Xiangyou (Sharon) Shen

Shen, Xiangyou (Sharon)

Position Type:
Faculty
Job Title:
Assistant Professor
Department:
Forest Ecosystems & Society
Office Location:
212 Richardson Hall
CV:
Shen CV_10262024.pdf
Advising:  Graduate Major Advisor
Website:
The Health, Environment, and Leisure (HEAL) Research Lab
Education
Ph.D., Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, 2010
M.S., Tourism Management, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China, 1999
B.S., Civil Engineering and Architecture, Central South University, Changsha, China, 1996
Research Areas
Sustainable Recreation and Tourism
Social Science, Policy and Natural Resources
Research Interests
  • Human Dimensions
  • Outdoor Recreation
  • Tourism
  • Play and playfulness
  • Nature-based recreation and health
Bio
I am a social scientist investigating the intersection of play, leisure, health, and human dimensions of nature. My research integrates two complementary lines of inquiry: (a) play and its impact on human health, adaptability, and creativity, and (b) leisure as a broad context and mechanism for achieving wellness and fulfillment. My research combines mixed methods with advanced statistical modeling to identify key personal factors, sociocultural influences, and environmental conditions that shape human-environment interactions and wellbeing outcomes. Through interdisciplinary collaborations with diverse stakeholders, my current work emphasizes developing innovative approaches that bridge health promotion with environmental stewardship through nature play and place-based learning in forest and natural settings.
Graduate Students:
External (non-CoF) Graduate Students
Leland Masek (Ph.D. student, Communication, Media and Theatre, Tampere University, Finland)
Kelly Hoke (Ph.D. student, Environmental Sciences, OSU)
Tristin Vaughn (M.S. student, Environmental Sciences, OSU)
Courses Taught:
  • TRAL 251
    Recreation Resource Management
  • NR 201
    Managing Natural Resources for the Future
  • FES 202
    Software tools in quantitative social science research
  • FES 505
    Nature and Human Health (Reading and Conference)
Selected Publications:

  1. Gorrell, L., Shen, X., MacDonald, M., Logan, S. W., Hatfield, B. E., Parkinson, C., D’Antonio, A., & Massey, W. (2024). The Effect of Outdoor Play, Physical Activity, and Screen Time Use on the Emotional Wellbeing of Children and Youth during a Health Crisis. Leisure Sciences, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2024.2335930

  2. Shen, X. & Masek, L. (2023). The playful mediator, moderator, or outcome? An integrative review of the roles of play and playfulness in adult-centered psychological interventions for mental health. Journal of Positive Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2023.2288955

  3. Shen, X., (2023). Play and scientific creativity: A critical review and an integrative theoretical framework. Journal of Creative Behavior.

  4. Shen, X., MacDonald, M., Logan, S. W., Parkinson, C., Gorrell, L., & Hatfield, B. E. (2022). Leisure engagement during covid-19 and its association with mental health and wellbeing in U. S. adults. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(3), 1081. 

  5. Shen, X., Liu, H., & Song, R. (2021). Toward a culture-sensitive approach to playfulness research: Development of Adult Playfulness Trait Scale-Chinese version and an alternative measurement model. Journal of Leisure Research.