Parks, Recreation And Tourism Management

Assignment Rationale:

The purpose of this assignment is for you to become more aware of the attitudes people have toward inclusive recreation and leisure. By asking a simple question and noting the responses from different individuals you will begin to understand the attitudes, barriers, and stereotypes faced by individuals with disabilities and differences.

What am I expected to accomplish in this assignment?

Survey 5 people and ask them the required question about inclusive leisure and recreation. Gather the information, reflect upon the information, and then write a 1-2 page reflection paper discussing their individual reaction to the survey and your reactions to their reactions. The reflection will allow you to process the information, think about the attitudes represented by the information, and explore your own attitudes and possible biases toward individuals with disabilities and difference participating in inclusive recreation and leisure activities.

Assignment Requirements:

1. Survey 5 people. No more than 2 may be family members. Also, you cannotinterview students or professionals in PRTM.

• You can ask a stranger by saying, I conducting a poll for a class about recreation management, may I ask your opinion?
• Make sure to have participants from at least 3 different life stages (childhood, adolescence, young adults, adults, older adults).
• Please choose 1 question to ask all of your participants:
  • “How would you feel about playing on a sports team with a person who has Down’s Syndrome? What benefits could come from this activity? What might be bad about it?”
  • “How would you feel if there were separate swim hours for women only at the recreation center? Why do you think it might help some people? What might be bad about it?”
  • “How would you feel if all the basketball goals were lower so that people who used wheelchairs could compete in the NCAA tournament? What fears might people have? What policy changes might be suggested?””
  • “How would you feel about learning that someone on your sports team is a transgender person? What fears might people have? What policy changes might be suggested?”
• Write down the respondents’ answers to the question after they answer—do not audio-record them or ask their names
• In addition to what they say, make field notes about behaviors you observed and attitudes expressed by the people you interviewed.
• Review the information after you have completed all 5 interviews and look for common themes found in the information as well as your field notes

2.  Write a 1-2 page reflection paper discussing their individual reaction to the question and your reactions to their reactions.

• First, briefly describe your findings and then discuss how you felt about the answers you received. Be sure to include your own reactions to the question.
• Discuss what you learned from this activity.

Format:

• Follow Standards for Written Work (APA format).  Utilize Purdue Owl if you are not familiar with this format.
• Essay format to address points raised in assignment requirements (intro, main points, conclusion)
• Turn in your field notes (handwritten or typed) from your interview

Tips on being successful:

1. Write down any attitudes you noted when the person responded to the survey.
2. Write down the person’s answer as soon as you can (during or after your survey).
3. Introduce yourself as a student and explain that you have an assignment to conduct a brief, 1 question survey. Then ask the individual if they would be willing to answer one question for your survey. Be sure to ask them their age, gender, and race and record this information.
   • For example, “He appeared shocked that someone with a disability would be playing a sport with persons who do not have disabilities.”
4. Take time to review all of your information before you write your reflection. Think about what people told you and how they told you. If you observed any behaviors think about what those behaviors may have meant.