Leisure and Education

A different type of link between education and leisure is seen in those learning activities which can be experienced as enjoyable ends in themselves. High levels of education have been found to stimulate participation in a wide variety of adult leisure activities. In the BTA/Keele survey about a quarter of those enjoying a high income and a university education mentioned swimming as one of their activities, but only 5–10 per cent at the other end of the scale. Charles K. Brightbill believes that ‘education for leisure’ means exposing people early and long – in the home, the school and the community – to experiences that will help them develop appreciations and skills to use in increasingly available leisure time. Some forms of non-vocational adult education – especially those concerned with the arts, humanities and social sciences – constitute a considerable leisure-time activity.