Publication
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Open Access
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Levent Önal is an assistant professor at Atatürk University in Turkey, with primary research interests in recreation, tourism, leisure, deviant leisure, and volunteerism. Prior to his academic career, he worked in the tourism sector as a manager of entertainment and sports activities and served as a volunteer director in various international sports organizations. He has 10 years of experience in academia and the field of recreation.
Önal has conducted studies on the psychometric properties of leisure, developing a scale for “deviant leisure” that has contributed to the international literature. Additionally, he has enriched the Turkish literature on this subject by authoring books and book chapters.
In 2017, he served as a volunteer director at the European Youth Olympic Festival held in Erzurum, Turkey. In 2018, he presented scientific research on volunteerism in sports organizations at the Winter Olympics. In 2022, through the Erasmus+ program, he provided training on recreation and sports organization management at Mainz University in Germany, contributing to international academic collaboration.
Levent Önal collaborates with non-governmental and public organizations in the field of recreation, helping to enhance leisure and recreation programs that benefit individuals and communities.