Date of Award

11-1-1983

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Health, Physical Education and Recreation

First Advisor

Dr. Edsel Buchanan

Abstract

Changes in work schedules, retirement age, and the economic situation have led to increased amounts of leisure time for individuals in our society. The demand for higher education in the recreation field has also increased to maintain pace with the growth in recreation... Since 1960, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) has been striving to help discern and provide for the recreational needs of our society by developing a curriculum for students interested in entering the recreation field. Recreation courses were first introduced at the Municipal University of Omaha during the 1960-61 academic year when four courses were added to the physical education curriculum. In the following years, several recreation courses were gradually added to the curriculum, further defining recreational studies as separate from physical education. In 1976-77, the recreation program was formally titled the Recreation and Leisure Studies (R/LS) Program. Periodic additions and revisions to the program have resulted in the current 15-course curriculum offering specializations in management/leadership, therapeutic recreation, and outdoor recreation. Despite the growth in the curriculum, certain factors have surfaced which could be considered limitations to the UNO R/LS program. For example, over the years, the typical tenure of faculty members within the R/LS program has been of brief duration. These frequent changes of faculty members may imply a lack of continuity and limited growth within the program. As evidenced in the statement by Gray (1973), there exists a need to determine which aspects of curriculum are relevant to meet the changing demands of the recreation profession. It would appear that one of the most efficient means of evaluating program effectiveness is through the use of graduate follow-up studies (Slack, 1980). Feedback from graduates may result in curriculum changes which will ultimately improve the quality of the program.

Comments

A Thesis Presented to the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation and the Faculty of the Graduate College University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science University of Nebraska at Omaha. Copyright 1983, Dawn Stockman

Download

Share

COinS