Effect of Outdoor Leisure Participants on Leisure Identity, Leisure Flow, Leisure Satisfaction, and Re-Participation Intention

: The aim of this study was to study the effect of leisure identity, flow, satisfaction, and re-participation intention among outdoor leisure participants in South Korea. Due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a tendency to more frequently participate in outdoor leisure as opposed to indoor leisure. Leisure activities bestow various benefits. Therefore, this study was used to analyze the relationships amongst leisure identity, leisure flow, leisure satisfaction, and re-participation intention among various theories about leisure. The participants in this study were collected from 369 people who were frequent participants in outdoor leisure. For the data analysis, the researchers used frequency, confirmatory analysis, reliability, correlation, and SEM. The findings were as follows: First, leisure identity had wielded an influence on leisure flow. Second, leisure identity had an influence on leisure satisfaction. Third, leisure identity had an influence on re-participation intention. Fourth, leisure flow did not have any significant influence on leisure satisfaction. Fifth, leisure flow did not have any significant influence on leisure satisfaction. And finally, leisure satisfaction had an influence on re-participation intention. In the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new leisure identity has been formed, and it is believed to be a new study on leisure flow, leisure satisfaction, and re-participation intention. This study aims to provide basic data for constructing infrastructure to enable continued participation in outdoor leisure in Korea.


Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic brought many changes to our culture, behavior, and way of life.With the onset of the pandemic, we turned to passive leisure activities rather than active ones, and afterwards, there was a shift from indoor to outdoor leisure.In the field of sports, there is a tendency to prefer individual sports activities over group sports.In modern society, interest in outdoor leisure comes, to some degree, from a desire to return to nature [1].People can feel helpless in harsh urban environments, and a repetitive lifestyle without rest deteriorates the quality of life, while physical and mental fatigue adds to modern stress levels [2].In addition, outdoor sports activities have the effect of providing opportunities to directly apply one's abilities educationally by making full use of the natural environment and have the effect of cultivating a strong spirit and attitude necessary for group social life.
Because it has the effect of mentally relieving anxiety and tension through interactions in the natural environment, it is possible to learn knowledge about exercise and health from a sports perspective [3].Especially in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era, people will be participating in more outdoor leisure again for their health.As well, there is an increase in leisure available for many and an appreciation that outdoor leisure improves the quality of life.This study focuses, from a leisure studies perspective, on establishing the relationships between leisure identity, leisure flow, leisure satisfaction, and intention to return.
First, leisure identity can be defined as an internalized role expectation formed through identification with a leisure group through continuous participation in specific activities [4].
Leisure identity is something that one voluntarily chooses and creates and has characteristics that distinguish it from other identities in that it requires effort on one's part to maintain it on an ongoing basis.The overall leisure experience is related to leisure identity in that leisure identity expresses various characteristics, including an individual's abilities, making it easier to maintain a social reputation and relationships, and strengthening an individual's core values and interests [5].There are no obligatory elements of leisure identity, and leisure identity can exist when there is no personal attachment [4].In addition, the subjective emotional and cognitive experiences of individuals who participate in the same leisure activity may appear differently, and the leisure satisfaction formed through these activities may appear unique and important in the individual's overall self-identity [6].In a study by Kim, Park, and Lee, they analyzed the relationship between leisure identity, leisure persistence, and basic psychological needs among college students participating in leisure activities and found that leisure identity had a positive effect on leisure satisfaction [7].
Park & Park also analyzed the impact of college students' leisure constraints and leisure identity on leisure satisfaction and found that leisure identity had a significant effect on leisure satisfaction [8].In this study, we will analyze the leisure identity of outdoor sports participants post-COVID-19 pandemic and determine how this newly formed identity affects leisure flow, leisure satisfaction, and re-participation intention.
Hypothesis 1.The leisure identity of outdoor sports participants will have an effect on leisure flow, leisure satisfaction, and re-participation intention.
Second, leisure flow is defined as a state of being deeply immersed in something when participating in a specific activity due to an individual's intrinsic motivation [9].Tinsley & Tinsley [10] argued that leisure experiences with a high level of flow can satisfy various needs that cannot be met in other areas of life.Leisure flow is an important factor in the leisure experience, and leisure flow and intention to continue participation are expressed through states such as enjoyment, pleasure, fun, and satisfaction.The degree of flow when participating in sports depends on various factors, such as the participant's ability, event, facility, and environment, and flow is deeply related to leisure satisfaction and life satisfaction [11].Jung [12] said that participants in leisure sports feel positive emotions just by participating.In particular, the level of flow in leisure sports varies depending on the level of skill and individual ability.Han & Kim [13] reported that the degree of flow in mountaineering participation has a positive effect on psychological well-being.Therefore, it can be said that leisure competence, reflected by an individual's ability, is highly likely to be related to leisure flow.In general, satisfaction with leisure sports activities increases when one is immersed in the activity rather than participating in it daily, and this is believed to have a positive effect on the intention to re-participate.
Hypothesis 2. The leisure flow of outdoor sports participants will have an effect on leisure satisfaction and re-participation intention.
Third, leisure satisfaction refers to an individual's positive perception or emotion obtained as a result of participating in leisure activities and can be seen as meaning and measuring satisfaction with an individual's overall leisure life rather than satisfaction with one specific leisure activity [14].Leisure satisfaction is a major variable that increases life satisfaction, and the importance of its role is recognized, and its importance is emphasized in the field of leisure studies [15].Ultimately, leisure satisfaction is an important factor that defines the selection and participation in leisure activities and determines the continuation and interest of those activities, enabling satisfactory leisure activities for participants [2].In addition, leisure satisfaction is also an important factor in increasing re-participation intention in sports activities and conveying word-of-mouth intention to others [16].Han, Jeong, & Lee [17] said that leisure satisfaction has a positive effect on quality of life or life satisfaction.In other words, leisure satisfaction is an important variable that increases life satisfaction and is therefore assiduously investigated in the field of leisure studies.Hypothesis 3. Leisure satisfaction of outdoor sports participants will have an effect on reparticipation intention.
Re-participation intention can be defined as the possibility that a customer will repeatedly use the service provider they currently use in the future and is closely related to actual repurchase behavior and customer retention [18].The intention to re-participate is determined by the level of satisfaction of the participant in outdoor sports and is judged to be very closely related to leisure satisfaction.In other words, since the intention to re-participate is determined by the satisfaction experienced after participating in outdoor sports, it is necessary to study it together with leisure identity, leisure flow, and leisure satisfaction.Bae [19] said that the behavior felt after playing golf affects the intention to return and use word-of-mouth recommendations, depending on the participant's satisfaction.Cho & Kim [11] stated that when an achievement is goal oriented and emotional and environmental satisfactions are high, the level of re-participation intention is high.
Nevertheless, there is a lack of research on leisure identity, leisure flow, leisure satisfaction, and re-participation intention in the field of leisure studies.In the post-COVID pandemic period, interest has markedly increased and participation in various leisure activities has become possible again.Leisure identity, leisure flow, leisure satisfaction, and re-participation intention for outdoor leisure will be newly formed for many.Therefore, the aim of this study is to improve societal health through understanding the importance of outdoor leisure and to further emphasize the importance of leisure.In addition, we intend to provide basic data to support building infrastructure for participation in outdoor leisure and establishing new policies.

Method 2.1. Research Subject
The subjects of this study were adult men and women living in Seoul, Gyeonggido, and Chungcheong-do in Korea, who had participated in hiking, biking, golf, and paragliding activities for more than six months.We used convenience sampling, a nonprobability sampling method, to recruit the study participants.Convenience sampling refers to randomly selecting a sample according to the convenience of the researcher.For this study, we limited subjects to hiking, biking, golf, and paragliding participants, distributing a total of 400 copies of the questionnaire.We excluded 31 that we judged to be duplicates or that had responses omitted, leaving 369 completed surveys for empirical analysis.

