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Editor's Introduction And Acknowledgments, Karen Paisley, Leo H. Mcavoy, Anderson B. Young, Wynn Shooter, Joshua Bochniak

Research in Outdoor Education

An introduction to the journal "Research in Outdoor Education," volume 8 is presented by the authors on behalf of the Coalition for Education in the Outdoors (CEO) Research Committee.

Front Matter, Coalitition For Education In The Outdoors (Ceo)

Research in Outdoor Education

The Coalition for Education in the Outdoors is a network of institutions, organizations, agencies, centers, businesses, and associations linked and communicating in support of the broad purposes of education in, for, and about the outdoors. The Coalition assists in identifying the needs of its affiliates, in meeting their various constituent needs, as well as advancing the mission of outdoor education globally.

A Research Task Force was initiated by the Coalition in 1990 with the purpose of supporting the conduct of research in the field and dissemination of the results. The symposium at Bradford Woods and this publication offer evidence of …

Preface, Anderson B. Young

Research in Outdoor Education

A preface to the journal "Research in Outdoor Education," volume 8 is presented by the author on behalf of the Coalition for Education in the Outdoors (CEO) Research Committee.

The Program Development Process: Developing Optimal Youth Development Environments Through The Camp Experience, M. Deborah Bialeschki, Margery M. Scanlin, Michelle Alberti Gambone, Cynthia L. Sipe

Research in Outdoor Education

Many camp professionals find themselves continually challenged to document the value of the camp experience for youth. Funders want to hold camps accountable to their goals, boards want to see evidence that camp programs result in benefits in line with the organization's mission, and directors themselves want to know if they achieved the desired outcomes as well the most effective "best practices". The American Camp Association (ACA) teamed with Youth Development Strategies, Inc. (YDSI) in a project to look at how campers assessed their camp experiences on outcomes that contribute to positive youth development. The purpose of this study was …

Environmental Desirability Responding: One Possibility In Addressing The Attitude-Behavior Gap, Alan Ewert, Graeme Galloway

Research in Outdoor Education

One of the underlying assumptions made by many outdoor education programs is that a student's attitude toward the natural environment can be modified toward more pro-environmental beliefs through the acquisition of new knowledge and direct experiences with or in those environments. In tum, these attitudes can lead to behavior changes that possibly lead to more pro-environment actions, such as recycling, reduced consumption patterns, or even advocacy. Thus, using a properly sequenced set of knowledge and experiences in order to develop informed and pro­-environment attitudes and behaviors has become one' standard way to design both outdoor education activities and curricula.

One …

Investigating The Long-Term Impact Of Adventure Education: A Retrospective Study Of Outward Bound Singapore's Classic 21-Day Challenge Course, Michael Gassner, Abdul Kahlid, Keith Russell

Research in Outdoor Education

This study was conducted to further our understanding of the impact an outdoor adventure education experience has on participants' personal and professional life. Outdoor adventure education follows an experiential philosophy of learning and takes place primarily through sensory involvement with the natural world (Priest and Gass, 1997). Ewert and McAvoy (2000) have mentioned that the transfer of benefits of adventure programs and their components to work and everyday life have often been neglected in research.

An Employee Perspective Of Service In An Outdoor Education Organization: A Means-End Study, Marni Goldenberg, Dan Pronsolino, David B. Klenosky

Research in Outdoor Education

This research examined staff perceptions of the outcomes and values of service in an outdoor education organization through an approach known as means-end analysis. Means-end analysis provides a framework to identify and explore the interrelationships among the important attributes, consequences (i.e., benefits and outcomes), and values of a product or service (Gutman, 1982; Klenosky, Gengler, & Mulvey, 1993). Typically, the means-end approach bas focused on decision-making behavior of consumers. More recent applications have used the approach to understand the outcomes associated with ropes course programming (Goldenberg, Klenosky, O'Leary, & Templin, 2000) and the components of an Outward Bound experience (Goldenberg, …

Environmental Sensitivity And Outdoor Recreation Setting Preferences, Tinelle Bustam, Anderson B. Young, Sharon Todd

Research in Outdoor Education

Over the last 30 years, researchers have considered the complexities of "environmental sensitivity," specifically, the factors that cause people to care or be concerned about the environment. Such research emerges from the notion that environmental sensitivity is the first step in a developmental process that leads persons toward environmental literacy or what Chawla (1998) calls a sense of "ownership" and "empowerment" (p. 11) regarding protection of the environment. In this sense, environmental sensitivity becomes the foundation on which environmental educators can build. By exploring the relationship between environmental sensitivity and other variables, environmental educators may be provided with means of …

Leadership And L.B. Sharp: Narratives Shared Of A Revered Outdoor Educator, Julie A. Carlson

Research in Outdoor Education

This article reviews the contributions to the field of outdoor education made by Dr. Lloyd Burgess Sharp.

