Why Single Men and Women Do Not Engage Themselves in Physical Recreation - Research Paper Example

Name: University: Course: Tutor: Date: Introduction Qualitative research is a method that involves systematic investigation of issues with an intention of acquiring insight in people’s attitude, conducts, preferences, fears, their ways of life and objectives in life. It allows researchers to process information to prevent making ambiguous inferences concerning a particular issue within the society. It further allows people to advance their knowledge so that they can make informed decisions while looking for solutions to the existing problems (Charmaz, 2006, p. 42). The objective of this research is to identify reasons why single men and women do not engage themselves in physical recreation, and how these reasons relate to each other. It also aims at developing a model that explains this phenomenon. Literature review Qualitative research is a method that allows researchers to manage information that is normally unstructured through analytical procedures that ultimately help to draw necessary conclusions. There are various research methods that are used in a qualitative study such as use of case studies, clinical research methods and participant observational method among others. In this particular study, Grounded theory method will be applied. It is a qualitative research method based on information that is collected in an orderly manner, and well analyzed. This study aims at identifying the reasons why single men and women shun physical recreation activities. There could be a number of reasons that hold them from participating in these activities. According to the study, most of the respondents were not able to engage in an organized physical exercise due to lack of time. Most of them worked for long hours during the day thereby compromising on the time that could have otherwise allocated for physical recreation. Another reason that was commonly given as to why the interviewees could not participate in physical exercise was lack of money. Most of the respondents complained that the cost of having an organized sport was exuberantly high and therefore, they preferred to engage in other activities. It posed a great challenge for them to afford the high cost of visiting a gym where one can have an organized physical recreation activity. Others were very sincere to pin point their laziness as the main reason why they could not exercise. Nevertheless, there are some respondents who were willing to participate in physical exercises but were constrained by a various reasons. For instance, some of them believed that if only they had enough money, they would enroll in a gym. Others lacked a team which they could get attached to. On the other hand, other people did not show any interest in physical exercises at all since they found less significance in it. For example, a 45 year old Garry did not have any interest in exercising since he was not overweight. He believed that physical exercise should only be for those people who are overweight and are willing to loose some weight. Additionally, there are a number of people from both genders who wanted to create time to spend with their friends rather than engage in organized physical exercises. They valued socializing more than exercising. Some reasons are more oriented to one gender while others apply in both masculine and feminine genders. After careful analysis of responses from interviewees of both genders, it will be possible to establish the underlying issues that prevent them from engaging in an organized form of exercise. Research questions Physical exercise is beneficial to an individual in a number of ways. However, study has shown that single men and single women do not participate in physical exercises. There are a number of reasons that hold them from participating in these activities. It is clearly evident that when people do not engage in physical exercises, they must be having very genuine reasons that prevent them from doing so. One of the issues that will be talked in this paper is to find out barriers to physical exercise in both single men and women. Another important aspect of this study will aim at establishing the relationship that exists between barriers that affect participation of both single men and women in organized exercises. Therefore, differences as well as similarities that exist between lack of involvement in sporting activities for both single men and women will be determined. Finally, after careful analysis of responses from interviewees of both genders, it will be possible to establish the underlying issues that prevent them from exercising. Furthermore, inferences from the analysis will help to draw a model that will explain occurrence of this phenomenon. Research method: Grounded Theory method There are various research methodologies that are used in a qualitative study such as use of case studies, clinical research methods, and participant observational method among others. In this particular study, Grounded theory method is will be applied. It is one of the methods used in qualitative research and is usually based on information that is obtained in an organized and well analyzed manner (Charmaz, 2006, p. 46). It also aids in developing a theory which comprises of a set of reasonable connections that are suggested from sets of concepts in the data. Ground theory method is thus different from other research methods that do not demand a lot of commentary from the researcher. One of the critical features of this theory is its theoretical sensitivity, a process which entails the development of the researcher’s insight on the area researched on. Grounded theory research method follows a systematic process that allows proper judgment, simplification and comparison of results of the research. It aims at generating models that explain how various aspects within a social context work. This objective solely focuses on coming up with a theory that will explain a situation originating from the real world. A grounded theory is usually developed through well outlined steps called constant comparisons, namely, open coding, axial coding and selective coding (Charmaz, 2006, p. 46). These steps have been discussed at greater lengths, showing how comparative analysis can be used to develop a model that can be applied to any given social unit. Theory on Coding Coding refers to patterns of information and how the data is outlined or it correlates throughout the entire analysis process (Charmaz, 2006, p. 56). It is a data reduction procedure involving grouping of information into different themes, every one of which represents a given category of data. In this case, information refers to written data, and symbols that represent life experiences, people and other incidences of social life. Application of coding method makes qualitative research a flexible and spontaneous process. Coding is divided into three categories, open coding, axial coding and reflective coding. All these categories are interlinked thereby forming a systematic process. Open coding Open-coding is a process of synthesizing, examining, contrasting, and conceptualizing as well as classification of data. It involves the use of themes to represent certain activities. During this process, categories are named after data is evaluated (Corbin and Strauss, 1998, p. 122). Open coding is the first stage in the process of acquiring information. All factors are normally identified, branded and grouped together in a summarized manner. It is also at this level that properties of every category are expressed. During this study, there were fourteen cases that contained distributed codes which represented the reasons that explained their absence from physical recreation activities. Codes that had similarities were grouped into constraints such as laziness, no