Becoming an Outdoors-Woman: relationships among frequency of participation in BOW programs, enduring involvement, and leisure satisfaction /

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to define the relationships among the frequency of participation in the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) program, overall participation in outdoor recreation following BOW participation, the dimensions of enduring involvement, and overall leisure satisfaction. In addition, possible relationships among the five dimensions of enduring involvement and the six subcomponents of leisure satisfaction were examined. The sample consisted of 1,283 women who had participated in at least one BOW program or event within the past 12 months. Demographic data were collected from the sample. Multiple regression analysis showed that only the number of activities not related to the BOW program and the enduring involvement dimension of identity expression were significant predictors of overall leisure satisfaction. Correlation analysis showed that participants' BOW program participation was significantly related to all five dimensions of enduring involvement. Correlation analysis showed an overall significant relationship (p less than .001) between BOW and non-BOW participation. The number of BOW activities and BOW frequency of participation over the past 12 months were significantly related, the number of outdoor recreation activities not related to BOW (non-BOW) and non-BOW frequency of participation were significantly related, and that there was a significant negative relationship between BOW participation and non-BOW participation. All five dimensions of enduring involvement were significantly related to all six subscales of leisure satisfaction (p less than .001). Independent t-tests showed statistically significant differences between those who purchased gear or equipment, licenses, and memberships in conservation, environmental, or other outdoor-related organizations and those who did not purchase gear or equipment, licenses, or memberships in their mean scores for all five dimensions of enduring involvement. The highest mean scores for purchasers were in the attracition and the identity affirmation dimensions of enduring involvement; the highest mean scores for those who did not purchase were in identity affirmation. Results of this study suggest that women's outdoor recreation activity outside the BOW program is an important predictor of their leisure satisfaction, and that BOW participation and the five dimensions of enduring involvement are correlated. Leisure satisfaction subscales and enduring involvement dimensions are positively correlated, and that purchase behavior is linked to the dimensions of enduring involvement. This study represents the first known use of the Modified Involvement Scale (MIS) (Kyle, Absher, et al., 2007) with a program of activities, rather than with a single outdoor activity.