 131 faculty and 177 staff members. Subjects where sent a questionnaire in which they were to reply and return by means of campus mail. The return rate was 41% . Sixty percent of staff and 66% of faculty reported use of at least one program, service, or facility. Comparisons between genders and employment status (faculty vs. staff) were made with a series of chi square and analysis of variance tests. No significant differences in usage of programs/services or facilities by employment status. However, gender comparisons showed that males reported significantly greater (p [less-than] .01) usage rates of intramural sports, drop-in recreational activities, swimming, racquetball, and equipment use services and significantly lower (p [less-than] .01) participation in aerobic/fitness classes than females. Participation patterns were also examined by length of employment of respondents. Two areas significantly (p [less-than] .01) related to length of employment were aerobic/fitness classes and recreational swimming, with the 2-5 years of employment category reporting less use of these facilities than the other categories. No significant gender or employment status differences were found on any of the satisfaction with programs and facilities variables. The last analysis examined perceived benefits of participation. The only area of benefit significantly related to gender and employment status was "sense of accomplishment." The significant (p [less-than] .01) interaction revealed that male faculty and staff did not differ; however, female staff reported a significantly greater sense of accomplishment than female faculty. Results will enable recreational program coordinators to better understand recreational patterns of faculty and staff and enable them to provide programs to better meet their needs. |
