Nature and process of leisure constraints: An empirical test

Abstract

Abstract This study examined the possible existence of three distinct, hierarchically ordered categories of constraints on leisure originally proposed by Crawford and Godbey (1987) and elaborated on by Crawford, Jackson, and Godbey (1991). A new instrument was developed to measure perceptions of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural constraints on leisure as they related to beginning a new leisure activity. The sample consisted of 363 male and female 12th graders from three high schools located in a suburb of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A confirmatory factor analysis indicated that intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural constraints on leisure formed three distinct categories of constraints on leisure. The use of simultaneous z tests and a metamodel that utilized a binomial test provided support for the Crawford et al. (1991) proposal that intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural constraints exist in a hierarchy. Theoretical and methodological implications of the findings are discussed. Keywords: hierarchical relationshipsinterpersonal constraintsintrapersonal constraintsleisure constraintsmetamodelstructural constraints