Collective Meanings Of An Outdoor Leadership Program Experience As Lived By Participants, Andy Ballard, Amy Shellman, Aya Hayashi

Research in Outdoor Education

The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions and meanings of the lived experiences of participants of the Conservation and Outdoor Recreation/Education (CORE) program at Indiana University. It is hoped that the information provided in this study will help to meet the call for methodological pluralism and allow program developers and the research community at large to gain a more descriptive and thorough account of the outdoor leadership development experiences of program participants, with the ultimate goal of improving outdoor leadership programs.

The Influence Of A Wilderness Experience Program On Students' Attitudes Toward Wilderness, Betsy R. Lindley

Research in Outdoor Education

The purpose of the study was to examine how a wilderness education program (WEP) influenced students' attitudes towards wilderness and to understand what part of the experience students perceived led to changes in their attitudes toward wilderness protection and preservation. Developing a better understanding of how education influences environmental beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors is important in the wilderness education and resource management fields as they seek the best methods to preserve wildland resources.

An Investigation Of Self-Efficacy In A Freshman Wilderness Experience Program, Jennifer L. Hinton, Danny L. Twilley, Robin Mittelstaedt

Research in Outdoor Education

The purpose of this study was to further investigate the link(s) between wilderness programs and the development of self-efficacy in first-year college students. Self-efficacy in first year college students is important because in order for students to successfully complete college, they have to deal or cope with many challenges and stressors, and the higher one's self-efficacy the more likely students are to actively cope with the challenges and stresses they face (Davenport & Lane, 2006). The study also explored how participants in the wilderness group were impacted in specific ways,in relation to their self-efficacy based on self-reported statements provided in …

Inclusion At Residential Outdoor Environmental Education Centers: A Survey Of Current Practices, Kendra Liddicoat, Jim Rogers, Lynn Anderson

Research in Outdoor Education

In recent decades, persons with disabilities have become increasingly integrated into all aspects of society, including education and-recreation programs. In schools, this change has resulted from an understanding that provision of "a least restrictive environment," as mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), is often a regular education classroom rather than a segregated special education one. On a broader level, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has spurred recreation and social programs to make their facilities welcoming and accessible to all. As providers of school-sponsored as well as public programs, residential outdoor environmental education centers are also expected …

The Wilderness Solo: The Effect Of Intentional Design, Andrew J. Bobilya, Kenneth R. Kalisch

Research in Outdoor Education

The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the influence of intentional design by the instructor regarding the Solo's (a) purpose and framing, (b) instructor visit, and (c) individual and group debriefing. This study extends the previous Solo research by hypothesizing that the purposeful planning, framing, visits, and debriefing by the instructor play a role in determining the quality of Solo experience. The study was supported by three major theoretical frames - the Hendee & Brown Model (1988), Kolb's (1984) Experiential Learning Cycle, and Csikszentmihalyi's (1991) Flow Theory.

The Effect Of Activities For Effective Processing In An Adventure Education Program On Participants' Personal Development, Eri Araki, Taito Okamura, Hiroshi Hamatani

Research in Outdoor Education

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of preplanned activities for effective processing, such as framing, debriefing, and transferring, on participant's depth of reflection and personal development. Adventure education programs based on experiential learning methods had spread slowly in Japanese outdoor education. However, recent research concluded that adventure programs without constructed activities for processing affected personal growth and development. Sugerman (2000) describes that some participants are able to reflect spontaneously to understand the meaning of. the experience. Other participants are not able to reflect spontaneously about the experience and are unable to extract meaning from the experience. …

Let Safety Be Your Guide: A Risk Management Perspective On Challenge Course Programming And Instructor Training, Jon-Scott N. Godsey, Monica L. Godsey

Research in Outdoor Education

The introduction of challenge courses to the public and private education sectors ushered in a new focus on construction and safety standards. The Association for Challenge Course Technologies (ACCT) currently pro.vides a series of standards related to challenge course construction techniques and appropriate materials and is paving the way for national standardization of challenge course practices and instructor training programs. While challenge course safety has improved significantly in the past forty years, there are still "antagonists who have claimed these programs lack safety and quality control", (p.65), resulting in a number of potential and actual accidents (Leemon & Erickson, 2000).

Development And Application Of A Camper Growth Index (Cgi-C), Karla A. Henderson, Christopher A. Thurber, Leslie Schueler Whitaker, Margery M. Scanlin, M. Deborah Bialeschki

Research in Outdoor Education

Many people know about the value of organized camp experiences for youth, but few instruments measure camp experiences relative to positive youth development. Over the past century, most studies have found positive outcomes on a variety of dimensions, but these studies have used mainly convenience nonrandornized samples, different criteria, and a variety of instruments in their assessments. The purpose of this paper is to present evidence about the psychometric properties of a scale specifically designed to measure youth development outcomes through camp experiences.

Leadership Development Through An Outdoor Leadership Program Focusing On Emotional Intelligence, Aya Hayashi

Research in Outdoor Education

The purpose of this study was to identify how an outdoor leadership program experience impacts students' development of emotional intelligence and transformational leadership. Other critical information regarding development of emotional intelligence and leadership, such as the relationships between level of outdoor experience and development of emotional intelligence, and kinds of experiences that contribute to development of emotional intelligence were also investigated.

