Date of Award
5-2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management (MPRTM)
Department
Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management
Committee Chair/Advisor
Matthew Brownlee
Committee Member
Ryan J. Gagnon
Committee Member
Chris Zajchowski
Abstract
Management efficacy in parks and protected areas can be assessed and improved with knowledge about park visitors’ compatibility with the setting, their ability to attain desired visitation or recreational benefits, and the development of place-based connections. Additionally, the relationships between compatibility (i.e., recreationist-environment fit), the attainment of benefits, and place-based connections such as place attachment have been perennial interests to a suite of disciplines, including landscape architecture, urban and regional planning, environmental psychology, conservation social sciences, and human-dimensions of natural resource management. Therefore, this study employed a quantitative, cross-sectional survey research design to determine the degree that the attainment of specific benefits derived from protected area visitation mediates the relationship between recreationist-environment fit and place attachment. This study also explored the moderating effect of visitation frequency on the relationship between benefit attainment and place attachment. Data analysis was conducted in SPSS and R-lavaan software and included confirmatory factor, structural regression modeling, and a series of moderation and mediation models. The results reflect significant increases in place identity, place dependence, and place social bonding as recreationist-environment fit increases. However, the results did not display an indirect effect of mental and physical health benefit attainment on the relationship between recreationist-environment fit and place dependence nor did the results indicate a moderating effect of visitation frequency on the relationship between benefit attainment and place attachment.
Recommended Citation
Jilson, Tristan, "The Perfect Fit? Relationships Between Recreationist-Environment Fit, Benefit Attainment, and Place Attachment" (2023). All Theses. 4034.
https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/4034