The 29th annual GARLS Symposium will be held May 5th to 6th, 2022 as a virtual conference due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The theme is “Leisure in process: Reflections on leisure, sport, tourism and recreation scholarship” with keynote speakers Kevin Eshkawkogan, President and CEO of Indigenous Tourism Ontario and Dr. Linda Oakleaf, Department of Kinesiology, Missouri State University.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us at any time.
Thank you kindly,
Rebecca Koroll & Gaurav Panse, Co-Chairs
29th Graduate Student Leisure Research Symposium
Find what you are looking for:
- Primary objectives of the symposium
- 2022 Keynote speakers
- Information on student presentations
- Symposium overview schedule
- GARLS Symposium social 2022
- Location
- Registration
- Student presentations
Primary objectives of the symposium
- To offer students the opportunity to present their research and ideas in a supportive, inclusive atmosphere.
- To advance the state of knowledge about leisure, recreation, sport, and tourism through a public forum of shared research.
- To facilitate scholarly communication among students and faculty interested in leisure research, and to create the opportunity for constructive criticism and debate.
2022 Keynotes
This year we welcome Dr. Linda Oakleaf, Department of Kinesiology, Missouri State University as the Keynote speaker and Kevin Eshkawkogan, President and CEO of Indigenous Tourism Ontario as the Fern Delamere Memorial Lecture to commemorate the 29th year of the Symposium. These lectures are supported by the Lyle S. Hallman Endowment Fund.
Student presentations
Presentations and posters are either completed research studies, or works in progress. Case studies, philosophical pieces, literature reviews, conceptual development papers, and completed empirical studies are all included. Abstracts are subject to a blind review process. Presentations will be 15 minutes with discussion, and posters will be displayed throughout the conference, including dedicated poster discussion time. We invite graduate students (and senior undergraduate students pursuing research) interested in any aspect of leisure, recreation, sport, and tourism research to attend the symposium, and to take advantage of this unique opportunity for scholarly and professional growth.
Call for Abstracts
We invite graduate students (and senior undergraduate students pursuing research) interested in any aspect of leisure, recreation, sport, and tourism research to submit an abstract for the Symposium, and to take advantage of this unique opportunity for scholarly and professional growth.
The submission deadline is Friday March 11, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
Symposium overview
| Time | Session Title and Speakers |
|---|---|
| Thursday, May 5, 2022 | |
| 8:30 am - 10:30 am | Opening and Keynote Lecture by Linda Oakleaf |
| 10:30 am - 11:25 am | Student Presentations 1-3 |
| 11:30 am - 12:30 pm | Virtual Yoga Time |
| 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm | Lunch |
| 1:30 pm - 2:25 pm | Student Presentations 4-6 |
| 2:30 pm - 3:25 pm | Student Presentations 7-9 |
| 3:30 pm - 3:40 pm | Closing Remarks Day 1 with Karla Boluk |
| Friday, May 6, 2022 | |
| 8:30 am - 10:30 am | Opening and Fern Delamere Memorial Lecture with Kevin Eshkawkogan |
| 10:45 am - 11:45 am | Student Presentations 10-12 |
| 11:55 am - 12:15 pm | Closing Remarks with Conference Co-Chairs Gaurav Panse and Rebecca Koroll |
2022 GARLS Symposium social
The Symposium Social hosted by Graduate Association of Recreation and Leisure Studies (GARLS) is normally held following the closing of the Symposium to celebrate a day of great research discussion. Stay tuned for details.
2022 GARLS Symposium registration
Submit your registration form now. All registered students will be receiving a conference favor. Registered UW students will also be receiving an e-giftcard to use for lunch. The e-giftcards will be emailed to students individually.
Note that registration will close at 4:00 p.m. (EDT) on Tuesday, May 3, 2022.
University of Waterloo
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo ON N2L 3G1
Student presentations
Posting on the ‘Gram: What Content Engages Instagram Users in Women’s University Sport
Victoria Dewer, MA Candidate, Brock University
As university athletic departments continue to realize the benefits of social media, there is a growing need to understand the best practices of social media usage, which may allow them to increase engagement with their followers and effectively monetize their platforms (Chen et al., 2016). Without the understanding of what engages fans of university-level sport, athletic departments do not have the resources to develop content that is engaging thus falling short of their social media goals (Martin et al., 2011). Instagram is the platform of interest for this study as it has been found to be one of the platforms used most by university students (Ma et al., 2016).
