Leisure participation and constraints: The case of Korean Americans

The purpose of this study was to examine the leisure participation patterns and constraints levels for Korean Americans within the context of marginality and ethnicity theories (Washburn, 1978). The hope was that this study's results would enhance both theoretical and practical understanding of the leisure participation and constraints of Korean Americans. Such understanding may improve the delivery of leisure services to Korean Americans. Further, it was hoped that the study would provide further evidence as to the applicability of either ethnicity theory or marginality theory to leisure activity patterns and constraints among Korean immigrants.;This study was based on Washburn's (1978) ethnicity and marginality theories. The ethnicity theory states that minority under-participation is the result of differences in value systems, norms, and socialization patterns. On the other hand, the marginality theory states that under-participation of minority groups in some activities results from limited economic and educational resources, which in turn is a function of historical patterns of discrimination. Also, Crawford and Godbey's (1987) classification for leisure constraints was applied to this study which include intrapersonal, interpersonal and structural constraints.;A preliminary qualitative study was accomplished through in-depth interviews with seven informants and two key informants. After pilot testing, data for the main study were collected from Korean Americans who lived in the Philadelphia area. Data collection was conducted in two Korean American civic institutions, two Korean Churches, and two Korean shopping centers in the Philadelphia area. A total of 547 questionnaires were completed.;Using the SPSS program, descriptive statistics were employed to determine a profile of the characteristics of Korean Americans. Multiple logistic regression and multiple regression analyses were utilized to examine relationships between leisure participation and constraints and demographic, cultural, and socioeconomic variables. Korean Americans' leisure participation and constraints were influenced by a combination of demographic, cultural and socioeconomic variables, rather than only one. Except for total intrapersonal constraints, which indicated some support for ethnicity theory, Korean Americans' leisure participation and constraints were affected by neither Washburn's ethnicity nor marginality theory dominantly. Rather, they were affected by different variables depending on the characteristics of the leisure activities and constraints. In the majority of cases, there was co-variance of both cultural and socio-economic variables in predicting activity participation and constraints.;In conclusion, neither ethnicity nor marginality theory was individually useful in explaining the bulk of leisure participation and constraints of Korean Americans. Rather, both ethnicity and marginality appear to be elements of a single theoretical framework in which cultural variable and socioeconomic variable are mutually affecting.