Studenters fritids--och motionsvanor i Umea och Madison. Ett bidrag till forstaelsen av Pierre Bourdieus vetenskapliga metodologi. Akademiska avhanlingar, Pedagogiska institutionen Nr. 58 (Leisure and Exercise Habits among Students in Umea and Madison. A Contribution to the Understanding of Pierre Bourdieu's Scientific Methodology. Academic Dissertation, Faculty of Social Sciences No. 58).

This study, presented in Swedish with an English summary, analyzed differences between student groups at Umea University, Sweden, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison in terms of study situations, experiences of the university environment, exercise and sports activities, and the connections between study and leisure time activities. The study owes much to "Homo Academicus" by P. Bourdieu (English edition, 1988), and his theories of cultural reproduction, social structures, and "habitus." It focuses on students from the disciplines of teacher education, natural sciences, the humanities, and sports. Attention is also given to family backgrounds and gender. The data were collected in 1994-1995 through 782 questionnaires and 64 interviews. The results show differences between students at the two universities in terms of study time, parents' education, leisure activities, and part-time jobs. Students in these groups differed in many respects, with distinctive characteristics of age and sex ratios. The students' family backgrounds were also divergent, depending on the discipline to which the student belonged. Variations among disciplines were found at both universities. Physical activities (action sports) were popular at both universities, although women and men exercised in different ways. The scientific methodology of Bourdieu is also discussed. Overall, the results indicate that there are subfields in these universities inhabited by individuals with different conditions and "habitus," to use Bourdieu's terminology. Three appendixes contain the study questionnaire and supplemental information. (Contains 153 references.) (SLD)