Factors Influencing Particpants' Trust In Outdoor Organizations And Outdoor Leaders, Karen Paisley, Jim Sibthorp, Wynn Shooter

Research in Outdoor Education

Trust plays a critical role in the field of outdoor education. The building of trust among participants is a common goal of outdoor educators (Honchalk, 1982; Smith, Roland, Hanes, & Hoyt, 1992; Fox & Mick, 1996) and 1s believed to influence learning outcomes (Rotter, 1967). The absence of trust in one's leader may result in unrealized goals and lack of productivity (Kramer & Cook, 2004 ). The purpose of the current study was to explore, through action research, how trust is established between consumers and outdoor organizations and between participants in outdoor programs and their outdoor leaders. The identification of …

Predictors Of Autonomy Support At Diabetes Summer Camp: A Self-Determination Theory Approach, Ron Ramsing, Jim Sibthorp

Research in Outdoor Education

Diabetes is considered to be one of the most psychologically and behaviorally demanding chronic illnesses facing adolescents (Cox & Gonder-Fredrick, 1992). To control the disease more effectively, adolescents must learn to undertake the management of their diabetes themselves (Mensing, et al., 2000; Ruggiero, et al., 1997). Self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000) was used as a foundation to explore the mechanisms, within a summer camp, that led to increased perceptions of autonomy support. Research shows autonomy support to be a critical prerequisite for increased autonomous behavior.

With over 350 specialty camps serving youth with diabetes (Diabetes Education and Camping Association, …

A Modified Outdoor Adventure Program Serving Individuals With Cognitive Disabilities Who Present Serious Accommodation Challenges, Leo H. Mcavoy, John Smith, John Rynders, Jeff Jacobs

Research in Outdoor Education

When inclusive programming is to be offered in an outdoor adventure context, and attempts are made to welcome individuals who present disability issues that make accommodation unusually challenging, the obstacles to program success can begin to look insurmountable. Research indicates there are a number of benefits realized through participation in inclusive outdoor adventure programs (McAvoy, Schatz, Stutz, Schleien, & Lais, 1989; Anderson, Schleien, McAvoy, Lais, & Seligman, 1997; McAvoy, 2001). There has been a paucity of research focused on persons with cognitive disabilities in outdoor programs that typically go on camping excursions into wilderness or wilderness-like natural areas rather than …

Power Plays: Nerdy Boys And Influential Girls "Playing" In The Outdoors, Katherine J. Pinch

Research in Outdoor Education

A major premise of this study is that gender is a system as well as a part of individual actions. Giddens (1999) described systems as "reproduced relations between actors or collectivities, organized as regular social practices" (p. 127). If one does not see gender as a category, but as a process that structures identity, behavior, and social norms, Giddens' definition of a system may easily be applied to gender. The study was begun with this understanding and a desire to look inside the gender system, as it operated within and through an outdoor adventure program for adolescents, and to explore …

Connectedness In The Wildernes Experience: Interpretation Of Sense Of Place During A National Outdoor Leadership School Instructor Course, Garrett Hutson

Research in Outdoor Education

This study explored the concept of sense of place during a 30-day National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) extended wilderness experience in a mountain range in the western United States. Sense of place is not a fixed concept, but may be best understood as a moving force that touches people's emotions on a variety of levels through the bonds they form with places (Tuan, 1974). The term has been utilized in such fields as geography and architecture since the early 1970s (Williams & Stewart, 1998). Scholars of leisure, recreation, and outdoor education are increasingly utilizing this concept because it holistically captures …

Predictors Of Perceived Development On Courses From The National Outdoor Leadership School, Jim Sibthorp, Karen Paisley, John Gookin

Research in Outdoor Education

The purpose of this study was to examine some of the potential mechanistic variables related to participant growth and development on courses at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). The NOLS Outcome Instrument (NOI) was a retrospective pretest posttest created to measure perceived gains in six universal course outcomes targeted by NOLS courses: Communication Skills, Leadership, Expedition Behavior, Judgment in the Outdoors, Outdoor Skills, and Environmental Awareness. Participant level predictors included age, sex, previous expedition experience, and sense of personal empowerment. Course level predictors included were course length, challenge level of the course terrain, group's level of functioning, and the …

Developing Sustainable Access To Bouldering Areas, Dan Pronsolino, Marni Goldenberg

Research in Outdoor Education

Bouldering is a branch of rock climbing that has introduced unique impacts and concerns for land managers and local climbing organizations. The Access Fund, a climbing advocacy organization, is currently working on an initiative called The Boulder Project to educate boulderers on how to collaborate with land managers and maintain bouldering areas. There is currently a lack of research on the concerns of land management agencies regarding the behavior and impact of boulderers. The purpose of this study was to determine the best practices for minimal impact development and maintenance of bouldering areas according to land management agencies in the …