25 © 2019 by the authors; licensee Asian Online Journal Publishing Group Asian Journal of Education and Training Vol. 5, No. 1, 25-30, 2019 ISSN(E) 2519-5387 DOI: 10.20448/journal.522.2019.51.25.30 © 2019 by the authors; licensee Asian Online Journal Publishing Group The Effects of Recreative Activities on Adjustment Levels of Young People Kenan Sivrikaya u İstanbul Aydın Üniversity, Faculty of Sport Science, İstanbul, Turkey Abstract This study was planned to determine the effect of a series of 8-week recreational activities on the personal, social and general adjustment levels and academic success of high school students (between 14-16 years). The data was collected from a total of 36 students, made up two groups each containing 18 members. They were all recruited voluntarily from students in the first year class of the Mugla Mimar Sinan High School. The data collected were analyzed using the SPSS 21 software and complemented by the Mann Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis variance analysis techniques. Significant differences (0.01) were found between the pre-test and post-test scores for anti-social inclinations in the experimental group. Significant differences (0.01) also were found between the post-test scores for anti-social inclinations in the experimental and the control groups. Significant differences (0.05) were found between the pre-test and post-test scores for emotional determinants in the experimental group and the pre-test and post-test scores for social adjustment in the experimental group. No significant difference was found between other parameters among the groups. It was concluded at the end of the study that recreation was effective on the adjustment level of the adolescents and that this effect was also noted to positively affect the academic success of the subjects. Keywords: Adjustment, Recreation, Adolescent, Tendencies, Leisure, Emotion. JEL Classification: L83. Citation | Kenan Sivrikaya (2019). The Effects of Recreative Activities on Adjustment Levels of Young People. Asian Journal of Education and Training, 5(1): 25-30. History: Received: 7 September 2018 Revised: 12 October 2018 Accepted: 5 November 2018 Published: 11 December 2018 Licensed: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License Publisher: Asian Online Journal Publishing Group Funding: This study received no specific financial support. Competing Interests: The author declares that there are no conflicts of interests regarding the publication of this paper. Transparency: The author confirms that the manuscript is an honest, accurate, and transparent account of the study was reported; that no vital features of the study have been omitted; and that any discrepancies from the study as planned have been explained. Ethical: This study follows all ethical practices during writing. Contents 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 26 2. Materials & Method ........................................................................................................................................................................ 26 3. Findings and Discussion ................................................................................................................................................................. 26 4. Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 29 References .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 30 http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.20448/journal.522.2019.51.25.30&domain=pdf&date_stamp=2017-01-14 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ http://asianonlinejournals.com/index.php/EDU/article/view/374 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0010-6633 http://asianonlinejournals.com/index.php/EDU/article/view/374 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0010-6633 http://asianonlinejournals.com/index.php/EDU/article/view/374 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0010-6633 Asian Journal of Education and Training, 2019, 5(1): 25-30 26 © 2018 by the authors; licensee Asian Online Journal Publishing Group 1. Introduction The individual has a social, psychological, mental, emotional and biological life in which he / she interacts continuously, and all these components complement each other. These components form the life of the individual. The individual needs to understand, know and accept the social, psychological, emotional, mental and biological changes that are within his / her own structure and to behave in accordance with these changes (Kocaturk, 2005). Due to the complexity of a rapidly changing society and the environment of overheating competition in school education, students may experience physical and emotional weaknesses and serious social problems as a result of imbalances in physical and mental powers. In particular, the