DETERMINANTS OF LEISURE SATISFACTION AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT A SOUTH AFRICAN UNIVERSITY

Abstract

In a diverse learning environment, students’ involvement in leisure activities may be influenced by different factors. This study aims to assess the effect of socio- demographic characteristics on different factors of leisure satisfaction among undergraduate university students. A self-administered questionnaire, based on leisure satisfaction scare, was used to collect data from a randomly selected sample of 443 undergraduate students from a South African university. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and multiple linear regressions were used to test how self-reported leisure satisfaction is influenced by factors such as family environment; socio-economic status, school or academic environment, contextual and other demographic factors such as age and gender. Findings of this study revealed that students’ age, monthly expenditure, the size of a student’s household, level of dependence on parents and level of study significantly affected the leisure satisfaction; whereas factors such as race, place of residence during the school term, mode of transport to school and the student’s academic discipline had no significant influence on leisure satisfaction. The results from this study may assist in developing strategies to improve students’ lives in a diverse environment within the institutions of higher learning

Keywords

• leisure satisfaction, socio-demographic factors, undergraduate university students, South Africa

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