P.B. Lallawmawmi
Affiliation: Department of Sociology, Mizoram University, India
Email: [email protected]
Abstract: The present study aims to investigate the patterns of spending leisure time among college students. All undergraduate student enrolled in eight government colleges within Aizawl that are administered by the Department of Higher and Technical Education make up the study’s universe. A sample size of 372 college students was determined using the Krejcie and Morgan Table and the sample consists of 190 males and 182 females. Data was collected using a self-developed interview schedule. The acquired data was analyzed using SPSS. The results show that the majority of college students (39.2%) have 3-4 hours of leisure time per day, followed by those having more than 4 hours (23.1%). The students’ most preferred leisure activity is internet related activities (50.5%), followed by hanging out with friends (19.1%), personal hobbies (7.5%), spending time with family (7.3%), doing sports or fitness activities (5.9%), reading (4.6%) and sleeping (4.3%). Another findings of this study revealed that majority of the students preferred to spend their leisure time at home (69.4%), followed by Hang out spots/Parks (14.2%), friend’s house (12.1%), shopping mall/market/restaurants (1.9%) and gym/indoor/outdoor recreation centers (1.9%). With regards to most preferred companion to spend their leisure time, majority of the students reported preferring to spend their leisure time alone (57.3%), followed by friends (23.7%). The least preferred companion is family (8.3). It is apparent from the data that college students have ample time for leisure which can be used for participating in leisure pursuits and other activities aimed at personal development. However, if not managed properly, this extra free time might lead to unproductive behaviors.
Keywords: Leisure Time; Leisure Activity; College Students; Youth.