Studies in Outdoor Recreation: Search and Research for Satisfaction

11. Specialization in Recreation Experience and Related Concepts

237 11 Specialization in Recreation Experience and Related Concepts Recreation Experience Experience in recreation—measured through frequency of participation, years of participation, or a variety of other ways—has been a focus of early and continuing research, driven by the notion that experience may be an important variable or concept for differentiating among recreationists. A recreationist who is a beginner or novice may have little knowledge of the recreation activity undertaken and the setting in which it occurs. On the other hand, it is likely that an advanced or expert recreationist has a substantially greater knowledge base. Such differences in knowledge may lead to differences in attitudes, preferences, and behavior. Early theoretical work emphasized the potential importance of experience in recreation and broadened its scope as well. An initial conceptual base hypothesized that recreationists evolve through recreation or leisure “careers” (Kelly 1974, 1977). Throughaprocessofsocialization,recreationistsmayacquirespecializedknowledge, skills, attitudes, and norms that define their development from beginner to expert. This theoretical base was used to propose the concept of recreation specialization, which was defined as “a continuum of behavior from the general to the particular, reflected by equipment and skills used in the sport and activity setting preferences” (Bryan1977:175).Fourdimensionswereusedtodefinetherecreationspecialization framework: technique preferences, setting preferences, experience in the activity, and the relationship of the activity to other areas of life. These dimensions were used to propose and test a typology of fishing that was seen to range across four categories: occasional anglers, generalists, technique specialists, and technique/ setting specialists. Similarly, a study of sailing at Apostle Island National Lakeshore, Wisconsin, has identified a seven-stage trajectory of specialization that begins with boating with friends, moves through yacht club membership, and ultimately ends with abandonment of the activity (Kuentzel and Heberlein 1997). More recent 238 STUDIES IN OUTDOOR RECREATION studies have addressed questions about whether and how people progress along such continuums or trajectories (D. Scott and Shafer 2001, Kuentzel and Heberlein 2006, 2008). The concept of recreation specialization expands on the notion of experience to include cognitive, behavioral, and psychological components in an effort to distinguish among and define types of recreationists. Subsequent research has addressed both experience and specialization and their potential relationships to the attitudes, preferences, and behavior of recreationists. This chapter reviews the literature on recreation specialization, examining the experience level of recreationists and the more robust concept of specialization to determine their potential influence on recreation-related attitudes, preferences, and behavior. Several theoretical and methodological issues are identified and discussed. Measures of Recreation Experience Measures of recreation experience have been included in a relatively large number of recreation studies, many of which have found experience to be related to a variety of variables, including perceived crowding (Nielson et al. 1977, Vaske et al. 1980), conflict (Driver and Bassett 1975), perceptions of recreation-related impacts (D. Anderson 1980), campsite selection (Heberlein and Dunwiddie 1979), route selection (McFarlane et al. 1998), willingness to pay for recreation (Munley and Smith 1976), and place attachment (Hammitt et al. 2004). Later studies have tended to focus more directly on experience and its potential to discriminate among recreation visitors. Some of these studies have employed relatively straightforward measures of experience while others have adopted more complex, multifaceted measures. A relatively early study of floaters on the Green River through Desolation Canyon, Utah, simply asked respondents how many times they had run this stretch of river (Schreyer 1982). Respondents were then divided into three experience categories: first-time floaters, moderate-experience floaters, and high-experience floaters. A number of differences were found among the three experience categories. For example, more-experienced floaters were more likely to be on a private rather than commercial trip, and were more specific in reporting motivations associated with the trip. A study of anglers in Texas also used frequency of participation as a measure of experience (Ditton et al. 1992, Choi et al. 1994). Based on number of days fished during the previous twelve months, respondents were grouped into four experiencebased categories. Several differences among respondents were found based on experience. For example, more-experienced anglers were more interested in catching “trophy” fish and in fishing-related publications and media. SPECIALIZATION IN RECREATION 239 Several studies have noted that multiple dimensions of experience might be included in recreation research. While the studies described above focus on amount of experience, type of experience may also be important in influencing recreationrelated attitudes, preferences, and behavior. To incorporate this additional...