What you'll need to know...
KEY CONCEPT - How human development processes give rise to leisure activities
The growth and changing purpose of leisure time for societies in different geographic and developmental contexts
The categorization of touristic activities (cost, duration, destination) and sporting activities (cost, popularity, site)
The link between economic development and participation in leisure activities
Detailed examples to illustrate recent changes in participation for two or more societies at contrasting stages of development
Factors affecting personal participation in sports and tourism, including affluence, gender, stage in life cycle, personality, place of residence
KEY CONCEPT - How human development processes give rise to leisure activities
The growth and changing purpose of leisure time for societies in different geographic and developmental contexts
The categorization of touristic activities (cost, duration, destination) and sporting activities (cost, popularity, site)
The link between economic development and participation in leisure activities
Detailed examples to illustrate recent changes in participation for two or more societies at contrasting stages of development
Factors affecting personal participation in sports and tourism, including affluence, gender, stage in life cycle, personality, place of residence
The growth and changing purpose of leisure time...
Leisure time has grown in importance as working patterns, incomes and lifestyles have changed. For many people, shorter working hours, paid holidays and rising disposable incomes have created more opportunities for recreation, tourism and sport. The purpose of leisure has also evolved, extending beyond relaxation to include health and wellbeing, social interaction, personal achievement and new experiences. These changes have contributed to the rapid growth and diversification of leisure activities around the world.
Starter - If you have access to Paula Zuccotti's book 'Everything We Touch', you can use some of the images within to study how the personal possessions of people can be used to deduce their use of leisure time. Otherwise, there are some images from the book out there (see below - image source directly embedded from Daily Mail ... sorry!) to get you started.
Click the images to enlarge.
For each image, try to identify possible use of leisure time, demographic characteristic (age, gender, social class) as well as a potential location.
Click the images to enlarge.
For each image, try to identify possible use of leisure time, demographic characteristic (age, gender, social class) as well as a potential location.
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How has leisure changed?
Leisure patterns have changed significantly over time as societies, economies and technologies have developed. Rising incomes, increased free time, improved transport and changing lifestyles have allowed more people to participate in a wider range of leisure activities. Tourism has expanded internationally, while sport and recreation have become increasingly commercialised and globalised. New technologies have also created entirely new forms of leisure. However, these changes vary considerably between places and groups, reflecting differences in development, culture and accessibility.
Starter: Watch up to 3:36 on the video below as a class on the screen. What are your thoughts on the claim that is made by the presenter at the end of this short sequence?
Discuss and then fill in the first two questions on the document below. Then watch the rest of the video and complete the remaining activities.
How it used to be (a long, long time ago in the 1970's & 1980's).
The first video is the BBC Test Card Screen that used to be displayed in the 1970's on United Kingdom television when the last TV shows ended finished at 3am! After that, there was nothing else on until 6am! Imagine that......!
Discuss - what is different today?
The second video details how leisure time and provision have changed over time.
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Task - Complete all the activities set out on the worksheet above. You will need the information below for the definitions task.
Define: Leisure
Free time when you are not in work, education or carrying out essential domestic activities and compulsory activities e.g sleeping and eating.
Define: Recreation
This is referred to as the activities that are done when not working and are done for amusement, fun or pleasure.
Define: Sport
A physical activity with a set of rules and customs. The activity may be competitive.
Define: Tourism - Travel away from home for at least one night for the purpose of leisure. Note that this definition excludes day trippers.
Task - Watch the video below that questions how our hobbies are changing. How much to you agree with the content of the video? Can you think of any examples of how this might impact you?
What Has Led To This Growth in Leisure...?
Participation in leisure activities has increased significantly in many parts of the world. This growth has been driven by rising disposable incomes, increased paid holiday entitlement, shorter working hours and improvements in transport and accessibility. Changing lifestyles, greater awareness of health and wellbeing, and the growth of digital media have also influenced how people spend their free time. However, access to leisure remains uneven, reflecting differences in wealth, age, gender, location and levels of economic development.
Task - Complete the tasks on the worksheet below. For the first task, the images are embedded below if you need to study them in more detail.
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The Categorization of Touristic Activities...
