Diagnosis about the use of leisure and free time among the students of the Universidad Nacional Experimental del Táchira

Abstract

Leisure and free time are two concepts of great importance in today’s world. On one hand, every day’s rhythm poses the challenge of successfully completing all activities resulting in exhaustion at the end of the day. On the other hand, technology has invaded every facet of life through its many applications, since many tasks can be performed within reach of a click. This reality was also especially found among students from The Universidad Nacional Experimental del Táchira (UNET); these students often complain about the limited availability of time to engage in recreational activities. Often they choose to seek alternatives in order to release the tension.They usually express inability to properly manage their time, neither their university has managed to define precise lines to frame this time. For this reason, the present study –whose main objective was to assess the use of leisure and free time by UNET students– was outlined. A quantitative paradigm for research was used, giving the descriptive nature of the study.A random sample of 365 students was taken, out of a 7145 UNET student’s popula¬tion from Engineering and Architecture majors. As data collection technique a questionnaire was used and the motivation and use of leisure and free time variables were established, both supported by corresponding sub-indicators. The questionnaire was validated by expert judges, and the reliability was determined through Cronbach’s Alpha obtaining a value of 0.72, which determined high reliability. The data were processed using the statistical program SPSS 15.0. Regarding motivation, the results showed that the need for achievement was not high, and the need for power, in relation to leisure activities, did not seem to be determinant in the sample. The need for affiliation prevailed, and recognition is strongly linked to academic and intellectual aspects. Going out with friends was the most often performed activity during leisure and free time; while reading posed the lowest interest. Leisure time occurred more of¬ten during weekends and students spent one to three hours per day in leisure time which they considered as sufficient. There were no major differences related to gender and degree in the selected options. The interpretation of these results provided the proposition of guidelines to start developing programs for the proper use of leisure and free time