Leisure and education in Ghana: An exploratory study of university students’ leisure lifestyles

While many studies acknowledge universities as important facilitators in the pursuit of leisure activities, few studies shed light on how this setting limits participation. Moreover, relatively little attention has been paid to the role of leisure education in developing countries or non-Western societies. This study sought to explore leisure lifestyles among university students in Ghana. Using the University of Cape Coast as a case study, a questionnaire survey examined students’ leisure and free-time activities and the extent to which these were influenced by the university environment. The results show that the dominant obligations or preferences for leisure activities tended to be customary in nature. However, leisure participation was constrained by lack of time resulting from academic pressures. Implications are discussed in the context of leisure education in developing countries, with emphasis on the leisure and recreational management challenges facing universities.