Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

Publication Date

7-1973

Abstract

A basic problem for many Recreation Administrators is hiring Recreation Leaders who will prove to be an asset to their programs. They must base their selection on the employee application form, an interview and personal judgment. A Recreation Administrator’s main concern in this respect is that he will hire a person who does not fit his own ideals and those of the Recreation Department. The person hired must be able to attain a rapport with the children he is dealing with, and at the same time, maintain the prescribed program. He must accomplish this task with a minimum of guidance.

The Administrator’s concern is warranted because of the short duration for which most Recreation Leaders are hired. It becomes very difficult to replace a leader who does not fit the program. Thus, research dealing with projections for the selection of sub-professional Recreation Leaders can be justified if the findings are utilized to aid municipal recreation departments in their selection process.

How then does a Recreation Administrator select qualified Recreation Leaders if he is not provided with adequate criteria for selection? This study will attempt to provide an answer to the question by utilizing a Recreation Leader Projection Inventory based on the Minnesota Teacher Attitude Inventory (MTAI).

The MTAI has primarily been used in the selection of students for teacher preparation and teachers for teaching positions. Cook, Leeds and Callis believed that the use of the Inventory could logically be extended to other areas, such as the ability to work with youth groups (Boy scouts, Girl Scouts, etc,),

The MTAI was selected by this researcher because it was previously adapted to suit the pertinent requirements of a recreation situation (camping), without altering the original intent of the statements.

The purpose of this study was to determine:

  1. Whether Recreation Administrators hire those people who score high on a Recreation Leader Projection Inventory, and
  2. Whether the Recreation Administrator hires the Recreation Leader who fits in the Administrator’s Profile.

Data was obtained from forty-nine (49) (87.8 percent) of the 55 Recreation Leader applicants who received the questionnaire. Six of the questionnaires were eliminated from consideration because of incorrect marking. The questionnaires, taken on OMR-STC 100 answer sheets, were graded by hand.

The data was analyzed and presented in four sections: 1. Description of test scores; 2. Comparison of subject group to the norm group; 3. Comparison between Recreation Leader applicants hired and those not hired; and, 4. Comparison between the Recreation Administrator profile and those leaders hired.

When compared with the high school senior and university freshmen norm groups, there seemed to be no significant mean differences between these groups and the subject group. Speculation was made as to the approximate age and education of the three groups.

There seemed to be no significant mean difference between the subject group and the non-academic secondary teacher group. These teachers were involved in areas such as music, art, physical education and industrial arts. All areas were considered recreational in nature, thus speculation was made that Recreation Leader applicants would have approximately the same personalitiy traits as non-academic teachers.

The study failed to gain evidence that those Recreation Leader applicants hired did not score higher on the adapted Minnesota Teacher Attitude Inventory (MTAI) than applicants who were not hired. Therefore, the MTAI, in this study, was not a primary base of consideration for employment as a summer Recreation Leader in the Santa Fe, New Mexico Park and Recreation Department in 1972.

There were not enough administrator score to properly evaluate the Administrator Profile. There was, however, an indication that the Recreation Administrator did not hire those people who had comparable scores to his own.

Document Type

Thesis

Language

English

Degree Name

Physical Education, Sports and Exercise Science

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences

First Committee Member (Chair)

Elmer Arthur Scholer

Second Committee Member

Martin Burlingame

Third Committee Member

Kenneth Carl Lersten

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