Study title

Enhancing Leisure Time Activities: Survey for Eighth-Graders Autumn 2014

Dataset ID Number

FSD3230

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3230
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3230

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Vatka, Mikko (City of Helsinki. Culture and Leisure Division)
• Anttila, Anna (City of Helsinki. Culture and Leisure Division)

Abstract

The survey charted the perceptions, hopes and experiences of eighth-graders in Helsinki regarding their leisure time, well-being and relationships. The study is part of the Good Leisure Time Development and Research project by Helsinki City Youth Department. The research project followed the same students during their lower secondary school education between 2013 and 2017.

First, sleeping and eating habits as well as time spent with friends were examined. Some questions focused on the respondents' relationships with classmates (e.g. whether their classmates helped them if needed and whether they experienced bullying or social exclusion from their classmates). Next, the respondents were asked what their favourite subject at school was, whether they thought their grades were good or bad and how often they missed school. Leisure time activities were charted with questions relating to, for example, who the respondents spent time with after school and where, and with whom the after-school activities were the most enjoyable or boring. Internet use and reading habits during leisure time were also charted. The respondents were asked to select their current leisure time hobbies from a long list of hobbies and activities (e.g. football, movie watching, martial arts, writing, console games, shopping).

Next, the respondents were asked about their hobby-related opportunities. They were asked to choose new hobbies and activities they would like to try from the same list they chose their current hobbies and leisure time activities from. The study also charted what the respondents thought of as either perfect or poor leisure time. Further questions focused on how they would rate their past Saturday in school grades (from 4 to 10) and what they would do after school on the day the survey was filled out. Finally, motivations and influences behind the respondents' chosen leisure time activities and plans for the future were examined (e.g. whether their parents, the media, or their role models had the most influence on their choices).

Background variables included the respondent's gender, mother tongue, living arrangements, household composition and number of siblings.

Keywords

everyday life; expectation; friends; hobbies; leisure time; social exclusion

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Compulsory and pre-school education (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Equality, inequality and social exclusion (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Youth (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Leisure, tourism and sport (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Time use (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Enhancing Leisure Time Activities

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (B) available for research, teaching and study.

Data Collector

• Anttila, Anna (City of Helsinki. Culture and Leisure Division)

Time Period Covered

2014

Collection Dates

Autumn 2014 ( 2014 )

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland, Helsinki

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Lower secondary school students in Helsinki

Time Method

Longitudinal: Cohort/Event-based

Sampling Procedure

Non-probability: Purposive

158 eighth-graders from 11 different classes participated in the study. The classes were divided into target and control classes. The study was conducted by the Helsinki City Youth Department in collaboration with the Education Department and City of Helsinki Urban Facts.

At the end of the 2013-2014 school year, nearly all of the students participating in the study became eighth-graders, but two of the six target classes were disseminated, meaning that a third of the target classes either no longer existed or the majority of their students had been transferred to other schools. Changes in class composition, such as grade repetition, were taken into account in the study so that the former students of the target classes who remained in the same school continued to participate the study. If students from the control classes changed classes within the school, they did not continue participation in the study. Similarly, students from target classes who changed schools did not continue participation. Over the years, new students to both the target and control classes were included in the study if their parents gave written consent.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Data File Language

Downloaded data package may contain different language versions of the same files.

The data files of this dataset are available in the following languages: Finnish.

FSD translates quantitative data into English on request, free of charge. More information on ordering data translation.

Data Version

1.0

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

To prevent identification of individuals, the first variable q1 denoting the name and contact information of the participant as well as open-ended responses to variable q4_1 denoting mother tongue have been removed from the background information. Additionally, the open-ended response option "Other, please specify" has been removed from variables q6, q7 and q8, denoting living arrangements and family background, and from variable q31 denoting current hobbies. Furthermore, the open-ended responses left in the data have been anonymised and indirect identifiers such as place and person names and very specific descriptions of hobbies have been removed. The changes are marked with [square brackets].

Information on target and control classes (variable q2) is not complete. The two control classes in school D were not distinguished in the data. Additionally, the open-ended variables q46 and q47 concerning the participants' experiences and opinions on the Good Leisure Time project activities as well as the open-ended variable q46 have been removed from the data.

Weighting

There are no weight variables in the data.

Citation Requirement

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical Citation

Vatka, Mikko (City of Helsinki) & Anttila, Anna (City of Helsinki): Enhancing Leisure Time Activities: Survey for Eighth-Graders Autumn 2014 [dataset]. Version 1.0 (2019-07-17). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3230

Deposit Requirement

Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.

Disclaimer

The original data creators and the archive bear no responsibility for any results or interpretations arising from the reuse of the data.

Related Publications

Anttila, Anna (2018) Verrattain kehittävää, eli nuorisotutkijana tietoperustaisessa nuorisotyön kehittämishankkeessa. Teoksessa Tomi Kiilakoski & Päivi Honkatukia (toim.) Miten tutkia nuoria ja nuorisotyötä? Vastapaino & Nuorisotutkimusseura, 3131-334.

Anttila, Anna (2017) Hyvä vapaa-aika - parasta oppia. Raportti vapaa-ajan tuen vaikutuksista nuorten sosiaalisiin suhteisiin, koulumenestykseen ja peruskoulun jälkeisiin valintoihin. Helsingin kaupungin nuorisoasiainkeskus. http://vapari.munstadi.fi/files/2017/05/Anttila_Anna_Hyva_vapaa_aika_parasta_oppia.pdf

Anttila, Anna (2016) Kahdeksan keinoa tuhota nuoren halu harrastaa. http://www.skolar.fi/kahdeksan-keinoa-tuhota-nuoren-halu-harrastaa/

Anttila, Anna (2015) Vapaa-ajan yhteisöjen ja intressien tärkeys. Teoksessa Jouni Häkli, Kirsi Pauliina Kallio & Riikka Korkiamäki (toim.) Myönteinen tunnistaminen. Nuorisotutkimusverkosto, 65-70.

Anttila, Anna (2014) "Olen paratiisissa" - Hyvä vapaa-aika lapsuuden ja aikuisuuden välissä. Nuorten hyvinvointikertomus. http://www.nuortenhyvinvointikertomus.fi/blogi/2014-09/olen-paratiisissa-hyva-vapaa-aika-lapsuuden-ja-aikuisuuden-valissa

Anttila, Anna (2014) Nuorilla oikeus kuulua, loistaa ja voida hyvin. Nuorisotyö 1/2014.

Anttila, Anna (2014) "Spelar det nån roll om man är på nätet eller face to face?!" Viikon näkökulma 9.6.2014. Verkkonuorisotyön valtakunnallinen kehittämiskeskus Verkke. https://www.verke.org/blog/spelar-det-nan-roll-om-man-ar-pa-natet-eller-face-to-face/?lang=sv

Anttila, Anna (2014) "What difference does it make if we are online or face to face?!" - Blog 9.6.2014 - National Centre of Expertise for Digital Youth Work in Finland Verke. https://www.verke.org/blog/what-difference-does-it-make-if-we-are-online-or-face-to-face/?lang=en

Anttila, Anna (2014) "Mitä välii onks netissä vai face to face?!" - Netti, some ja digitaaliset pelit osana nuorten vapaa-aikaa. Viikon näkökulma 9.6.2014. Verkkonuorisotyön valtakunnallinen kehittämiskeskus Verke. https://www.verke.org/blog/mita-valii-onks-netissa-vai-face-to-face/