Goals and Objectives of this Lecture

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Goals and Objectives of this Lecture

• Differentiate between program, programmer,
  programming, and program development
• Understand the role of programmers
• Describe the variety in recreation programming
• Explain the importance of understanding leisure
  behavior
• Describe the theory of symbolic interaction
• Understand the implications of symbolic
  interaction on programming

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Major Areas of this Course

• Planning
• Designing
• Evaluating

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Planning and Designing

• Planning
• Accounting for
• Need
• Stakeholder Interest
• Ability to do the job
• Resources to do the job
• Timeline to do the job

• Designing
• Imagination
• Understanding Interaction
• Understanding the Inputs of the Program
• Forecasting Outcomes

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Evaluation

• Understanding how the program works and what
  value or impact it has
• Feedback is used to
• understand program effectiveness
• Improve program (add, drop or modify)
• Guide decisions about other programs or ventures

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The Program and the Programmer

• Program elastic definition (skill building
  session to festival)
• basically a designed experience with an intended
  audience and outcomes
• (Recreation) Programmer
• designs experiences by manipulating and
  creating environments that are conducive to
  developing leisure experiences (elements)

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Programming

• Designing leisure experiences by manipulating and
  creating
• The environment
• Social interactions
• This is done to maximize the potential of
  creating desirable experiences.

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Program Development

• Process of designing, managing, delivering
  (implementing), adjusting, and evaluating
  programs
• Systematic
• Conceptual/Theoretical Basis
• Leisure Theory, Social Psychology, and Social
  Interaction

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Program Development

• Mission (why are you doing this?)
• Needs Assessment
• Understand your target group/intended audience
• Gauge staffing and program capacity
• Delivery (Implementation)
• Flexibility, readiness
• Evaluate
• Benefits/Outcomes and Processes

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Leisure Elements

• Freedom
• Freedom to pursue opportunity and possibility
• Freedom from constraints
• Intrinsic Motivation/Satisfaction
• Do it for the sake of doing
• Enjoy it for its own merits not some perceived
  benefit
• Engagement
• Active player in the experience-tuned in

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Leisure and its variations
PlaySpontaneity Self-expression Nonseriousness Co
nscious choice

• Leisure

RecreationRestoration Social purpose Morality
Games Rule-bounded Co-equal players Control
skill/chance Unknown outcome
SportPhysical exertion Standardizing
rules Competition of physical skills
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Thoughts on Leisure

• Play, games, sport and recreation can all be
  leisure
• But must feature the discussed elements
• Perceived freedom, intrinsic qualities,
  engagement
• Social interaction, why focus on social qualities?

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Assumptions of a Programmers Abilities

• Know what leisure is
• Know how leisure is experienced
• Can intervene to facilitate it
• Need to understand how people experience leisure
  in order to design effective recreation, parks
  and tourism programs

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Symbolic Interaction Theory

• A theory to guide programmers
• Reality is a social construction
• Individuals have unique interpretations of
  experiences
• Social (people)
• Physical (objects)
• Abstractions (ideas)
• Meaning is constructed through interaction

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Symbolic Interaction Theory

• Ind.(I)People(I)Objects(I)Abstractions
  Meaning
• Where (I)Interaction

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Assumptions of Symbolic Interaction

• Individuals engage in minded, self-reflexive
  behavior
• Act on the basis of meaning
• Capable of shaping and guiding own behaviors
• Can develop a joint line of behavior with others
  through their interactions with them

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Assumptions of Symbolic Interaction

• Humans interact with other humans
• Interpretation of events is emergent, negotiated,
  and unpredictable
• Interpretation is symbolic
• Words
• Symbols
• Meaning

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Multiple Stages of Intervention(As experienced
by the participant)

• Program all phases of the experience
• Anticipation
• Consider expectations
• Participation
• The actual experience
• Consider the total experience
• Not just participation

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Key Objects

• Identify, understand and manipulate objects most
  crucial to the experience
• Physical (things, equipment, etc.)
• Social (people)
• Abstractions (ideas)

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Key Interactions

• Remember the meaning of experience arises through
  interaction
• Not inherent to the experience
• Specific to the situation
• Can change
• Is negotiated through
• Expectations
• Behaviors

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Creation of the Experience

• Interaction is produced by the participant
• Order and content of interactions is important
• Source of meaning
• Need to respect individual autonomy
• Participate in construction
• Accommodate interaction
• Individuals can influence each other
• Especially those in close physical proximity