Leisure Awareness of Primary School Teachers: The Case of Izmir

Leisure is a period of time spent out work, in which individuals can rest, enjoy and perform self-realization. The effective leisure spending, which appeared after the Industrial Revolution, is important not only for adults but also for children. It is through the socialization process that individuals gain attitudes and behaviours regarding leisure. As to the orientation towards this process, the primary school and the primary school teacher, as role models, are considered the foremost ones among all agents of socialization. In this context, this study aims at revealing the leisure awareness of primary school teachers. Within this framework the research is designed as a mixed method in which qualitative and quantitative research methods are used together. Data was gathered through a measurement tool developed by the researchers. The measurement tool is composed of a personal information form with demographic questions; a 5-likert-type close-ended questionnaire, and a semi-structured interview form with open-ended questions. The study group consists of 7 8 classroom teachers who are working in Bornova, Bayrakli, Cigli and Konak, some of the central districts of Izmir. The quantitative data of the study was analysed through SPSS 20.0 software. For each item, descriptive analyses such as frequency and percentage; and statistical analyses such as independent sample t-test, Pearson Chi-Square and Pearson Correlation were performed. In the analysis of the qualitative data, descriptive analysis technique was used. The findings of the study point out that most of the primary school teachers who are married and/or have children agree with the idea that family and leisure time strengthened family ties. It was also found that a huge gap in gender roles, emerged as an outcome of culture, had some reflections upon the leisure descriptions of the primary school teachers. Especially the female teachers expressed that they lack leisure due to housework and domestic responsibilities. It was determined that the primary school teachers did not mention any significant motivation for leisure. Finally, the research has shown that the primary school teachers are highly insufficient in orienting their students about leisure assessment.