Investigation of the factors that obstacle university students' free time motivations and participation in recreational activities

The purpose of this study is to identify and compare the factors that hinder university students' participation in recreational activities and their leisure-time motivations. Within this framework, a total of 502 students studying in four different fields, namely the Faculty of Education, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Tourism, and Faculty of Engineering at Konya Necmettin Erbakan University, voluntarily participated in the research during the 2022/2023 academic year. For data analysis, the SPSS v26 statistical package program was used. Independent samples t-test was conducted to determine whether there was a significant difference in the average scores of the participants in terms of age, gender, part-time work status, and university facilities with respect to the sub-dimensions of the Leisure Constraints Scale (LCS) and the Leisure Motivation Scale (LMS). One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to determine whether there was a significant difference in the average scores of the participants in terms of their faculty, overall academic grade point average, current place of residence and weekly leisure time duration with respect to the sub-dimensions of the LMS and the LCS. In cases where ANOVA analysis was significant, post-hoc tests were used for comparisons between groups. Scheffe test was used when the assumption of variance homogeneity was met, and Tamhane's T2 test was used when the assumption was not met. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to determine the relationships between the LCS and the LMS sub-dimension scores. The significance level for the research was set at 0.05. According to the results obtained, it was determined that variables such as gender, faculty, GPA, facility adequacy and the type of activity selected had significant differences on university students' leisure time motivation and participation in recreational activities. The findings show that there is diversity in students' level of participation in leisure time activities depending on different demographic and variables. As a result of the "Pearson Correlation Analysis", significant relationships were found between the mean scores of the sub-dimensions of the LCS and LMS. This reveals the relationship between university students' leisure time motivation and barriers. University students should aim to utilize the concept of recreation and the activities it encompasses during the remaining time they have after dedicating time to their academic studies and basic needs. This can help them solve financial and spiritual problems, socialize, increase their cultural and knowledge accumulation, and maintain physical, mental, and emotional well-being. It is believed that by doing so, students can achieve success both in their socio-cultural lives and future professional careers. Therefore, it is necessary for universities to have cultural, artistic, sports, and other recreational facilities that cater to the needs of students and diversify and organize recreational activities accordingly.