An analysis of leisure motivation factors and leisure needs of primary education teachers during pandemic: Basis for a virtual cooperative recreation and wellness program

• Main Author: Pante, Sharon
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2021
• Subjects: Leisure; Lifestyles; Primary school teachers; Health promotion; Educational Administration and Supervision; Educational Leadership; Elementary Education
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdm_elmd/6
• Institution: De La Salle University

Today, teachers face an increasing variety of evolving roles and responsibilities that require them to participate in continuous professional development. The faculty members are being described to be in the midst of transformative changes to their conventional and expanding roles and tasks in the educational setting. And with a global epidemic and a transition to remote learning, it is evident that teachers are struggling to keep up the school year, and teachers' self-care and wellbeing are sometimes the first to suffer during this difficult times. For that reason, the increased interest in promoting balanced lifestyle of primary education teachers through wellness and self-care in the pandemic situation has heightened the need for this research. Hence, teachers' motivation to participate in school-sponsored virtual leisure activities should be based not only on improving their teaching profession, but also on improving the quality of their lives through meaningful leisure experiences and understanding the importance of leisure in their personal growth and personality development despite the uncertainty of the educational setting – of whether to teach virtually or in a hybrid model. The present research describes and analyzes the different leisure motivation factors and leisure needs of teachers for engaging in the school‘s leisure activities albeit virtually as basis for the development of a virtual Recreation and Wellness Program. The sample consisted of 30 primary education teachers from Nursery to Grade 4 whose ages are from 25 to 55 years. This study utilized two survey questionnaires with the use of quantitative (closed-ended design survey) and qualitative (open-ended design survey) methods. To determine the reasons for teachers to engage in leisure activities, the Leisure Motivation Scale (LMS) developed by Beard and Ragheb (1983) was used. To identify the leisure needs of primary education teachers for activities in a virtual recreation and wellness, a Leisure Needs Assessment survey was given. The results indicated that teachers showed varied reasons for engaging in the different institutional development programs organized by the school during face to face. On the other hand, teachers suggested virtual alternative activities, to meet their leisure needs that may be included in in the development program offered by the school to the faculty in this time of pandemic. One of the most suggested activities is recreation and wellness which reflects their need for fun creative physical activity, despite done in remote setting and virtually. In this regard, a virtual Recreation and Wellness Program was designed to address teacher‘s need to have a recreation/wellness event as preferred by most of the respondents. The Needs Assessment results were utilized as the basis for the program, when the Virtual Recreation and Wellness program was implemented and evaluated.