primary school period is critical. Physical, emotional, mental and behavioral development is made in this period. All values and emotions acquired in this period have the power to affect individuals throughout life. The concept of adjustment in the terms of the education terms dictionary is considered under the title of individual adaptation and is defined as “meeting the demands of the environment in which it is physically spiritual and social in accordance with its own needs and capabilities” (Güneş, 2015). Adjustment is that the individual perceives the changes and innovations in his environment and exhibits appropriate behaviors. For this reason, harmonious people realize the changes they encounter in their environment, new relationships, develop behaviors that are appropriate to these changes. Social cohesion responds to the needs and challenges in social settings according to the standards or norms set in social settings, and psychological adjustment is largely related to coping with stress and emotional disturbances caused by individual reactions and environmental barriers to meeting internal needs. A well-adjusted individual is the person who demonstrates social and psychological responses to situations and demands (VandenBos, 2015). The most important social problem of our day is an active evaluation of leisure time, a basic problem that developed countries have been thinking about for years. The main problem of many people is that they cannot reach a leisure activity for their own personalities, and even if they do, they cannot be fully connected to this activity. Their communication with their environment, their social status, their total free time affects their decision to be a leisure participant. Periodically, the activity type chosen in the free time period makes this activity to become a professional job over time. At this point, the intensity of loyalty that individuals have connected to the activity they have done and the activity they have shown against activity has gained importance (Işık, 2014). Considering the benefits of leisure activities, the fact that each individual has at least one free time activity and adheres to this activity ensures that he is both spiritually good and transforms him into a more effective person within the society. Leisure activities are the areas where human behavior is restricted to a minimum, where a person chooses his own free will and finds himself. Therefore, it is inevitable that individuals prefer leisure activities appropriate to their personality traits. Many studies have shown that the participation of leisure time makes a significant contribution to the person (Koo and Lee, 2015). According to the World Leisure Commission on Education, leisure activities improve the creativity and exploration skills of individuals, provide renewal and contribute to the development and maintenance of interpersonal communication. Leisure activities also teach a person to protect himself from a stressful environment. It contributes to adaptation in the event of an unwanted change in our lives by strengthening one's self-perceptions and life values. It provides emotional protection by avoiding the sensitization of our emotions (World Leisure Commission On Education, 2000). 2. Materials & Method In this research, it is aimed to examine the positive effect of recreational activities on the level of personal, social and general adjustment and the adjustment level on academic successes. Individuals for the study and control groups in this study were selected from volunteering students in the first year of the Muğla Mimar Sinan High School. A total of 36 girl-students, 18 in the study group and 18 in the control were enrolled. In the determination of the study and control groups students were briefed as to the nature of the study and later their parents were served with written statements with in-depth information on the study and their permissions obtained. With the aim of collecting the data, the Özgüven (1992) revised version of the Hacettepe Personality Inventory (HPI). Experiment and control groups were consisted of the children of the families that have the similar socioeconomic and cultural structure. The data obtained after loading into the Excel (Microsoft Corporation) program was transferred to the SPSS 21 program kit and definitive statistical analysis performed using the Mann Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis Variance analysis. Significance was set as p< 0,05. The recreational activities were programmed to take place for 2 hours a day, for two days per week, with natural walks and picnics lasting for 9 hours. Every week the Petanga game was organized on regular basis. Apart from this, they were allowed to play various entertaining games of their choices in the remaining times. The choices were determined by their inclinations and the new activities organized according common sense. Entertaining, athletism and ice skating were also given the chance. 