Potential and pitfalls of researching ethnic communities in recreation: a Puerto Rican case study

Abstract

Although the empirical literature on ethnic/racial groups and recreation has been growing, there have been request by researchers for approaches on procuring information from hard-to-reach populations. The purpose of this report is to provide prospective researchers with "lessons learned" in the field when researching ethnic group members. This study observes Puerto Ricans in central Massachusetts. A process for gaining access to, and garnering support from, the Puerto Rican community is discussed. The key elements of the process are bilingualism, key informants, and community involvement. Limitations of the methodological approach and resource lists are discussed.

Parent Publication

• Proceedings of the 2002 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium

Citation

Gómez, Edwin 2003. Potential and pitfalls of researching ethnic communities in recreation: a Puerto Rican case study. In: Schuster, Rudy, comp., ed. Proceedings of the 2002 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-302. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station. 33-39