The mediating role of recreational flow experience in the relationship between paragliding pilots' leisure involvement and event satisfaction

The aim of this research is to determine the mediating role of recreational flow experience in the relationship between leisure involvement and event satisfaction of paragliding pilots and to compare them according to some demographic variables. The population of the research, which was designed with a relational survey model, consists of certified pilots who do paragliding for recreational purposes. The sample consisted of a total of 406 pilots, 70 women and 336 men, selected by convenience sampling method. "Personal Information Form", "Leisure Involvement Scale", "Recreational Flow Experience Scale" and "Event Satisfaction Scale" were used in the research. Data were analyzed using independent groups t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlation analysis and Hayes Process Model 4 mediation analysis. When the research findings are examined, no significant difference was found in leisure involvement, recreational flow experience and event satisfaction according to gender. In terms of education level, it was determined that participants with a postgraduate degree had significantly lower scores in all three scales compared to high school and university graduates. In the pilot level variable, it was determined that experienced pilots received significantly higher scores than beginner level pilots in terms of leisure involvement. While significant differences were obtained in terms of leisure involvement in the variables of frequency of participation in the activity and total number of flights, no significant difference was found in recreational flow experience and event satisfaction. When the relationship between variables was examined, positive and significant correlations were found between leisure involvement and recreational flow experience and event satisfaction. Mediation analysis results showed that recreational flow experience played a full mediating role in the effect of leisure involvement on event satisfaction. In conclusion, the findings revealed that leisure involvement positively affects event satisfaction through recreational flow experience and that experience level is effective at different levels in these relationships. Keywords: Leisure involvement, Recreational flow experience, Event satisfaction, Paragliding, Mediation analysis.