time, high cost incurred, lack of a team among others. Axial coding Axial coding makes use of a set of procedures whereby information is grouped into new ways after open coding thereby drawing some relationships between categories. It is the second stage that follows open coding. In this case, a structure known as coding paradigm is used to group information in new ways. Axial coding is concerned with grouping together all common constraints. This coding system aims at making clear relationship between categories and sub-categories (Corbin and Strauss, 1998, p. 138). Examples from the study include financial constraints, limited time, and attitude among others. Selective coding Selective coding is a process of establishing the main category and comparing it with other existing categories in an orderly manner so as to come up with validity within such relationships. It further involves filling in categories that require additional improvement and development (Corbin and Strauss, 1998, p. 144). It is worth mentioning that all the coding procedures help to guide successive conclusions drawn from theoretical sampling. Results Interview method of data collection was employed to collect the required information during this study. The interviewees were asked questions from a well structured questionnaire. During the interview, people gave a number of reasons that prevented them from participating in such activities. The study established that commitments in work places were a major reason why some men and women did not exercise. Most of them had tight working schedules that did not allow time for other activities. Additionally, some of them were involved in very tiresome jobs that required them to relax after work to ease their exhaustion. For instance, Luke suggests that he walked everyday to and from work. He was not involved in an organized form of physical activity since by the time he finishes his chores, he is usually very exhausted (Reference, raw data, line 157). The study also showed that some of the respondents were unwilling to engage in physical training due to their health. For example, Kat, an eighteen year old lady suggested that she was not willing to participate in vigorous activities since she suffered from heart murmurs (Reference, raw data, line 256). This condition usually became worse if she persisted with the exercise. She therefore opted to spend her free time with her friends than do physical exercises. The study further showed that lack of interest from colleagues to engage in sporting activities was another reason why people failed to exercise. There were those who lacked good teams to fit in and to get associated with. For example Will, suggested that he valued physical exercise in oder to gain physical fitness. Besides commitments from his job, he did not have a team at the moment that he could join to accomplish his ambitions (Reference, raw data, line 109). Some of the women such as Jessica were willing to participate in sports only if her housemates were interested too (Reference, raw data, line 389). Similarly, some men were willing to engage in a certain sport if only their friends and housemates were willing too. They also went to play games so as to interact and have fun with their friends. For instance, Myles suggested that his motivation in sporting activities was mainly due the fun and enjoyment shared among his friends during a game (Reference, raw data, line 65). However, the study also found out that most of women preferred to spend time with their friends rather than engage in a physical activity. They valued socialization to physical recreation. For instance, Bree and Jessica could rather spend their free time during weekends with friends than participate in physical recreation. Besides, Bree had other personal matters to handle, such as look for a job rather than engage in physical exercises (Reference, raw data, line 327). Additionally, a number of those interviewed, both male and female claimed that, it was quite costly for them to participate in organized exercises. Therefore, financial constraints were other barriers to participation in physical exercises. For instance, Bindi suggested that besides not having enough time, she could also not meet the cost of engaging in such activities (Reference, raw data, line 237). Other reasons included spending time to watch television and general laziness to engage in physical activities as suggested by Jim. He proposed that the reasons he did not engage in leisure activities just crystallized down to laziness (Reference, raw data, line 17). Nevertheless, other people did not have any interest in exercising since they found no need for it. Garry felt that since he was not overweight, he was not obliged to exercise (Reference, raw data, line 194). It is evident that time was a major factor that hindered both men and women from participating in leisure activities. Almost everyone who was interviewed suggested that they operated within a very tight time schedule during working days of the week. It was normally tricky for them to create time for physical exercises. They were involved in jobs that required a lot of commitment in terms of their time. It can therefore be said that time factor was a good reason that prevented engagement in leisure activities since it cut across both genders. Furthermore, most of those respondents described their jobs as the other hindrance to their involvement in sporting activities. Their jobs were very demanding in terms of time commitment. As a result, they found themselves staying longer in their working places. Most of them would argue that although physical recreation was important, it was not a priority to them as far as hierarchy of needs is concerned. First, was for them to get the basic needs which are essential to everyone. Therefore, they preferred to get committed to their jobs which provided a source of their living. Finally, another common factor portrayed during the interview from most of the respondents implied that money was a yet another major hindrance to having an organized exercise program. Most of those interviewed suggested that they were willing to join a gym if only they had the required amount of money to enroll in such physical fitness programs. Perhaps, the results of the study can imply that people are willing to engage in an organized physical recreation program. That is the reason why, they opt to show commitment in their jobs so that they can have enough money to enroll in a physical recreation facility such as a gym. Almost every one of those interviewed understood the importance of having physical training programs. Conclusion This article aimed at examining the reasons why single men and women did not engage in an organized physical recreation program. The findings obtained from this study will help to draw conclusions and establish the underlying issues behind this phenomenon. It can therefore be conclusively said that, the reasons why single men and women do not exercise is due to lack of time, financial constraints and commitments at workplace. The respondents wanted to have money to attain financial freedom so as to afford among other luxuries, enrolment in a gym and thus, they had to work. However, their commitment to work forced them to compromise on their time for other physical exercises. It can be recommended that physical recreation centers be set up near working places so that employees can spend less time while accessing them. They will be able to exercise while saving on the time normally wasted while travelling from work. Work Cited Charmaz, Kathy. Constructing grounded theory: a practical guide through qualitative analysis. Basingstoke: Sage, 2006. Corbin, Juliet M and Anselm L Strauss. Basics of qualitative research: techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Basingstoke: Sage, 1998. Read More