Date of Award:

5-1976

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Wildland Resources

Department name when degree awarded

Forestry and Outdoor Recreation

Committee Chair(s)

Richard Schreyer

Committee

Richard Schreyer

Committee

John Hunt

Committee

Jim Jacobson

Committee

J. Stanley Elmer

Committee

Stephen F. McCool

Abstract

A study of intergovernmental communications between the Utah State Division of Parks and Recreation and recreation-related agencies in the State of Utah was designed to explore the extent and nature of their role in decision-making within the Division. The purpose of the study was to determine what factors related to communication might help improve the effectiveness of Division operations.

A questionnaire aimed specifically at discovering what types of communication existed between the Utah Division of Parks and Recreation and sampled respondents was administered to private, municipal, county, and federal recreation personnel within Utah. The respondent's level of participation with the Division was measured and correlated with communication type to see if there was any relationship. The results were significant, indicating that the type of communication does influence a person's degree of participation with the Division.

It was felt that several intervening variables affected the relationship between communication and participation. These intervening variables were amount of knowledge, location of the unit in the state, type of agency, and amount of contact.

The type of communication was also correlated with the amount of knowledge of Division responsibilities and objectives. The results were not significant.

The amount of knowledge of Division objectives and responsibilities was correlated with the degree of participation, under the assumption that greater degrees of participation caused greater knowledge of the Division. While a significant relationship was found with respect to one activity, goal setting, the relationship was not in the direction predicted.

The geographical location of the given agency unit was analyzed with the amount of contact with several recreation agencies, as well as with the amount of knowledge of Division objectives and responsibilities. The results were not significant.

The type of agency variable was correlated to the amount of knowledge, under the assumption that persons working for one type of agency would have more knowledge of the Division than persons employed by other types of agencies. The results v1ere significant with federal and county authorities showing the greatest knowledge.

The final variable, amount of contact, was correlated to the amount of knowledge of Division objectives and responsibilities, though the results were not significant.

Implications of the finding concerning the possible improvement of Division effectiveness were noted.

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