An examination of leisure satisfaction among individuals participating in Turkish folk dances: The case of public education centers in central Diyarbakır

IŞIK, Fatih. An Examination of Leisure Satisfaction Among Individuals Participating in Turkish Folk Dances: The Case of Public Education Centers in Central Diyarbakır, Master's Thesis, Ardahan, 2025. Contemporary living conditions necessitate a more conscious and efficient use of leisure time, and in this context, the level of satisfaction derived from leisure activities directly affects an individual's quality of life. Folk dances, beyond being merely a form of cultural expression, emerge as multidimensional leisure activities that contribute to individuals' physical, social, and emotional development. In a culturally rich province such as Diyarbakır, the limited number of studies on folk dances underscores the need for further research. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to examine the leisure satisfaction levels of individuals attending Turkish folk dance courses at public education centers in central Diyarbakır. The research was designed within the framework of a descriptive survey model based on quantitative methods. Data were collected via questionnaires administered to individuals who participated in public education centers in Diyarbakır. The data were analyzed using SPSS software. In this context, independent samples t-tests were employed to compare the means of two groups, while one-way ANOVA tests were used for comparisons involving more than two groups. To determine which groups accounted for significant differences in multiple comparisons, Tukey's post hoc test was applied. A significance level of p<0.05 was adopted for all statistical analyses. According to the analysis results, a significant difference was found for the aesthetic dimension in relation to gender, for psychological and aesthetic dimensions in relation to age, for psychological satisfaction in relation to income, and for psychological satisfaction in relation to daily leisure time. Furthermore, significant differences were observed across all sub-dimensions of leisure satisfaction based on the duration of engagement with folk dances. However, no significant differences were found in any sub-dimensions when compared according to education level or marital status. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that individuals participating in folk dance activities in Diyarbakır generally exhibit high levels of leisure satisfaction. This finding indicates that folk dances represent an important cultural and social domain in the evaluation of leisure time. Keywords: Leisure, Leisure Satisfaction, Folk Dances, Recreation, Diyarbakır.