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Textbook Conceptualizations of Therapeutic Recreation: A Discourse Analysis
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- Author / Creator
- Ciesielski, Maegan
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There has been ongoing debate in therapeutic recreation (TR) regarding the role of recreation as a means to an end, or as an end in itself since the field emerged in the early 1900s. The roots of the field are in both hospital and community recreation, and despite numerous attempts over the last century, there has been no clear commitment to either the ‘means to an end’ or ‘end in itself’ conceptualization of TR. The purpose of the study was to understand how therapeutic recreation practices are constructed and reproduced in TR textbooks, with attentiveness to hidden discourses. Using constructivism as a guiding paradigm and critical disability studies as a conceptual framework, a discourse analysis was conducted on two popular TR textbooks. A multi-step approach was used to find textbooks used in recent TR undergraduate education, and the two texts with the highest frequency of use were selected for analysis. These were Stumbo, N. J., & Peterson, C. A. (2009). Therapeutic recreation program design: Principles and procedures (5th ed.), New York, NY: Pearson, and Anderson, L., & Heyne, L. (2012b). Therapeutic recreation practice: A strengths approach, State College, PA: Venture Publishing, Inc. The introduction chapter(s) of each text were analysed, as this was where the author’s conceptualization of TR was explained. The language of each textbook was deconstructed to expose the social structures and ideologies behind the assumptions and implicit meanings in the text. Analysis took place at a word, sentence, paragraph, and entire text level, in order to capture both small and over-arching episodes of meaning. Using a critical disability studies framework, respective thematic distinctions arose from each textbook: individual responsibility for health, professionalization of TR, and the medicalization of recreation; and being in relationship, disability as diversity, and solution focused. Conceptual differences between the two texts included the role of TR practitioners, the goals of TR services, and the qualities of those who access TR services. One conceptualization of TR had a medical, deficit orientation, while the other focussed on strength utilization. The two different conceptualizations discovered in the texts highlights the existence of a divided field. However, also implied is that both conceptualizations have existed for this long because there are valid applications to both. A single perspective of TR may not be enough to capture the complexity of the field. Further research is needed to determine long-term leisure outcomes of either conceptualization, while reflexion of the field is needed to determine if accepting both conceptualizations is a viable way to unify the field.
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- Subjects / Keywords
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- Graduation date
- Fall 2020
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- Type of Item
- Thesis
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- Degree
- Master of Arts
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- License
- Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. Where the thesis is converted to, or otherwise made available in digital form, the University of Alberta will advise potential users of the thesis of these terms. The author reserves all other publication and other rights in association with the copyright in the thesis and, except as herein before provided, neither the thesis nor any substantial portion thereof may be printed or otherwise reproduced in any material form whatsoever without the author's prior written permission.