The 8 in the freaking morning blog

Evaluating the Quality of Recreation Facilities:

Development of an Assessment Tool

Cavnar, M. M., Kirtland, K. A., Evans, M. H., Wilson, D. K., Williams, J. E., Mixon, G. M., & Henderson, K. A. (2004). Evaluating the Quality of Recreation Facilities: Development of an Assessment Tool. Journal of Park & Recreation Administration, 22(1), 96-114. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

This was a study that documented the quality of various recreation centers. The authors of this study developed a tool to get feedback from the public about the quality of recreation facilities in their area.

This was a very informative study, and the methods they used were simple, yet effective. The authors administered surveys to residents of an unspecified county in the southeastern portion of the United States, consisting of questions about actual recreation centers, as well as city parks, playgrounds, softball/baseball diamonds, and soccer fields. They took into account cleanliness, safety, the accessibility of restroom facilities/drinking fountains, the condition of the equipment in the facility (playground equipment, soccer nets, hoops etc…) and scored each one on a yes/no basis. The results showed that there was substantial agreement in the categories of condition, maintenance, and safety. Even small things like weeds, cracks in equipment, chipped paint or loose screws or nails in tables and benches were evaluated in the survey, and each area scored high. People in this community really felt like the facilities and parks were in stellar condition and very user friendly.

One of the strongest points of this article was the fact that there were so many categories that were evaluated. Details large and small were judged, and it was a comprehensive look in to this community’s parks and recreation department.  In a society where more emphasis is put on a healthy lifestyle, it is important to make sure that recreation centers and city parks are easily accessible, user friendly and attractive to prospective patrons, and this assessment tool is a critical piece to this puzzle. The authors also conducted an extensive literature review, where they looked at the opinions and views of others who have researched and done other reports on this topic, and used that to add insight to their own article.

This study is extremely meaningful study, and should really be implemented in other areas. In order to adequately serve the public, and provide the best services possible, the views and opinions of the community members and others who will be using the facilities are a must. It is also important to address the answers of the survey. It is one thing to say that equipment is breaking down, or that the facilities are subpar, but the facility has to make the necessary adjustments to insure that the facility is beneficial to the community.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 25th, 2011 at 6:21 pm and is filed under Assignments. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.