The purpose of the study was to determine why the mountain is so popular and what management techniques would be acceptable to the current visitors. Most respondents indicated that they were unaffected by crowding. It also appears that hikers do not support the possible implementation of permit systems to reduce crowding. Hikers also showed little support for implementing a shuttle system to help reduce parking issues. The data suggest that there is no significant difference between the perceptions of crowding of Utah and Salt Lake Valley residents and those not from the immediate, Central Utah area.

Contact: SWilliams@uvu.edu

The capstone experience of PRT’s Integrated Core involves working in groups of approximately 20 students to create, implement, and evaluate a special event. In 2013, students put on 5 different events. Students interested in Community Recreation and Sport Management put on a family skate afternoon in collaboration with the Utah Grizzlies and raised money and food for the Utah Food Bank. Another group with an interest in Sustainable Tourism Management and Commercial Recreation Management raised money and awareness for Save Our Canyons through a night of speakers, a documentary, and live music. A group of students who are focused on Adventure and Outdoor Programs worked with a local Boys and Girls Club in Salt Lake City and a local ski resort to collect winter clothing for children, put on a winter activity day, and provide a ski lesson for some of the children. Students who want to work in the Hospitality Management Industry raised money and clothing for the Utah Road Home by putting on an event with live music, local food, and a magician. Finally, Therapeutic Recreation students worked with the Christmas Box House to create art that was then sold at a gallery walk and in a calendar. Altogether, students in PRT’s Integrated Core volunteered hundreds of hours with the community, raised close to $5000, collected hundreds of articles of clothing and over 130 lbs of food for local community organizations.

Contact: Mary.Wells@hsc.utah.edu

This report presents the first retroactive research synthesis of the social science research on winter use in Yellowstone National Park. The findings were organized into four thematic categories: Users and their Experiences, Impacts to Park Resources, Park Management and Greater Yellowstone Area. Thematic gaps were found for all four categories and include place attachment in winter, seasonal differences in visitor experiences, impacts to cultural resources and night sky pollution, economic impacts of wildlife tourism, economic value of Yellowstone’s ecosystem services, and studies of displacement and underrepresented populations and relevancy. Several methodological gaps were also noted, including limited use of qualitative and mixed methods and the absence of longitudinal studies.

Contact: elise.gatti@utah.edu

The Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism at the University of Utah celebrates the research of graduate students each year during the PRT Graduate Research Symposium. The 2014 Symposium featured presentations by fourteen master's and doctoral students on a range of topics. The event was capped by a public lecture by Dr. Gary Machlis, Science Advisor to the Director of the National Park Service and Professor of Environmental Sustainability at Clemson University. The Symposium program and research abstracts can be viewed at http://goo.gl/lNGvDZ.

Contact: Matthew.Brownlee@hsc.utah.edu

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how out-of-school time programs in the areas of afterschool, camp, and community recreation are using research to inform their programming and quality improvement processes. Research questions investigated what encourages the use of research evidence, what discourages it, and how these programs are incorporating research into program planning and implementation. Results of the study indicate that use of research by practitioners is encouraged by partnering with higher education, viewing their own programs as "laboratories" where research can be conducted, and having the assistance and support of an industry-wide organization. Discouraging barriers include not being able to access relevant research, not having the time to read through academic research articles, and a perception that research conducted in one environment or at a specific program is really only applicable to that particular situation. In order for research to be more accessible and usable for practitioners, researchers need to present it in a way that is easily accessed, able to be read and understood quickly, and includes an explanation of how the results of the study can be applied to programs in the field.

Contact: troy.bennett@utah.edu

The purpose of this research was to explore the development of sense of community (SOC) among a group of sport fans who have relocated outside of the geographic area of their team of interest. Results of this study support the development of sense of community in a sport fan group. In addition, the study highlights the role of leadership, an element not traditionally part of theories of sense of community. The study offers practical implications for administrators who wish to improve SOC among new residents.

Contact: Eric.Legg@utah.edu

The purpose of this research was to determine factors that influence a feeling of sense of community (SOC) among youth sport parents. The findings of this study suggest involvement, choice, and identification lead to a higher SOC among parents of youth sport participants. The implications of these findings offer several possibilities for administrators who wish to increase SOC among parents, including suggestions for involving parents in programs and increasing their degree of perceived choice.

Contact: Eric.Legg@utah.edu

The purpose of this study was to test the relation between dispositional motivational goal orientations and sense of community and social capital. Results of this study suggest that 1) individual ego and task orientation are strongly associated with SOC, 2) individual task orientation is strongly associated with social capital, and 3) team-level ego orientation is strongly associated with SOC. The implications of these findings offer several possibilities for administrators who wish to increase SOC and social capital among program participants by creating a task-involved climate.

Contact: Eric.Legg@utah.edu

This research study focuses on sharing findings of a qualitative research study and offering strategies to enhance coach-athlete interactions using a model of transformational leadership. Four major themes emerged from data analysis. Coaches influenced the lives of their athletes by 1) caring about them, 2) trusting them and earning their trust in return, 3) teaching them life lessons, and 4) pushing them physically and mentally. This research focuses on narrowing the gap between current research findings and coaching practices by offering strategies that can be adopted by coaches regardless of athletes’ gender, sport, or level of competition.

Contact: Aubrey.Newland@utah.edu

The purpose of this project was to develop an online learning guide for new online instructors. The developed course walks instructors through a step-by-step guide for developing a fully online course.

Contact: linzhang801@gmail.com

The purpose of this study was to understand incidents associated with satisfaction and dissatisfaction of adult (ages 18-65), recreational, coed indoor soccer players. The results of this study support the notion that some factors drive satisfaction while others drive dissatisfaction. These effects could impact program participation. Therefore, it is important for managers to understand participants’ perspectives prior to implementing changes.

Contact: prestontanner1@yahoo.com

This paper focused on the establishment of Zhangjiajie National Park in China and the ways in which the resettlement has affected the livelihood of local ethnic communities.

The findings suggest that locals are generally satisfied with the consequences, such as improvement of living conditions, job creation within the tourism industry and strengthening of social connections. At the same time, they also reported that the resettlement resulted in economic losses, since lands for subsistence farming were expropriated.

Contact: linzhang801@gmail.com