Measurement
For this study, we measured leisure identity, leisure flow, leisure satisfaction and reparticipation intention using preexisting survey questions First, in measuring leisure identity, the survey questions used by Park [4] were used, based on the survey questions used in the studies of Callero [20] and Laverie [21].Leisure identity was assessed using a 5-point Likert scale with responses ranging from 'strongly disagree (1 point)' to 'very much agree (5 points).' Examples of items include "Outdoor leisure have special meaning to me (esteem)," "I like talking about outdoor leisure (identification)", "Evaluation of people who engage in outdoor leisure is the positiveness (emotional attachment)", etc.
Second, to measure leisure flow, 18 questions were used by Lee [22] based on the Flow State Scale (FSS) created by Jackson & Marsh [23], based on the flow experience factors of Csikszentmihalyi [9].Leisure flow was assessed using a 5-point Likert scale with responses ranging from 'strongly disagree (1 point)' to 'very much agree (5 points).' Examples of questions include "I know clearly what I want when participating in outdoor leisure (clear goals)", "When participating in outdoor leisure, the challenges are at the same level as my skill level (balance of challenge and technology)", "I really enjoy outdoor leisure (self-experience)", "I don't care about how I behave during outdoor leisure (ecstasy)", "I am in complete control of my body while participating in outdoor leisure (control abil-ity)", and "When I participate in outdoor leisure, I feel that time passes faster than usual (transformation of time)".
Third, to measure leisure satisfaction, the questions used in Ahn's [24] "The development of leisure satisfaction scale for Korean adults" were modified and used.Leisure satisfaction was assessed using a 5-point Likert scale with responses ranging from 'strongly disagree (1 point)' to 'very much agree (5 points).' Examples of questions include "My outdoor leisure are helpful for self-development (self-development)", "My outdoor leisure are effective in relieving daily stress (stress solution)", "My outdoor leisure help my mental health (health development)", "I participate in outdoor leisure because they require appropriate skills.(skill development)", and "My outdoor leisure give me great satisfaction when I do them with other people (interpersonal relationship)".
Fourth, we measured re-participation intention using a scale Park [25] developed for Korean adults.Respondents rated these items on 5-point Likert scales that ranged from 1 (very little) to 5 (very much).An example of a question is "I will definitely participate for my own development."

Data Processing and Analysis
We used SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 18.0 for data processing.We used SPSS 21.0 to analyze the frequencies of sociodemographic characteristics and the reliabilities and correlations of the subject variables to verify the relationships among leisure identity, leisure flow, leisure satisfaction, and participate intention.We analyzed the structural equation model for confirmatory factor analysis and tested the study hypotheses using AMOS 18.0.

Research Ethics
All study procedures were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board of Sehan University and conducted according to the principles expressed in the Declaration of Helsinki.After we explained the purposes and length of this research study, respondents provided consent to participate.All participants agreed to allow researchers to use their personal information obtained from questionnaires for the purposes of this study, and all understood that they could refuse to continue to participate in the study at any time.

Validity and Reliability
Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to check the validity of this measurement tool.Confirmatory factor analysis verifies whether measurement variables can explain the concept of a latent variable.In other words, it is a procedure that checks whether the collected data can appropriately explain the research model [26].The goodness-of-fit indices used in this study are x 2 /df, TLI, CFI, and RMSEA.The TLI index was presented by Bentler & Bonett [27], and the goodness-of-fit standard is 0.90 or higher.The CFI index was presented by Bentler [28], and the goodness-of-fit standard is 0.90 or higher.Lastly, the RMSEA index was presented by Steiger & Lind [29], and the goodness-of-fit standard is 0.08 or less [30].From the confirmatory factor analysis in this study, the goodness-of-fit indices for the CFI, TLI, and RMSEA values and explaining each factor structure were found to be appropriate, as shown in Table 2.For TLI, CFI, and RMSEA, the 'leisure identity fit indices were 0.903, 0.940, and 0.078, respectively.Fitness indices of 'leisure flow' for TLI, CFI, and RMSEA were 0.915, 0.937, and 0.061, respectively.Fitness indices of 'leisure satisfaction' for TLI, CFI, and RMSEA were 0.942, 0.962, and 0.079, respectively.Additionally, the variance extraction index (AVE) value was calculated to verify convergent validity.Based on previous research [31], AVE values of 0.5 or higher were set as the ideal standard.As a result, all latent factors were determined to fit the standard, so there was no problem with concentrated validity Table 2. To verify the reliability, Cronbach's α coefficient was calculated.The reliability of each leisure identity factor was 0.902 for esteem, 0.860 for presence, and 0.633 for identification.The reliability of each factor of leisure flow was 0.809 for clear goals, 0.690 for challenge-skill balance, 0.815 for autotelic experience, and 0.849 for entrancement.The reliability of each leisure satisfaction factor was 0.776 for self-development, 0.827 for stress solution, 0.802 for health-development, 0.641 for skill-development, and 0.641 for interpersonal relationship Table 2.

