Expectations of Medical School Students for Leisure Time Activities

Year 2025, Volume: 32 Issue: 4, 343 - 352, 01.12.2025

Sabriye Ercan , Fatih Uğur Taş , Esma Arslan , Mehtap Savran , Nilgün Şenol

https://doi.org/10.17343/sdutfd.1709447

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to examine the expectations of medical students towards leisure time activities, reasons for participation, barriers they face, and their attitudes towards leisure time management within the framework of semester differences.
Material and Method: Suleyman Demirel University Faculty of Medicine students were included in the study on a voluntary basis. Participants were evaluated using a descriptive data form, the Leisure Time Management Scale, the Leisure Time Facilitators Scale, and the Leisure Time Barriers Scale. The data obtained were analyzed using SPSS software.
Results: 458 students participated in the study. Participation in social activities was the lowest in class 2 (p=0.008). The reasons for participation were having fun, getting away from stress, and socializing, while the reasons for not participating were the intensity of the course and the incompatibility of activity times. Participants' scores on the Scales of Leisure Time Management, Leisure Time Facilitators, and Leisure Time Barriers show class differences. Among the activities requested by students, music/concerts, social excursion programs, and hobby workshops were the most requested. These findings suggest that students have different attitudes towards social activities and leisure time management.
Conclusions: Medical students' expectations for leisure time activities change as the academic class progresses; intensive academic programs and structural barriers limit participation in social activities. These findings provide clues to educational administrators in terms of developing students' leisure time management strategies and supporting their psychosocial well-being.

Keywords

Leisure time , leisure time management , social activities , barriers , facilitators.

Ethical Statement

The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Süleyman Demirel University with the decision dated 13.02.2024 and numbered 73/7. Institutional permission was obtained on 16.02.2024. All students participated in the study on a voluntary basis.

Thanks

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all the students who participated in this study. We also express our gratitude to Süleyman Demirel University Faculty of Medicine students M. Emin AĞIR, Kübra BİLİR, Burak KORKMAZ, and Eren BAŞGÖR, as well as to Health Technician Bahtiyar Emine DURAN, for their valuable support during the data collection process.