Tourism takes many different forms, reflecting the wide range of reasons why people travel and the experiences they seek. Touristic activities can be categorized according to their purpose, including adventure, cultural, religious, medical, heritage and ecotourism. They can also be classified according to their cost and scale, from budget and mass tourism to high-end experiences. These categories help geographers understand how different types of tourism develop and why particular destinations attract different groups of visitors.
All tasks should be completed on the worksheet above
What are Primary & Secondary Tourism Resources?
Primary Tourism Resource - These are attractions that pre-date tourism i.e. the reason that destination was so attractive in the first instance (climate, scenery, wildlife, indigenous people and cultural/heritage sites)
Secondary Tourism Resource - The extra facilities that are now there to accommodate the tourists (hotels, restaurants, water parks, shopping, adventure providers etc)
What are Primary & Secondary Tourism Resources?
Primary Tourism Resource - These are attractions that pre-date tourism i.e. the reason that destination was so attractive in the first instance (climate, scenery, wildlife, indigenous people and cultural/heritage sites)
Secondary Tourism Resource - The extra facilities that are now there to accommodate the tourists (hotels, restaurants, water parks, shopping, adventure providers etc)
The Categorisation of Sports Activities...
Sports activities vary enormously in their physical demands, cost, popularity and the places where they can take place. Some sports require little specialist equipment or infrastructure, while others depend on expensive facilities, particular landscapes or specific climatic conditions. Sports can therefore be categorised in several different ways, helping geographers to identify patterns in participation and accessibility. These categories also help explain why certain sports become popular in particular places and among different groups of people.
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Task 1 - Is that a sport?
Review each of the four videos above. Using this tick list, determine whether each of the four activities should be categorised as a sport based on some common characteristics.
Task 2 - Categories of Sports (Cost / Popularity / Site)
Complete all activities set out on the worksheet below.
Task 1 - Is that a sport?
Review each of the four videos above. Using this tick list, determine whether each of the four activities should be categorised as a sport based on some common characteristics.
Task 2 - Categories of Sports (Cost / Popularity / Site)
Complete all activities set out on the worksheet below.
Economic development & participation in leisure activities...
Read this before we start.
It can be seen that populations of HIC's have better access to sports all round. This can be seen in the ability to watch sport on television (remember the TEDX talk at the start of this unit?) and ownership of electronics and satellite services generally increases with wealth. Wealthy governments also have the ability to invest in sporting infrastructure and sports development at grass roots level.
France is a good example of a country where even at a rural level, many villages are equipped with sports pitches and outdoor pools and lido's. The increasing popularity of leisure activities and indeed the time to carry them out can once again be linked to the rise of the middle class and can be seen by the hundreds of thousands of people who watch Spanish La Liga football in Australia on cable television or the hundreds of millions of Chinese who watch American NBA on a weekly basis.
As you know, some sports like Grand Prix require massive investment in lessons and equipment to get the driver to a standard where they might complete in F3, F2 or F1 racing. There is no surprise therefore to discover that no current F1 driver hails from an LIC or that there is no circuit in a LIC. Other sports simply require a round object (ball) and some sticks (goal) for the game to take place. Visitors to Rio, Brazil might see youngsters playing football in every available open space just as they would see the same youngsters in Mumbai, India enthusiastically playing a game of cricket. Indeed, Brazil (MIC) has been very successful in football as has India (MIC) in cricket.
It can be seen that populations of HIC's have better access to sports all round. This can be seen in the ability to watch sport on television (remember the TEDX talk at the start of this unit?) and ownership of electronics and satellite services generally increases with wealth. Wealthy governments also have the ability to invest in sporting infrastructure and sports development at grass roots level.
France is a good example of a country where even at a rural level, many villages are equipped with sports pitches and outdoor pools and lido's. The increasing popularity of leisure activities and indeed the time to carry them out can once again be linked to the rise of the middle class and can be seen by the hundreds of thousands of people who watch Spanish La Liga football in Australia on cable television or the hundreds of millions of Chinese who watch American NBA on a weekly basis.
As you know, some sports like Grand Prix require massive investment in lessons and equipment to get the driver to a standard where they might complete in F3, F2 or F1 racing. There is no surprise therefore to discover that no current F1 driver hails from an LIC or that there is no circuit in a LIC. Other sports simply require a round object (ball) and some sticks (goal) for the game to take place. Visitors to Rio, Brazil might see youngsters playing football in every available open space just as they would see the same youngsters in Mumbai, India enthusiastically playing a game of cricket. Indeed, Brazil (MIC) has been very successful in football as has India (MIC) in cricket.