Correlations of Study Variables
We calculated the correlations among leisure identity, leisure flow, leisure satisfaction, and re-participation intention.The correlation coefficient was calculated as the Pearson correlation coefficient.The correlation coefficient takes values from −1 to +1 [32].The correlation coefficient between the variables in this study ranges from 0.274 to 0.535, indicating a positive correlation.There was a positive correlation between leisure flow and leisure satisfaction and re-participation intention.In addition, there was a positive correlation between leisure satisfaction and re-participation intention, see Table 3.

Results of the Study Model
To elucidate the relationships among leisure identity, leisure flow, leisure satisfaction, and re-participation intention of outdoor leisure participants, we tested an SEM of the hypothesis.Table 4 presents the detailed findings including the model fit indices.Briefly, Hypothesis 1, leisure identity would have a significant effect on leisure flow, leisure satisfaction, and re-participation intention, was accepted.Hypothesis 2, leisure flow would have not a significant effect on leisure satisfaction and re-participation intention, was rejected.Hypothesis 3, leisure satisfaction would have a significant effect on re-participation intention, was accepted.The COVID-19 pandemic reminded us of the importance of health.At the same time, interest in outdoor leisure activities during leisure time has increased.It appears conclusive that the leisure identity of participants in outdoor leisure activities for health is perceived positively.This positive leisure identity is judged to have a positive effect on leisure flow, as a result of clear goals and self-purpose experiences [5].According to a study by Park & Seo [33], individuals form a leisure identity by internalizing their role within the leisure group, which is a very important factor in both choosing and engaging in leisure activities.Furthermore, in the field of leisure sports activities, it is widely accepted that influencing social and aesthetic aspects can lead to positive leisure activities.
Among outdoor leisure, it is believed that people experience a sense of identity from the perception of being at one with nature, through mountaineering activities.Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people prefer outdoor leisure rather than indoors, leading to a new recognition of the sense of identity that can be achieved through mountain climbing.This identification is believed to have a positive effect on leisure satisfaction, such as through improving health and relieving stress.A study by Lee, Ahn, & Cho [5] also showed that continuous participation in leisure activities leads to the experience of positive thoughts and feelings about the self (joy, confidence), which has a positive effect on the satisfaction inherent in leisure activities.A study by Kim, Park, & Lee [7] analyzed the relationship between leisure identity, leisure persistence, and basic psychological needs among college students participating in leisure activities and found that leisure identity had a positive effect on leisure satisfaction.In a study by Kim, Jang, & Kim [34], it was found that hobbyists with a deep level of identity and experience when participating in sports showed high levels of life satisfaction through establishing a leisure identity.In addition, participation in soccer activities has been shown to have a positive effect on leisure identity, and leisure identity is formed through systematic participation in soccer clubs.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of leisure activities has been recognized, and it is believed that among various leisure activities, outdoor leisure has formed a new leisure identity for us.In this study, it can be interpreted that leisure identity, such as respect, identification, and emotional attachment, are perceived positively through hiking, biking, golf, and paragliding activities and continuous participation.In particular, the re-participation intention is an emotion felt by each individual; so, if participants lose fun or interest in particular activities, they can switch to other leisure activities.In this study, the result that the leisure identity of outdoor leisure has a positive effect on re-participation intention is judged to be a strong will to continue participating.According to a study by Kim & Oh [35], participants with a high leisure identity place a high emphasis on leisure among various aspects of life and participate actively and continuously.In a study by Nam & Noh [36], they argued that the higher the esteem for leisure identity, the more it has a significant influence on the continuation of exercise.This implies that participants try to identify with attachment and continue to participate in leisure sports out of esteem.