3. Findings and Discussion The findings of this study are summarized below. The social adjustment scale consists of family relations, social relations, social norms and sub-groups of self-realization. Asian Journal of Education and Training, 2019, 5(1): 25-30 27 © 2018 by the authors; licensee Asian Online Journal Publishing Group Table-1A. Definitive statistical values for the Study and Control groups Parameters Group N X SD Mın. Max. S O C I A L A D J U S T M E N T Family Relationships Study, Pre. Test 18 15,053,88 3,0 19,0 Study, Post Test 18 13,164,52 6,0 20,0 Control Pre Test 18 15,003,56 4,0 18,0 Control Post Test 18 15,052,89 8,0 19,0 Social Relationships Study Pre. Test 18 15,601,85 13,0 18,0 Study Post Test 18 14,501,65 10,0 18,0 Control Pre Test 18 14,103,17 4,0 17,0 Control Post Test 18 14,773,75 8,0 20,0 Social Norms Study Pre. Test 18 13,773,59 7,0 19,0 Study Post Test 18 14,052,70 8,0 18,0 Control Pre Test 18 14,202,80 10,0 20,0 Control Post Test 18 14,552,90 8,0 19,0 Self Realization Study Pre. Test 18 15,052,02 12,0 18,0 Study Post Test 18 14,272,60 11,0 19,0 Control Pre Test 18 14,902,30 10,0 19,0 Control Post Test 18 14,053,20 8,0 19,0 Source: This table is result of our studies. In the family relations sub-dimension, the pre-test group was 15.05 points, the post-experimental group was 13.16 points, the pre-control group was 15.0 points and the post-control group was 15.05. In the social relations sub-dimension, the pre-test group was 15,06 points, the post-experimental group was 14,5 points, the pre-control group was 14,1 points and the post-control group 14,77 points. In the social norms sub-dimension, pre-test group was 13.77 points, post-experimental group 14.05 points; pre-control group 14.2 points and post-control group 14.55 points. In the sub-dimension of self-realization, pre-test group was 15.05 points, post-experimental group 14.27 points, pre-control group 14.9 points and post-control group 14.05 points. The social adjustment scale consists of Emotional Stability, Neurotic Inclinations, Psychotic Signs and sub- groups of Anti-Social Tendencies. In the Emotional Stability sub-dimension, the pre-test group was 7,3 points, the post-experimental group was 9,38 points, the pre-control group was 8,1 points and the post-control group was 8,5. In the Neurotic Inclinations sub-dimension, the pre-test group was 9,6 points, the post-experimental group was 10,27 points, the pre-control group was 11,3 points and the post-control group 9,7 points. In the Psychotic Signs sub-dimension, pre-test group was 8,2 points, post-experimental group 10.05 points, pre-control group 10.5 points and post-control group 8,8 points. In the sub-dimension of Anti-Social Tendencies, pre-test group was 10.05 points, post-experimental group 6,8 points, pre-control group 10,6 points and post-control group 11 points. Table-1B. Definitive statistical values for the Study and Control groups Parameters Group N X SD Min. Max. P E R S O N A L I T Y A D J U S T M E N T Emotional Stability Study Pre. Test 18 7,32,16 5,0 13,0 Study Post Test 18 9,383,7 2,0 16,0 Control Pre Test 18 8,12,6 5,0 14,0 Control Post Test 18 8,53,1 1,0 14,0 Neurotic Inclinations Study Pre. Test 18 9,62,68 5,0 15,0 Study Post Test 18 10,273,1 5,0 17,0 Control Pre Test 18 11,33,77 5,0 18,0 Control Post Test 18 9,773,29 4,0 16,0 Psychotic Signs Study Pre. Test 18 8,23,01 4,0 14,0 Study Post Test 18 10,052,96 4,0 15,0 Control Pre Test 18 10,52,99 6,0 15,0 Control Post Test 18 8,82,39 5,0 14,0 Anti-Social Tendencies Study Pre. Test 18 10,052,77 6,0 15,0 Study Post Test 18 6,81,65 3,0 10,0 Control Pre Test 18 10,62,68 6,0 15,0 Control Post Test 18 112,5 7,0 15,0 Source: This table is result of our studies. As seen in Table 2-A, there were statistically significant differences between the Antisocial Inclination score of the study group’s pre and post test (p=0.01) results and between the pre and post test values in the Emotional Stability scores of the study and control groups (p=0.05). Asian Journal of Education and Training, 2019, 5(1): 25-30 28 © 2018 by the authors; licensee Asian Online Journal Publishing Group Table-2A. Results of the Mann-Whitney U test in the Study and Control Groups Parameter Group F Calculation P Antisocial Inclination Study (Pre*Post) 0,2 Po>0,05 Control (Pre*Post) 0,7 Po>0,05 Pre Test (Study*Control) 0,81 Po>0,05 Post (Study*Control) 0,2 Po>0,05 Anti Social Tendencies Study (Pre*Post) 0,001 Po<0,01* Control (Pre*Post) 0,6 Po>0,05 Pre Test (Study*Control) 0,79 Po>0,05 Post (Study*Control) 0,001 Po<0,01* Emotinal Stability Study (Pre*Post) 0,04 Po<0,05* Control (Pre*Post) 0,7 Po>0,05 Pre Test (Study*Control) 0,29 Po>0,05 Post (Study*Control) 