Prácticas de tiempo libre en jóvenes escolares de colegios públicos de Engativá, Bogotá Free time practices in young students from public schools in Engativá, Bogotá

Abstract

This article presents a characterize the practices of use of free time, in relation to the time, place and people with whom they carry out the activities and the motivations, in young schoolchildren from public schools in the town of Engativá (Bogotá). With a descriptive quantitative methodology, the ad hoc questionnaire was developed and applied Free time and leisure practices of young schoolchildren. The sample was done with 989 young people from 13 to 19 years old, belonging to the ninth, tenth and eleventh grades, prior consent informed. The results showed that listening to music (83.4%), talking with friends (69.1%), walking around the school (49.1%) and playing sports (45.6%) are the predominant free time practices. These practices have an average dedication of 30 minutes to two hours on a daily basis. The most recurrent places where they take place are the classroom, the playground, the house and the neighborhood park. The most frequent reasons for perform them are by free choice and enjoyment. As to who these activities are done with, individual practice or with friends prevailed. It was concluded that prevails to conceive leisure as autonomous activities, and also that the free time activities and leisure are similar between school, outside of it, and on weekends, with some variation within genders and age groups.