Participants, activities, and experiences: understanding the connections
John Powell, Mike Clark, Nick Lewis, and Carol Kambites examined a wide range of literature concerned with the categorisation and classification of outdoor recreation participants. Gender and cultural influences on participation in outdoor recreation were explored in order to improve understanding of different experiences and participation levels. An innovative approach to data collection included access to fourteen electronic discussion groups in order to explore attitudes to risk, excitement, and factors contributing to enjoyment.
Three key areas of theory were identified as influential in driving forward research: specialisation, ‘modes of experience’, and theories about ‘flow’ and peak performance. The research created some ‘rules of thumb’ for categorising participants in outdoor recreation activities and developed the concept of a ‘participation pyramid’. The pyramid identifies four basic types of participant and potentially offers resource managers greater understanding of the experiences desired by participants, and may also shed light on the potential demand for recreation among groups that currently do not access the countryside.
This research was commissioned by the Countryside Council for Wales.