0,2 Po>0,05 General Adjustment Study (Pre*Post) 0,56 Po>0,05 Control (Pre*Post) 0,8 Po>0,05 Pre Test (Study*Control) 0,65 Po>0,05 Post (Study*Control) 0,67 Po>0,05 Self Realization Study (Pre*Post) 0,3 Po>0,05 Control L (Pre*Post) 0,5 Po>0,05 Pre Test (Study*Control) 0,9 Po>0,05 Post (Study*Control) 0,96 Po>0,05 Personal Adjustment Study (Pre*Post) 0,2 Po>0,05 Control (Pre*Post) 0,4 Po>0,05 Pre Test (Study*Control) 0,2 Po>0,05 Post (Study*Control) 0,27 Po>0,05 Source: This table is result of our studies. *p<0.05 Table-2B. Results of the Mann-Whitney U test in the Study and Control Groups Group F Calculation P Study (Pre*Post) 0,69 Po>0,05 Control (Pre*Post) 0,2 Po>0,05 Pre Test (Study*Control) 0,19 Po>0,05 Post (Study*Control) 0,6 Po>0,05 Study (Pre*Post) 0,05 Po>0,05 Control (Pre*Post) 0,1 Po>0,05 Pre Test (Study*Control) 0,03 p0<0,05 Post (Study*Control) 0,1 Po>0,05 Study (Pre*Post) 0,1 Po>0,05 Control (Pre*Post) 0,46 Po>0,05 Pre Test (Study*Control) 0,1 Po>0,05 Post (Study*Control) 0,46 Po>0,05 Study (Pre*Post) 0,86 Po>0,05 Control (Pre*Post) 0,65 Po>0,05 Pre Test (Study*Control) 0,8 Po>0,05 Post (Study*Control) 0,58 Po>0,05 Study (Pre*Post) 0,04 p0<0,05 Control L (Pre*Post) 0,56 Po>0,05 Pre Test (Study*Control) 0,6 Po>0,05 Post (Study*Control) 0,04 p0<0,05 Source: This table is result of our studies. *p<0.05 During the entire study period the students were seen to be making active effort to adjust to the condition and were observed to be successful. In the educational games they played they were observed to be making efforts to abide by the rules of play and their capability of achieving a solution in the event of disputes was seen to also improve with the passing weeks. The children were observed to behave more sensitively in situations of dispute during times of examinations despite their full observation of the program and participation in other activities. An import characteristic observed was the caesura of the arguments during the play period as the weeks passed. In activities conducted on group basis, despite the continued quarrels between them in the spirit of completion, a reflection of this conduct was not observed in their interactions with each other. Asian Journal of Education and Training, 2019, 5(1): 25-30 29 © 2018 by the authors; licensee Asian Online Journal Publishing Group The age distribution in the study group was as follows; 5.6% 14 year-olds, 83.3% 15 year-olds, and 11.1% 16 year-olds. In the control group the corresponding ratios was 5.6%, 77.16% and 11.1% with those of 17 year-olds being 5.6%. Yavuzer (1997) taking a critical look at the stages within this developmental period, experts have agreed on the fact that most of the children in the 12-15 years group have negative tendencies expressed by contrasting and instability while those in the 16-21 years group have been generally considered a period of positivity expressing consistent and pronounced behaviors. Education of such adolescents with such a dynamism and intense emotional power definitely requires special knowledge a skills. Çulha and Arıgil (1997) in their study involving 450 students’ girls in İstanbul, concluded that the students faced personality problems, failed to develop self confidence and were also faced with indecision and guilty consciousness in their relationships within the society. These investigators who also examined the students according to their age groups found no significant difference between the intensity of the problem areas within the 16 years and above age groups (Koç, 2000). Kurç (1989) who examined the relationship between the class and the adjustment areas and methods found both to be related to the class in general, with the adjustment areas and methods tending to be positive as the class rose. Glendinning et al. (1995) in their study on 15-16 year-old group adolescent Scottish children, found adjustment to the school, family and peers to be dependent on their health status, personality and standard of judgement (Cengiz, 1999). Students can find their schools boring, conservative, and authoritative and the like, and hence may harbor a negative attitude towards learning by the age of 15 years. However, with advancing age a rise in adjustment to school has been observed (Cengiz, 1999). Feldman and Scheibe (1972) sought to determine whether any change in the oppositional behavior to standard norms existed between the age groups. For this objective a total of 538 children of ages between 9 and 16 years were studied. The children from the 15-16 year group were observed to have the highest level of adjustment. It was concluded in the study that adjustment to the norms was high in the adolescent period with further increases still occurring towards its end (Cengiz, 1999). On the issue of sports, the ratio of those involved in sporting activities was 33.3% and