Abstract:

This research is aimed to reveal cognitive structures about leisure time and recreation related concepts of students who are studying in tourism programs at Istanbul Arel University and to determine misconseptions.  A deliberate sampling method was used in the research using qualitative research method. According to this sampling method, 63 (42 female, 21 male)  students who study at İstanbul Arel University, Vocational School Culinary and Tourist Guidance Programs have been applied Word Association Test (WAT). According to WAT, students are given key concepts of leisure time and recreation, and they are asked to write the words that these key concepts brings to their minds within a certain period of time. The answers given by the students to the concepts of leisure time and recreation were created frequency tables and concept maps using the NVivo program. As a result, 523 responses were collected from the students as total, leisure time and recreation responses. Leisure cognitive perceptions of students are more dominant than recreation. The concept of leisure time is mostly associated with "resting" and "reading" words. "Traveling", "reading", "listening to music" and "walking" are associated with the concept of recreation. Finally, It is seen that recreation usually has a cognitive perception based on activities when leisure time has a comprehensive cognitive perception in terms of tourism students. 

Keywords: