What’s in a name? Exploring the preferred terminology of professionals in the field of recreation therapy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5055/ajrt.2009.0009Keywords:
Therapeutic Recreation, Recreation TherapyAbstract
Although it is widely recognized within the field of Therapeutic Recreation/Recreation Therapy (TR/RT) that there is discrepancy involving terminology used to describe our field, there have been no professional studies focusing on this issue. This study examined professionals’ preferences surrounding terminology in the field of TR/RT. The data were collected through online discussion boards on the social networking site “Facebook” and analyzed using a qualitative analysis of the discussion responses. Of the 47 respondents, 10 members preferred the term Therapeutic Recreation to Recreation Therapy, and 22 preferred Recreation Therapy. In addition, there were 10 members who preferred a combination of the two terms and five others who did not express a preference. Among all of the responses, five themes were identified: 1) setting/service specific, 2) consistency with other allied health professional, 3) title related to certification, 4) unity, and 5) respect and credibility.References
Austin DR: A third revolution in therapeutic recreation. In Austin DR, Dattilo J, McCormick B (eds.): Conceptual Foundations for Therapeutic Recreation. State College, PA: Venture Publishing, Inc., 2002: 273–287.
Crawford ME: Organization and formation of the profession. In Austin DR and Crawford ME (eds.): Therapeutic Recreation: An Introduction. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2001: 22-44.
Austin DR: Therapeutic recreation: A long past, but a brief history. Palaestra. 2004; 20(1): 37-42.
Carter MJ, Van Andel GE, Robb GM: Therapeutic Recreation: A Practical Approach, 3rd ed. Prospect Heights, Illinois: Waveland Press, Inc., 2003.
Boyd DM, Ellison NB: Social network sites: Definition, history, and scholarship. J Comput Mediated Commun. 2008; 13(1): 210-230.
Facebook Press Room Statistics: Facebook 2009. Available at http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics. Accessed January 19, 2009.
Ellison NB, Steinfield C, Lampe C: The benefits of facebook “Friends”: Social capital and college students’ use of online social network sites. J Comput Mediated Commun. 2007; 12(4): 1143-1168.
Tufekci Z: Grooming, gossip, facebook and myspace. Info Commun Soc. 2008; 11(4): 544-564.
Zhao S, Grasmuck S, Martin J: Identity construction on Facebook: Digital empowerment in anchored relationships. Comput Human Behav. 2008; 24(5): 1816-1836.
Bradley N: Sampling for Internet surveys. An examination of respondent selection for internet research. J Mark Res Soc. 1999; 41(4): 387-395.
Turner WJ: Small business data collection by area censusing: A field test of ‘saturation surveying’ methodology. J Mark Res Soc. 1989; 31(2): 257-272.
Dillman DA: Mail and Internet Surveys: The Tailored Design Method, 2nd ed. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2000.
Henderson KA: Dimensions of Choice: Qualitative Approaches to Parks, Recreation, Tourism, Sport and Leisure Research, 2nd ed. State College, PA: Venture Publishing, Inc., 2006.
Schram TH: Conceptualizing and Proposing Qualitative Research, 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Peterson Education, Inc., 2006.
Chipp K, Goldman M, Kleyn N: What they really think: Resolving methodological issues in supply chain ethics research. Acta Commercii. 7: 112-122.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright 2000-2025, Weston Medical Publishing, LLC and American Journal of Recreation Therapy. All Rights Reserved.