Relationship between Leisure Flow, Leisure Satisfaction, and Re-Participation Intention of Outdoor Leisure Participants
In this study, the participants' leisure flow was found to have a positive effect on leisure satisfaction.Scanlan, Russell, Klunchoo, & Chow [37] define flow as an optimal psychological structure that represents the desire to continuously participate in exercise and its results.From our results we suggest that flow experiences, such as clear goals, purposeful experiences, and ecstasy through outdoor leisure, have a positive effect on leisure satisfaction outcome, such as stress relief, health promotion, and skill improvement.In the case of golf and paragliding, you need a lot of time to focus on improving your skills.Because paragliding is an activity with risks that takes place in the sky, it is also a sport that requires more concentration than many other sports.Scanlan, Carpenter, Schmidt, & Simons [38] stated that flow in leisure activities plays a critical role in maintaining continuous participation and interest.According to a study by Jo [39], flow experiences through leisure participation are linked to interest, pleasure, accomplishment, and satisfaction, affecting quality of life and further improving the quality of life of participants, thus helping them lead successful lives.Jeong [40] said that people who take golf lessons are autonomous in selecting and participating in the sport and thus have a high level of interest in it.Flow is a state of continuous interest, and this flow affects psychological well-being.According to a study by Cho, Kwak, & Chang [41], high-level cognition and behavioral flow in cycling leads to physical health and psychological well-being, effectively increasing an individual's life satisfaction.
Outdoor leisure provides more flow experiences requiring more concentration than other sports.In this study, cycling and paragliding activities were also focused on because they require constant movement, anticipation, and control on the road and in the sky.Such concentration is believed to have a positive effect on re-participation intention through flow experiences resulting in self-purpose experiences, transformation of time, and ecstasy.And even in golf, concentration is required when swinging on the practice range or during a round.It is believed that the high flow experience of through concentration has a positive effect on participants and induces continued participation.According to research by Park & Kang [42] and Jeon and Yi [43], flow experiences have a positive effect on leisure satisfaction and re-participation intention.

Relationship between Leisure Satisfaction and Re-Participation Intention of Outdoor Leisure Participants
After participating in outdoor sports, such as hiking, biking, golf, and paragliding, leisure satisfaction was high, which is believed to have a positive effect on the intention to return.High leisure satisfaction, with not only outdoor leisure but also various other activities, has a positive effect on life satisfaction or re-participation intention.In this study, it can be interpreted that there is a tendency to continue participating in hiking and biking because it helps improve health and that golfers and paragliders tend to continue participating because they experience high leisure satisfaction from improving skills and relieving stress.Seo & Kim [44] reported that leisure satisfaction directly affects the intention to re-participate in marine leisure sports activities.According to a study by Oh, Jang, Oh, & Hur [45], in order to enjoy water sport leisure, you need to travel to the river or sea, so the intention to re-participate needs to be high when you consider requirements such as transportation, location, cost, and program.

Conclusions
During the COVID-19 pandemic, leisure was available for many people, potentially in greater quantities than the pre-pandemic; however, it was the availability of locations, outlets, and opportunities for recreational pursuits that was the problem during the pandemic.Among various leisure activities, the relationship between leisure identity, leisure flow, leisure satisfaction, and re-participation intention was verified for participants in outdoor leisure.The subjects of this study were adult men and women living in Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, and Chungcheong-do who participated in hiking, cycling, golf, and paragliding.Frequency, confirmatory factor, reliability, correlation analysis, and SEM were applied to survey results.Through the above research process, the following results were obtained: First, the leisure identity of outdoor leisure participants had a positive effect on leisure flow, leisure satisfaction, and re-participation intention.Second, the leisure flow of outdoor leisure participants did not affect leisure satisfaction and re-participation intention.Third, outdoor leisure participants' leisure satisfaction had a positive effect on their intention to re-participate.
There are many studies show that leisure activities provide us with various benefits.The interest in health has increased even more since the worldwide experience with the COVID-19 pandemic.This study also found that leisure identity had a positive effect on leisure flow, leisure satisfaction, and re-participation intention.Therefore, we conclude that a new leisure identity has been formed from experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic.For continued participation in outdoor leisure, various program development and leader training opportunities are necessary.This is expected to be of great help in improving the quality of our lives and improving our health.

Table 1 .
Characteristics of outdoor leisure participants in the study.

Table 2 .
Results of confirmatory factor and reliability analysis.

Table 3 .
Correlation of leisure identity, flow, leisure satisfaction, and re-participation intention.