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ABSTRACTAccumulating evidence suggests that physically active leisure represents an important correlate of life satisfaction; however, the role that personality has on leisure involvement and life satisfaction remains ambiguous. This study explored whether the big-five personality traits explain running involvement and life satisfaction. Participants (N= 742) were recruited from a distance-running event held in the United States. The results revealed that conscientiousness had positive indirect effects on life satisfaction through attraction, centrality, and self-expression. Openness to experience also had positive indirect effects on life satisfaction through attraction and self-expression. These findings indicate that greater life satisfaction occurs for individuals with high conscientiousness and openness to experience through the enjoyment derived from running and the expression of identity through running.

AbstractThis study empirically tested the development of motivation within the Psychological Continuum Model (PCM) in the context of running. Different types of behavioral regulation and future exercise intentions were examined within the framework's distinct stages. Data were collected through an online survey of participants in a mass-participation running event (n= 1,083). Participants were placed into stages according to their level of running involvement using a three-step staging algorithm. MANOVA revealed significant positive relationships between stage of involvement and autonomous types of behavioral regulation and future exercise intentions. The results indicate that the PCM framework is able to account for the development of behavioral regulation. This contribution answers calls to empirically test theoretical frameworks for physically active leisure that help recreation and health professionals to understand maintenance of physically active behaviors.

AbstractWhile there has been tremendous growth in participation rates of women in distance running, the percentage of women participating in full marathons has plateaued. This study investigated this phenomenon by exploring whether differences in constraints and constraint negotiation across gender within this serious leisure activity can explain this difference. Survey research was used to collect data from 3,453 marathon and half-marathon finishers. Comparisons found different barriers across both gender and distance. Additional findings suggest, however, that constraints associated with women in leisure in general do not adequately explain the participation differences, and that women may merely define the parameters of serious leisure within distance running differently than men.

AbstractMarathon running is a leisure behavior that has seen tremendous growth during the past decade. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of factors associated with commitment to running for marathon participants. This study was designed to investigate the relationships among negotiation-efficacy, leisure involvement, and psychological commitment for individuals who had participated in a marathon event. A three-facet involvement measure was confirmed and then combined with negotiation-efficacy to predict commitment to running. The results revealed that two involvement dimensions and negotiation-efficacy explained 72% of the variance in commitment. A discussion of findings from the study as well as practical implications and suggestions for future research are presented.

Using a sample of 152 student employees, the authors examined the relationship between organisational justice and Perceived Organisational Support (POS). Specifically this study examined the degree that distributive, procedural, and interactional justice influenced student employee POS. Additionally, the authors explored whether perceptions of justice differed based on sex, tenure of employment, and type of supervision. All three dimensions of organisational justice were significantly related to POS, with distributive justice demonstrating the greatest effect. Based on findings from this study, it appears that employee perceptions of workplace fairness serve as an important determinant of POS.

The ability of recreational sport departments to offer quality programming and services often depends on whether they are able to employ and retain quality student employees. These student employees are critical in the performance of tasks associated with the daily operations connected with recreation programs. This study examined the role of perceived organizational support (POS) on student employee attitudes. It is beneficial for university recreational sport departments, specifically directors, to be cognizant of the role POS can play in the work experience of student employees. The relationships between POS and commitment (affective, AC and normative, NC) and satisfaction were investigated for 152 student employees of a campus recreation center. No significant differences in students' perceptions of POS were found based on gender, tenure, or type of supervision (student staff member, professional staff member, or graduate administrative assistant). However, the regression equations with POS and AC, POS and NC, and POS and satisfaction were all significant, explaining 46.2%, 39%, and 53.3% of the variance, respectively. The results of this study of the relationship between POS and commitment mirror several others from the field of industrial and organizational psychology, and it can be demonstrated that student employees reciprocate favorable treatment when they trust that their department will reward them in return. Future studies should focus on some of the particular antecedents of POS (e.g., supervisory support, participation in decision making, organizational justice, trust, and careerist orientation), as well as other possible outcomes of POS, and might provide more depth in understanding exchange relationships for student employees of recreational sports departments.

College recreational sport departments across the US typically depend greatly on student workers to deliver services. Because of this reliance on student workers, turnover in college recreational sports departments is very high (i.e., students are normally at the institution for a maximum of four years). One construct often examined when combating turnover is organizational commitment. Using Meyer and Allen's (1991) conceptualization of organizational commitment, 205 student workers in a recreational department at a mid-size university responded to a questionnaire regarding their levels of commitment to the department. Four separate dimensions of organizational commitment were examined in this study: (a) affective commitment (AC); (b) normative commitment (NC); (c) continuance commitment—high personal sacrifice (CC:HiSac); and (d) continuance commitment—low number of alternatives (CC:LoAlt). Results of the study showed the longer students worked in the department, the higher their commitment levels. Also, students supervised by a professional staff member showed higher commitment levels in three of the four scales (all but CC:LoAlt). Finally, students' levels of AC and CC: HiSac were significant determinants of their desire to maintain employment with the department.