Verification of Competencies Needed by Entry-Level Recreation, Park and Leisure Professionals in Florida and the Relationship of Competency Perception to Readiness for Self-Directed Learning

The Delphi technique was used as a means to achieve
consensus on a set of competencies developed and field
tested by a prior task force. After three rounds of the
Delphi, a high rate of consensus was reached on competencies
viewed as needed by entry-level professionals in park,
recreation and leisure fields (round one, 17.9% consensus:
round two, 86.0% consensus: round three, 95.5% consensus).
The Delphi technique was effective in moving the Florida
Recreation and Park Association certified professionals to a
like view of a core of competencies.
The 116 competencies that had achieved consensus and
reached a 4.0 criterion level were then sub-divided into the
categories of Philosophy of Parks, Recreation, and Leisure:
Administration/Management of Parks, Recreation, and Leisure; Personnel Management; Financial Management; Community
Development; Marketing; Planning; Park and Facility
Maintenance; and Program Development. The category
assignment of individual competencies was based on a
previously validated task analysis study (Middleton, 1981).
The 116 competencies were then rank-ordered by means in
each of the sub-categories. Nine hypotheses were then
tested to determine if statistically significant differences
existed between and among items in the study. Five of the
nine null hypotheses were rejected.
In this study, there was a difference in how
administrators, supervisors, and leaders view essential
competencies. There was also a difference in how
individuals at various levels of education view desirable
competencies. This suggested that specific competencies are
more important for different employment levels and that
certain competencies should be acquired at different stages
of one's career.
Significant differences also were noted when the selfdirected
learning readiness scores were compared with the
rating of the selected competencies. The findings imply
that individuals who are more involved in pursuing
additional learning are also going to expect a higher level
of competency than individuals who are not as professionally
involved. A list of 11 items were suggested as recommendations
for future research. It was sugges~ed that a competencybased
curriculum could be developed utilizing the
information gleaned through this research. Other
recommendations were made regarding certification, selfassessment
checklists, a manpower study, and training
methodologies.