Relationship Between Perceived Importance and Flow Experience in Recreational Sports Activities: The Case of the International Arhavi Culture and Arts Festival

Authors : Fatih Mehmet Parlar, İsmail Hakkı Tasalan

Pages : 13-28

Doi:10.52272/srad.1547493

View : 92 | Download : 182

Publication Date : 2024-12-31

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This study examined the correlation between perceived importance and the recreational flow experience within the framework of recreational sport organizations. The research is structured as a quantitative study. The data collection instrument comprised three sections: a Personal Information Form developed by the research team, the Perceived Importance Scale with three subscales developed by Buning and Gibson (2016) and adapted to Turkish culture by Aslan and Doğu (2020) and the unidimensional Recreational Flow Experience Scale developed by Ayhan et al. (2020). Data were collected from 149 athletes who participated in competitions (football, street basketball, beach volleyball, and tennis) organized as part of the 50th International Arhavi Culture and Arts Festival in 2024. The research data were gathered through a face-to-face survey administered under observation. Non-parametric tests, specifically the Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman correlation test, were utilized for data analysis using SPSS 26 software. The findings revealed no statistically significant differences in perceived importance levels among participants in festival sports activities based on gender, age, education level, number of festival participations, frequency of participation in recreational sports activities, city of participation, and sport discipline. Regarding recreational flow experience, no significant differences were observed between groups based on gender, age, number of participations, frequency of participation in recreational sports activities, city of involvement, and sport discipline. However, a statistically significant difference was found (p>0.05) for the education level variable, favoring participants with a high school education or lower. A moderate (0.445), positive, and statistically significant correlation (p<0.001) was identified between the perceived importance scale and the recreational flow experience scale. These findings indicate that sport event organizers may be able to provide participants with a higher recreational flow experience by increasing participants\\\' perceived importance of the events.
Keywords : Algılanan Önem, Rekreasyonel Akış Deneyimi, Spor, Yerel Yönetim, Festival