The purpose of this study was to conduct a content analysis of a Canadian university women’s hockey team’s Instagram posts during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons as we set out to uncover what type(s) of content led to increased engagement and online interest in women’s university sport. This study analyzed the differences between the engagement rate of posts based the brand attribute, content form, and objective they were coded as. Each post’s engagement rate was based on the number of impressions the post received and included likes, comments, shares, and saves.
Results of this study may help provide a new perspective on effective social media utilization at the university level and within women’s sport. Marketers of university athletics departments and individual teams may utilize these results to make more effective decisions surrounding what type of social media content will engage users.
Life after a sport injury: Examining changes in perceived passion for the sport
Nur Gurbuz, Undergraduate Student, University of Waterloo
The purpose of this study is to develop a better understanding of the psychological impacts of a sport injury within a sample of amateur University student participants. Specifically, the present research examines changes in psychological factors (i.e., passion for the sport) from pre to post injury and how competitive athletes conceptualize the injury experience. Pervious research (e.g., Curran et al., 2011, Verner- Fillion et al., 2017, and Rip et al., 2006) has shown the importance of Vallerand’s (2003) conceptualization of harmonious and obsessive passion in understanding sport performance and attitudes to the use of performance enhancing substances (e.g., Wilson & Potwarka, 2014).
However, few researchers have examined how notions of harmonious passion (i.e., autonomous internalization of an activity into the identity of a person) and obsessive passion (i.e., Controlled internalization of activity into the identity of a person) in relation to a sport might change after experiencing a significant sport injury. Indeed, little is known about the extent to which injuries might awaken different perspectives about the role and importance of sport participation in one’s life. Data will be collected via a Qualtrics survey, that has been sent to varsity, intramural and club athletes. This current study is still in progress and preliminary findings will be shared at the conference. This study will provide key insights that will allow for targeted interventions to support athletes coping with injuries.
Understanding Motivations of eSports Spectators: A Self- Determination Theory Approach to Market Segmentation
David Xu, MA Student, University of Waterloo
Electronic sports (eSports) has experienced significant growth in spectatorship, which now rivals that of traditional sports. The eSport League of Legends (LoL) hosted a World Championship Final in 2013 that saw a total of 32 million viewers (Keiper et al, 2017). To compare, the 2014 FIFA World Cup attracted 27.3 million viewers (Keiper et al, 2017). In 2021, the LoL World Championship Final nearly doubled the viewership from 2013 with 73.8 million views (McLaughlin, 2021).
Despite the substantial growth in eSports spectatorship, relatively little is known about why individuals choose to watch these events. Moreover, limited marketing research has attempted to segment the eSports consumer market using theoretically grounded motivational constructs such as those associated with Self-Determination Theory (SDT). SDT suggests that autonomy, competence, and relatedness form the basic psychological needs of an individual and drive human motivation (Qian et al, 2020). Autonomy refers to willingness to act voluntarily on one’s own interest (Qian et al, 2020). Competence refers to one’s belief in one’s own ability to master a skill or succeed at a task (Qian et al, 2020). Relatedness refers to developing a sense of community with others (Qian et al, 2020). SDT will be used to explore both personal and social elements that positively influence motivations towards eSports spectatorship. Data will be collected using a self- administered online survey distributed via a link on the streaming platforms YouTube and Twitch for regular season League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) games. A cluster analysis will be used to help segment the market based on SDT constructs. The current study will advance practical and theoretical understanding of motivations of eSports spectators.
Envisioning the future of Indigenous Tourism Destination Marketing in Canada
Gaurav Panse, PhD Student, University of Waterloo
Destination marketing serves as an important tool to achieve economic objectives and strategic decision-making (Pike, 2008). However, promoting commodified mass tourism has contributed to a decline in living conditions for the destinations and their residents through social dislocation, loss of cultural heritage, economic dependence, and ecological degradation (Sharpley & Telfer, 2015). We aspired to conduct this critical scoping review in the geographical context of Canada. Destination marketing studies in Canada have been conducted for a variety of reasons, mainly to evaluate destination image & place branding; promotion of music, arts, and culture; travel market segments and expected economic return; online tourist behavior; tourism partnerships and host-guest relationships and the promotion of “Last Chance Tourism” (See Lee, Morrison & O’Leary, 2006; Jolliffe & Chesworth, 2019; Lemieux et al., 2018; Banyai, 2012; Parker et al., 2012; Brown, 2009; Griffin & Nunkoo, 2020; Dewar et al., 2007). Out of all broad purposes of destination marketing listed above, we have noted that indigenous tourism destination marketing has received minuscule attention in the tourism scholarly literature and that data or research is scarce from the geographical context of Canada. Using the scoping review approach suggested by Colquhoun (2016) and Arksey and O’Malley (2005) and SCOPUS scientific database, we have reviewed the current state of destination marketing studies in Canada, identified gaps in existing research, and made recommendations for future research within this realm through a framework envisioning the future of Indigenous tourism destination marketing in Canada.
Understanding Young Carers and their Leisure (UYCL): A Participatory Action Research (PAR) Initiative
Rebekah Ann Norman, MA Student, University of Waterloo
Over 1.2 million young Canadians between the ages of five to 25 support a family member or friend with a long-term health condition, disability, or as an older adult (Statistics Canada, 2012). Literature suggests that young carers provide similar tasks to adult carers, but lack life experience and knowledge, exposing them to several health risks such as anxiety and emotional distress (Becker & Sempik, 2019). As a young carer myself, I feel my care role was not challenging because I lacked life experience or knowledge, but instead from limited resources available to support me in this role. Leisure experiences may have important implications for young carers; however, very little research has explored the experiences of young carers and leisure in that context, and even less includes the voices of young carers. Grounded in critical youth studies, which challenges narrow conceptualizations of youth and taken-for-granted assumptions that children are to be cared for rather than care for others (O’Dell et al., 2010), the purpose of this critical participatory action research project (Watson & Shulman, 2008) is to expand understandings of young carers' experiences of care and how those care experiences shape leisure by: privileging the voices of young carers, challenging dominant perspectives of young carers by bringing awareness to their unique experiences, and ensuring young carers are better supported in their roles. Working collaboratively with two young carer organizations and four young carers, we aim to use research conversations with young carers and a Critical Creative Hermeneutic Approach (Leishout & Cardiff, 2011) to creatively illuminate young carers’ perspectives of their experiences. We hope to challenge dominant discourses of young carers and inform policymakers and professionals on how to better support young carers in their care roles, including in their leisure.
Re-framing the Translocated ‘Home’ in Leisure Studies: Disrupting Key Assumptions through Mobilities and Diasporic Literatures
Giana Tomas, PhD Student, University of Waterloo
We can all identify with the pursuit for ‘home’; a place to entrust our sleep (TED, 2019), safety, comfort, and sense of stability. Yet, what is ‘home’? In-between moments of leisure in everyday life, and that which are understood to transcend binaries of time and place (Lopez et al., 2021), are messy and complex, especially for individuals experiencing change and unpredictable transitions (Deng et al., 2005; Toosi, et al, 2017). Knowledge about new Canadians’ translocational (Anthias, 2012) experiences is well established in the immigration and mobilities literature. However, conceptualizations of the ‘home’, an essential resource from which all other practices of daily life stem, are unclear or taken-for-granted in leisure studies. There is thus, a need to consult the literature to better understand how the ‘home’ is conceptualized beyond understandings of “where” and “what” it is. As life is not static (Boas et al., 2020), new settlers in Canada enter landscapes in transition; experiences immersed in the dynamism and fluidity of the new ‘world’ in which they are living (Xu, 2017). It is equally necessary then, to explore the subjective experiences and meanings of translocation – how the ‘home’ is embodied, experienced, and understood by new settlers. This presentation will share insights from a series of literature reviews, discussions with my PhD supervisor (our working conceptualization and thinking through of the ‘home’), and reflect on disruptions, assumptions, and understandings of the ‘home’ within the contexts of place, mobilities, leisure/labour, and diasporic relations among individuals of Philippine descent.
(In)visible Hero: Uncovering the use of heroism discourse as an aid in the extraction of care labour during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Crystal-Jade Cargill, Undergraduate Student, University of Waterloo
The purpose of this honours thesis was to examine the myriad ways in which discourse supported the extraction and overproduction of care labour through the use of heroism labels. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the label of heroism was used to describe the contributions of Healthcare Workers (HCWs) in different settings. Prior to the COVID- 19 pandemic, care labour was largely considered an invisible occupation (Hennekam et al., 2020). However, the severe impact of the pandemic on collective health and wellbeing resulted in a drastic shift in the ways that care labour was framed and discussed. I highlight the use of heroism by policymakers, Long-Term Care Homes (LTCH) organizations and mainstream media as a prop to meet the critical needs of heroism though HCW labour. This study utilized critical framing theory (Entman 1993; Fridkin et al, 2017) to further understand how heroism has been framed and constructed to acquire, maintain, and over-ask of care workers and their labour. Narrative and auto-narrative inquiries (Austin & Anderson, 2021; Tracy, 2013) were utilized to describe the lived experiences of the heroism narrative amongst HCWs employed in LTCHs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings in this research study indicate that HCWs feel as though the use of heroism discourse along with the overproduction of labour have disconnected them from rest, respite, and community. Additionally, themes of sacrifice, moral injury, and perceived risk in healthcare settings are identified and further discussed. Future implications, including stronger pandemic preparedness policy, and interprofessional collaboration are considered.
The Experiences of Translating Relational Arts to a Virtual Space
Stephanie Steh, Undergraduate Student, University of Waterloo
Taylor Kurta, PhD student, University of Waterloo
Eden Champagne, PhD student, University of Waterloo
Katia Engell, Artistic Project Manager, The Bitove Method and Alumnus, University of Waterloo.
Sherry Dupuis, Professor, Recreation and Leisure Studies, University of Waterloo.
Despite evidence of the significance of the arts for quality of life, persons living with dementia often lack access to, and are excluded from, these opportunities. This is largely due to the profound stigma associated with dementia (Mitchell et al., 2013; 2020) and the culture of care within community programs that face increasing pressures towards ‘art as therapy’, using the arts specifically for clinical and therapeutic outcomes (Dupuis et al., 2012; Jonas-Simpson et al., 2021). Theoretically grounded in relational caring philosophy (Dupuis et al., 2019; Jonas-Simpson et al., 2021) that makes explicit the centrality of relationships for growth, life quality and well-being, the Dotsa Bitove Wellness Academy sought to challenge the arts as therapy focus by creating an un-clinical, community arts space where persons living with dementia, care partners, community artists, and others could come together to build meaningful relationships through collective art-making. When the pandemic forced the physical space to close, the team transitioned to a virtual space – The Bitove Method.
The purpose of this presentation is to describe what the experience was like for artists to transition relational arts to a virtual space. More specifically, as part of a larger participatory action research initiative (Kemmis et al., 2014), we sought to explore the transition of relational arts to a virtual space, how the relational caring principles central to relational arts (e.g., being aware of and attentive to relationships; showing empathy and curiosity by being responsive and emotionally present; being open to the role we play in relationships; being open to mutual influence and discovery; being open to vulnerability; sharing power and working in authentic partnership with others; tackling injustice and inequities that limit opportunities to flourish) were translated to the virtual space, and challenges and possibilities for relational caring philosophy and practice within a virtual space. We conducted research conversations with team members, observed art sessions and artist huddles, and employed Critical Hermeneutic Creative Analysis (Van Lieshout & Cardiff, 2011), a participatory analysis approach that supports co-researchers in working collaboratively, critically, and creatively, to identify and interpret key aspects of the transition experience. The artists drew on established relationships, invested in learning and sharing together, and intentionally embedded relational thinking in navigating technical, planning, and financial challenges. This research demonstrates the possibilities of relational caring and relational arts in virtual spaces and highlights the opportunities to utilize participatory action research within broader community settings.
It Doesn’t Last Forever: A Study of Retirement Transition and Fandom of Retired Hockey Players
Adam Pappas, MA Student, Brock University.
One of the most important transitions an athlete makes is the one into retirement. When athletes retire, they may face an identity crisis which can impact their ability to adapt to life after sport (Coakley, 1983; Lotysz & Short, 2004; Worrell Jr., 2017). A strong athletic identity, whereas being an athlete often becomes a salient role in life and impacts the way they see themselves even outside of active sport (Webb et al., 1998), can contribute to this crisis. This pressure to succeed in sport often comes at the expense of other roles and balancing post-career identities is often difficult for an athlete (Hattersley et al., 2019). The purpose of this research is to better understand professional athlete retirement as well as how same sport fandom is influenced by retirement. This study used an inductive research approach and participants were interviewed about their history within professional sport, from childhood introduction to sport to professional retirement. Participants were also asked to discuss how their personal views on the sport have changed over time. All participants played professional hockey in the National Hockey League and have retired prior to 2018. Data are currently being collected and analysis will be done by spring 2022.
Early findings have indicated three themes, (i) a sport fandom evolution, (ii) unpreparedness to embrace transition and (iii) the strength of their athletic identity. This research may benefit both athletes and retirement transition scholars in understanding the elements that contribute to a successful post-playing career life.