Investigating the Labour-Play dichotomy : a questionnaire-based study on University of Malta students’ leisure patterns

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the leisure patterns of students at the University of Malta. An online questionnaire was distributed to the entire youth population of the University of Malta and 659 responses were collected. The questions used in this questionnaire were adapted and modified from previous local studies on youth and leisure namely ‘Mirrors and Windows: Maltese Young People’s Perception Of Themselves, Their Families, Communities, And Society’ (Aġenzija Żgħażagħ, 2012) , ‘Leisure Trends Amongst Young People In Malta’ (Clark & Cassar, 2013) and ‘Healthy Students Healthy Lives: The Health of Maltese University Students’ (Cefai & Camilleri, 2009). The questions in the research instrument were classified into categories through Google Docs™ and analyzed through SPSS™. The results of the questionnaire were then compared to the aforementioned studies and to relevant literature. The findings suggest that for the youth at the University of Malta, leisure inter alia is an important means to de-stress oneself, a means of socializing, a way to communicate with other people, and a way to learn. In addition results show that ten hours of weekly leisure time is reported as requisite for the majority of research participants to rebalance the labour-play dichotomy. Conclusively, the study also demonstrates that University of Malta students do not essentially see the worlds of play/leisure and work as conflicting.