that of those not involved in sports was 66.7% in the study group while the corresponding values for the control group was 44.4% and 55.6%. In a study in which the effect of participation in sports on self-esteem in high school students involved in sports the demographic properties of 222 sporting and 471 non-sporting high school students were compared. No significant difference was observed between the two categories. Also, considering the number of years of involvement in sports, no significant difference could be found between the various sporting ages and that of non- sporting individuals (Tiryaki and Moralı (1992). In another study the adjustment levels of licensed sporting students and those participating in physical education programs at leisure for only two hours per week were compared in 246 students. According to the findings of the study no difference in adjustment level was found between the two groups when the age, gender, and the nature of participation and frequency of the sporting activities were considered (Gültekin, 1991). Below are values on the socioeconomic structure for the study and control groups. In the study group, the ratio of those living in their own houses was 66.7% while those living in rented houses were 33.3%. In the control group the ratio of those living their own houses was 94.4% while those living in rented houses were 5.6%. In another study by Kurç (1989) in which the effect of low, middle and upper socioeconomic status on the adjustment areas and methods was examined on a total of 972 high school students drawn from class 1 through 3, it was observed that as the class level rose the adjustment areas and methods of adjustment (except the adjustment in behavior) was positively influenced. According to Kurç, on the grounds of social relations, excitement level, emotional condition, realistic adjustment and leadership behavior, children from the top socio-economic level performed better than those from the lower socio-economic class. In a study involving randomly selected 597 (293 girls, 304 boys) school children from the coeducational high schools affiliated to the Ministry of education in the Sivas province in which the effect of social and personal adjustment on some qualities of the students were examined, it was shown that despite the fact that the monthly incomes of the parents also directly affected their levels of personality adjustment no effect was observed in social adjustment (Akay, 1990). At the end of the studies it was concluded that the personality and social adjustments of those adolescents from high socio-economic levels was higher than those from lower groups. In our study, it was concluded that the adjustment levels of adolescents from the lowest socio-economic group increased after the recreational activities. Children who succeeded academically had higher levels of social and personality adjustment with their peers readily accepting them (Saygılı, 2000). In the scores for Anti-Social Tendencies a difference of significance level of 0.01 was observed between the pre and post test values in the study group as well as between the pre and post test values of the study group and those of the control group. Emotional Stability scores showed a difference with significance of 0.05 between the pre and post test values in the study group. Scores for Psychological Signs demonstrated a statically significant difference between the pre and post test values in both the study and control groups (p<0.05). There was Social Adjustment scores significant differences between the pre and post test values in the study group and between the pre and post test values of the study and control groups (p<0.05), with no significant differences observed in the other parameters. Because there was no experimental material available in the literature, we could only make our evaluations based on descriptive studies. 4. Conclusion It was concluded at the end of the study that recreation was effective on the adjustment level of the adolescents and that this effect was also noted to positively affect the academic success of the subjects. Asian Journal of Education and Training, 2019, 5(1): 25-30 30 © 2018 by the authors; licensee Asian Online Journal Publishing Group In the course of life, in addition to the effort made by individuals to cope and adjust to conditions and environments that they are exposed to, the negative emotional stress that this new environs and conditions can subject the individual are known to occur. To reduce these negative effects or eliminate them entirely the development of capabilities to combat these negative emotions by the individual is important, because it serves as the individuals’ determinants of the individual’s personal goals as well as his quality of life. 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