Developing Trends and Issues in U.S. Outdoor and Adventure-Based Programming

This study examines the effects of outdoor developmental adventure programming (ODA) on college students’ self-esteem. Although some previous studies have shown that outdoor adventure programming has positive effects on self-esteem, others did not find any effect. A quasi-experimental study was conducted over 5 months, which included two pretests and two posttests to address some limitations of previous studies. A total of 84 participants completed the Questionnaire d’estime de soi hiérarchique, a questionnaire assessing self-esteem on four occasions. The experimental group (outdoor adventure; n = 32) was compared with the control groups (travel, n = 17; soccer, n = 35) using repeated measures of covariance analyses. Positive and significant increases were found for the athletic dimension of self-esteem and for global self-esteem for the experimental group (outdoor adventure) only. The increased benefits provided by the combination of adventure and sports in ODA, over sports-only or traveling-only interventions, underline the importance of developing ODA with college students.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of a Developmental Adventure on the Self-Esteem of College Students

Paquette

Brassard

Guérin

et al. 2013

“…Additional research on the metacognitive processes associated with reflection is also suggested, as this is an area that is not fully understood. As a reflective tool, the use of focus groups have tremendous value for allowing instructors to share ideas and experiences, thereby boosting staff morale and a sense of professionalism—an important theme given recent industry trends (Bobilya, Holman, Lindsey, & McAvoy, 2010). The researchers propose that reflection should form an integral part of experiential education pedagogy, and focus groups are an effective way to inculcate reflective practice into the institutional culture of any adventure education program, which was evident during this study.…”

Section: Conclusion and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Systematic Feedback and Reflection to Improve Adventure Education Teaching Skills

Richardson

Kalvaitis

Delparte

2013

This study examined how adventure educators could use systematic feedback to improve their teaching skills. Evaluative instruments demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in teaching skills when applied at an outdoor education center in Western Canada. Concurrent focus group interviews enabled instructors to reflect on student feedback to improve teaching in subsequent courses. Instructors had the opportunity to share their experiences, thereby solidifying their learning and validating their practices. The triangulation of quantitative and qualitative data yielded a descriptive model of the reflective process, featuring multiple channels for repeated, systematic feedback to promote continuous reflection. Creating group opportunities for adventure educators to share their teaching experiences is recommended to facilitate instructional improvement, boost staff morale, and instill a sense of professionalism.

“…This brief article summarizes five trends and issues discussed during a moderated discussion at the Association for Experiential Education (AEE) Symposium on Experiential Education Research (SEER) in November 2023. The aim was to expand on prior documented trends (Attarian, 2001;Bobilya et al, 2010;Roberts, 2021aRoberts, , 2021b and disseminate current experiential and outdoor education (EOE) trends, issues, and related research. These are only a few of the many EOE trends and issues but they represent both meta trends/issues such as cultural representation in the outdoors and programspecific trends like whether or not to pay outdoor orientation staff.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends and Issues in Experiential and Outdoor Education Programs

Bobilya,

Holman,

Lindley

et al. 2024

Self Cite

This brief article summarizes five trends and issues discussed during a moderated panel and round table discussion at the Association for Experiential Education (AEE) Symposium on Experiential Education Research (SEER) in November 2023. The aim of this session was to expand on prior documented trends and disseminate current experiential and outdoor education (EOE) trends, issues, and related research. These are only a few of the many EOE trends and issues but they represent both meta trends/issues and program-specific trends. This session was designed for scholars and practitioners who teach, provide program administration, and/or conduct research and evaluation efforts for EOE and related disciplines. Topics included cultural representation in the outdoors, trauma and mental health trends, safety II: a new view of risk management, nature and outdoor programming, and whether college outdoor orientation leaders should be paid. We hope that you, the reader, are inspired to consider what trends and issues are impacting your work and explore areas for future research.