References

• 1. Siyahtas A, Tukenmez A, Hocaoglu M, Donuk B. Universitede ogrenim goren bireylerin serbest zaman engelleri ile kolaylastiricilari arasindaki iliski. Int J Soc Humanit Sci Res. 2018;5(24):1795-805.
• 2. Agilonu A. Yerel yonetimlerde rekreasyon hizmetleri ve model belirleme (Fethiye ornegi) (dissertation). Marmara University; 2007.
• 3. Aydin S. Universite ogrencilerinin serbest zaman aktivitelerine yonelik tutum ve engellerinin incelenmesi (Balikesir Universitesi ornegi) (master's thesis). Balikesir University Institute of Health Sciences; 2022.
• 4. Cakir VO. Universite ogrencilerin serbest zaman doyum duzeyleri ile serbest zaman yonetimleri arasindaki iliski. Gaziantep Univ J Sport Sci. 2017;2(3):17-27.
• 5. Lakot K. Beden egitimi ogretmeni adaylarinda serbest zaman algisi ve engelleri (master's thesis). Karadeniz Technical University Institute of Educational Sciences; 2015.
• 6. Arslan S. Serbest Zaman-Rekreasyon ve Serbest Zaman Egitimi (Yetiskin Egitimi Bakis Acisiyla). Nobel Publishing; 2013.
• 7. Merelas-Iglesias T, Sanchez-Bello A. Benefits of leisure in overcoming gender violence experiences: A case study. Leisure Stud. 2019;38(1):15-27.
• 8. Ardahan F, Lapa TY. Universite ogrencilerinin serbest zaman tatmin duzeylerinin cinsiyete ve gelire gore incelenmesi. J Sport Sci. 2010;21(4):129-36.
• 9. Aydin I. Serbest zaman engelleri ile serbest zaman kolaylastiricilarini etkileyen faktorlerin coklu gostergeler coklu nedenler (CGCN) modeliyle incelenmesi. Anemon Mus Alparslan Univ J Soc Sci. 2021;9(5):1441-54.
• 10. Fontana MCP, Generoso IP, Sizilio A, Bivanco-Lima D. Burnout syndrome, extracurricular activities and social support among Brazilian internship medical students: A cross-sectional analysis. BMC Med Educ. 2020;20:1-9.
• 11. Raymore, LA. Facilitators to leisure. J Leisure Res. 2002;34(1):37-51.
• 12. Kacay Z, Soyer F, Ayhan C. Serbest zaman engelleri ve kolaylastiricilar: universite ogrencileri ornegi. Duzce Univ J Sport Sci. 2023;3(2):171-8.
• 13. Alexandris K, Carroll B. Demographic differences in the perception of constraints on recreational sport participation: Results from a study in Greece. Leisure Stud. 1997;16(2):107-25.
• 14. Gurbuz B, Oncu E, Emir E. Bos zaman engelleri olcegi: Kisa formunun yapi gecerliginin test edilmesi. J Sport Perform Res. 2020;11(2):120-31.
• 15. Celik G. Kamu kuruluslarinda calisan engelli bireylerin serbest zaman engellerinin ve tatmin duzeylerinin incelenmesi (Antalya merkez ornegi) (master's thesis). Akdeniz University Institute of Social Sciences; 2011.
• 16. Guler C, Demirel DH, Cakir VO, Budak D. Serbest zaman engelleri ile bas etme stratejileri: Universite ogrencileri ornegi. Turkish Stud-Soc Sci. 2020;15(4):1919-30.
• 17. Wang WC, Kao CH, Huan TC, Wu CC. Free time management contributes to better quality of life: A study of undergraduate students in Taiwan. J Happiness Stud. 2011;12(4):561-73.
• 18. Akgul BM, Karakucuk S. Free time management scale: Validity and reliability analysis. J Human Sci. 2015;12(2):1867-80.
• 19. Kim B, Heo J, Chun S, Lee Y. Construction and initial validation of the leisure facilitator scale. Leisure/Loisir. 2011;35(4):391-405.
• 20. Gurbuz B, Oncu E, Emir E. Serbest zaman kolaylastiricilari olceginin Turkceye uyarlanmasi: gecerlik ve guvenirlik calismasi. III. Recreation Research Congress; 2015 May 5-7.
• 21. Akoglu H. User’s guide to correlation coefficients. Turk J Emerg Med. 2018;18(3):91-3.
• 22. Cakir VO. Universite Ogrencilerin Serbest Zaman Doyum Duzeyleri Ile Serbest Zaman Yonetimleri Arasindaki Iliski. Gaziantep Univ J Sport Sci. 2017;2(3):17-27.
• 23. Al-Ansari A, Al-Harbi F, AbdelAziz W, AbdelSalam M, El Tantawi MM, ElRefae I. Factors affecting student participation in extra-curricular activities: A comparison between two Middle Eastern dental schools. Saudi Dent J. 2016;28(1):36-43.
• 24. Almasry M, Kayali Z, Alsaad R, et al. Perceptions of preclinical medical students towards extracurricular activities. Int J Med Educ. 2017;8:285-9.
• 25. Lapa TY, Ardahan F. Akdeniz Universitesi ogrencilerinin serbest zaman etkinliklerine katilim nedenleri ve degerlendirme bicimleri. J Sport Sci. 2009;20(4):132-44.
• 26. Ozsaker M. Genclerin serbest zaman aktivitelerine katilamama nedenleri uzerine bir inceleme. Selcuk Univ J Phys Educ Sport Sci. 2012;14(1):126-31.
• 27. Kose E, Serdar E. The relationship between leisure facilitators and leisure motivation: canonical correlation analysis. Int Innov Educ Res. 2023;3(1):43-65.
• 28. Fares J, Saadeddin Z, Al Tabosh H, et al. Extracurricular activities associated with stress and burnout in preclinical medical students. J Epidemiol Glob Health. 2016;6(3):177-85.
• 29. Isikgoz ME, Guzel Gurbuz P, Esentas M. Universite ogrencilerinin bos zaman yonetimlerinin cesitli degiskenler acisindan incelenmesi. Int J Contemp Educ Res. 2021;7(1):413-29.