Data Collection
GATHERING DATA
PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES / QUANTITATIVE DATA
SETTING AND SUBJECTS / FOCUS GROUPS / QUALITATIVE DATA
DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
ONLINE SURVEY DATA / QUANTITATIVE & QUALITATIVE DATA
Data Analysis Process
CODING
LIMITATIONS

The Recreation Access Project addressed the issue of the severe reduction in the number of qualified lifeguards in Hartford, which has created unexpected closures of our public pools in recent years.

This semester, our team collected data and information regarding that lifeguard shortage in the city of Hartford, CT. Through dedicated academic research and collaborative conceptualizations, our team gathered and analyzed data and came up with possible solutions to this problem that affects many Hartford residents, especially youth and those with young children and families.

RESEARCH TOPIC

The research question posed was…

What can the city of Hartford do to recruit and retain more lifeguards?

Data Collection

GATHERING DATA

Data on this topic was gathered in three ways:

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles: With Trinity College and CT State libraries and databases at our disposal, the team searched for past and present informative articles relating to the profession of lifeguards and the causes of the current shortage. The team also utilized educational interactive websites that provided statistics to aid in the analyses.

Interviews with Local Professionals: Interviews were conducted with knowledgeable professionals who have previously worked as lifeguards. These interviews were conducted through Zoom to discuss their prior experiences, and what contributions and solutions they can offer for the project.

Survey of Hartford Residents: The team utilized the opinions and suggestions of Hartford residents to bolster data. Most of this data was collected from attendees of Hartford NRZ (Neighborhood Revitalization Zone) meetings.

This research project began in early September and concluded in late November.

PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES / QUANTITATIVE DATA

The team explored the databases of both Trinity College and CT State Capital to locate relevant peer-reviewed journal articles. These articles were able to broaden the team’s knowledge of lifeguard issues, not only for Hartford but for other areas of the nation and even other countries. Google Scholar also proved to be a very useful tool in searching for educational articles.

SETTING AND SUBJECTS / FOCUS GROUPS / QUALITATIVE DATA

For the primary method of data collection, the team invited professional lifeguards to participate in one of three Zoom sessions in order to enlighten the team on their experiences of guarding public pools. At each one of the three sessions, one to three lifeguards were in attendance. These participants were found through various Hartford public pool staff directories and were emailed using the email addresses located in those directories.

The team asked their lifeguards about their experience in working at public pools within Hartford to gain information about how they acquired their skills and jobs, the amount they earned annually, any occurring issues they encountered with visitors or their managers, whether or not they felt fairly compensated as lifeguards, and what would be one thing that they would implement to recruit more lifeguards, among many other topics.

In addition to their accounts, they offered suggestions and possible solutions that could help their fellow lifeguards and the pools they depend on for their livelihoods.

Our team sent invitations to 25 lifeguards, and responses were received from seven, with six being able to appear. Each focus group session typically lasted between 45 to 60 minutes. At the end of each session, the lifeguards that were interviewed were awarded a $25 gift card as compensation for their time and feedback.

DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

Additional information regarding the contextual background of Hartford (i.e., the city’s demographics, income, and rate of unemployment compared to other cities in CT) was gathered from Social Explorer, a website that calculates demographic data from cities in the U.S., was included as well.

ONLINE SURVEY DATA / QUANTITATIVE & QUALITATIVE DATA

The team obtained important secondary data through online surveys that were conducted during various Neighborhood Revitalization Zone meetings throughout Hartford.

Hartford residents attending neighborhood NRZ (Neighborhood Revitalization Zone) meetings were asked to complete a short survey via Google Forms. Handouts with a QR Code leading to the survey were passed out to each NRZ meeting participant. Members of our team attended the NRZ meetings, made short presentations on the project, and asked attendees of the meeting to complete the survey at that time.

The survey questions included a) if the lifeguard shortage, reduced pool hours, and/or pool closures had an impact on them and/or their family, b) their opinions or comments regarding the lifeguard shortage, and c) if the respondents were willing to be part of a PRAC committee to address the issue.

Unfortunately, the team did not get the kind of results they were hoping for from the NRZ meetings. For example, at Frog Hollow’s NRZ meeting, only about 30% of the usual attendees were present (10 people) due to it being the holiday season. (The team were invited to present at the meeting on the Tuesday prior to Thanksgiving.)

Below are the responses to our online survey:

This survey showed that:

40% of respondents stated that the lifeguard shortage in Hartford has impacted them and/or their family.

30% of respondents stated that they would be willing to be part of a focus group through PRAC (Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee) to help solve this issue.

This means that almost half of the group felt that this issue affects them, but they are willing to be part of the solution.

Data Analysis Process

CODING

The team analyzed the data through the use of Microsoft products, Word and Excel, as well as their respective Google counterparts, Docs and Sheets. After transcriptions from the focus groups were created, they were filtered through a coding program called ATLAS.ti, which allowed the team to manually highlight crucial portions of information that were relevant to the research project, such as problems with maintenance or management.

LIMITATIONS

LIMITED ACCESS TO DATA: The team did encounter a few limitations in their research, such as experiencing difficulty accessing relevant articles, as the team wasn’t able to retrieve and read the articles due to denied access or needing to pay for articles.

TIME CONSTRAINTS: Had the team had more time to delve into this topic, it would have been ideal to locate and talk to Parks and Recreation directors in large cities around the country who have solved their lifeguard shortage issues. Having that kind of input would have allowed the team to create more options for solutions.

NUMBER OF FOCUS GROUP PARTICIPANTS: In addition, the number of the focus group participants wasn’t ideal. There were participants (such as lifeguards and Parks and Recreation directors) who were unable to attend the focus groups and meetings due to scheduling conflicts. Had the team had a more flexible schedule, it would have been ideal to interview more former and current lifeguards.

Despite these setbacks, the team anticipated these difficulties and created alternative solutions. However, no study is completely flawless or inclusive of all possible aspects, options, or solutions.

Images provided by Brainly, Shutterstock, and Wikimedia Commons:Vmenkov.