Abstract:

The aim of this study is to investigate the leisure satisfaction and motivation of the individuals participating in open water swimming competitions. The sample of the study consists of 104 individuals who participated in Datça open water swimming competitions in 2018. In the study, in addition to the personal information form, “Leisure Motivation Scale” (LMS) developed by (Pelletier et all., 1991)  and adapted to Turkish by Güngörmüş (2012) and “Leisure Satisfaction Scale” (LSS) developed by Beard ve Ragheb (1980) and adapted to Turkish by Gökçe (2008) were used. In data analysis, the normality of the data was tested and in addition to the descriptive statistics, Independent Sample T Test was used for two groups and One Way Variance Analysis was used for more than two groups. The correlation between the two scales was calculated by using Pearson Correlation Coefficient. While no correlation was found between the participants’ genders and their years of participation in terms of leisure motivation and leisure satisfaction levels, significant difference was found between the leisure motivations of individuals who were interested in swimming recreatively and professional individuals. In addition, a positive and moderate correlation was found between LMS and LSS. As a conclusion, there can be an increase in the satisfaction levels of individuals if their leisure motivation can be increased. This is an important factor in increasing the attendance of the participants and ensuring the continuity of the organization.

Keywords: