Perceptions Of Outdoor Recreation Professionals Toward Place Meanings In Natural Environments: A Q-Method Inquiry

Scope and Method of Study: The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of outdoor recreation professionals toward place meanings in natural environments. The study describes the views of outdoor recreation professionals with varied backgrounds and professional experiences toward the ways they find meaning in outdoor settings of personal significance. Participants in the study included 15 men and 15 women who either work or worked in various areas of the outdoor recreation profession. Q methodology was utilized to illuminate the ways this group thinks about meanings in outdoor places. Each participant completed a sorting procedure (called a Q-sort) according to the following condition of instruction: "How do you find meaning in a place in the out-of-doors?"