Background
You will be going to the excellent Dollar Street by Gapminder to carry out a quick study to find out how different income levels participate differently in leisure activities. To do this you need to understand the way that this site is set up.
Dollar Street documents the lives of over 264 homes in 50 countries so far, and the list is growing. In each home the photographer spends a day taking photos of up to 135 objects, like the family’s toothbrushes or favorite pair of shoes. All photos are then tagged (household function, family name and income).
When you access the site, it will order the houses visited in terms of the income. Poorest on the left, middle incomes in the middle and richest on the right.
Task - I would like you to choose one of the following categories and use that to write up a short piece linking wealth and leisure activities. You can use the worksheet below.
Take a screen shot of the four pictures can be from different rows, but one from each of the four columns) and paste them into your worksheet and aim to write a 200 word commentary. You can find out more about the family by clicking on the picture, then on the new screen, click on 'Visit this Home'.
You will be going to the excellent Dollar Street by Gapminder to carry out a quick study to find out how different income levels participate differently in leisure activities. To do this you need to understand the way that this site is set up.
Dollar Street documents the lives of over 264 homes in 50 countries so far, and the list is growing. In each home the photographer spends a day taking photos of up to 135 objects, like the family’s toothbrushes or favorite pair of shoes. All photos are then tagged (household function, family name and income).
When you access the site, it will order the houses visited in terms of the income. Poorest on the left, middle incomes in the middle and richest on the right.
Task - I would like you to choose one of the following categories and use that to write up a short piece linking wealth and leisure activities. You can use the worksheet below.
Take a screen shot of the four pictures can be from different rows, but one from each of the four columns) and paste them into your worksheet and aim to write a 200 word commentary. You can find out more about the family by clicking on the picture, then on the new screen, click on 'Visit this Home'.
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The Living Room
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The Television
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Children's Toys
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Two societies at contrasting stages of development...
Patterns of leisure vary between societies according to their level of economic and social development. Comparing China and the USA reveals differences in the amount of leisure time available, disposable income, participation in tourism and sport, and changing consumer preferences. While the USA has a long-established and highly developed leisure economy, China has experienced rapid growth and changing leisure patterns alongside economic development, urbanisation and an expanding middle class. These examples demonstrate how leisure patterns evolve as societies develop.
For this section of work, we will look at China and the USA and carry out a study into how participation in leisure activities has changed in two contrasting countries.
Task - Split into pairs and each of you should take one of the two case studies below. Research carefully and produce a fact sheet using Gemini or Notebook LM on your chosen country.
Agree on a common format for ease of comparison and future revision.
For each country, you have two videos, and a link to more information.
Task - Split into pairs and each of you should take one of the two case studies below. Research carefully and produce a fact sheet using Gemini or Notebook LM on your chosen country.
Agree on a common format for ease of comparison and future revision.
For each country, you have two videos, and a link to more information.
Factors affecting personal participation in sports and tourism...
Participation in sport and tourism varies considerably between individuals and groups. Factors such as income, gender, age and stage of life can influence the amount of time, money and opportunity available for leisure activities. Personality and personal interests also shape the choices people make, while place of residence affects access to sporting facilities, transport and tourist opportunities. Together, these factors help geographers explain why participation in sport and tourism differs between people and places.
We are going to finish this section by looking at the physical, human, social, political and cultural factors that affect participation in sports and tourism.
Starter - Click on the tabs below to access the starter worksheet on physical and human factors affecting participation in sports and tourism.
Task 1 - Now, we will go into a little more depth by completing the worksheet below.
Exam Review of this unit
Complete Question 9 a, b, c (page 8) of the IB DP Geography sample examination on the mini site.
Complete Question 9 a, b, c (page 8) of the IB DP Geography sample examination on the mini site.
KEY CONCEPT – How Human Development Processes Give Rise to Leisure Activities
Leisure patterns are closely connected to human development. As societies develop, rising incomes, improved transport, urbanisation, technological change and changing working conditions can increase both the time and money available for leisure. This creates new opportunities for tourism, sport and recreation and changes the types of activities people choose. However, participation remains uneven between and within societies. Understanding leisure therefore provides an important insight into wider development processes and the changing opportunities available to different people and places.
