Leisure Studies Commons^™

Foreword: International Perspectives In Outdoor Education Research, Patrick T. Maher

Research in Outdoor Education

The article offers information related to papers that were published in the publication "Research in Outdoor Education" Volume 15. This special issue of ROE contains four articles presented at the 7th International Outdoor Education Research Conference (IOERC), plus an additional two that speak to an international audience. The 7th IOERC was hosted from July 4 – 8, 2016 at Cape Breton University (CBU), on Unama’ki (Cape Breton Island) in Nova Scotia, Canada.

The foreword also acknowledges the efforts of all who contributed to the publication.

Exploring Course Outcomes Utilizing A New Outward Bound Outcomes Instrument, Andrew J. Bobilya, W. Brad Faircloth

Research in Outdoor Education

This study implemented the new North Carolina Outward Bound School Course Impression Survey (NCOBSCIS) using a mixed method, retrospective pre-post design. The NCOBSCIS measures character development, leadership, and environmental service. Previous analysis has found the NCOBSCIS to be a valid and reliable survey tool. The purpose of this study was to investigate program outcomes using this new instrument, including potential moderators (e.g., age, gender, and course length). Paired sample t-tests and a series of ANCOVA models were generated along with thematic qualitative analyses. The results suggest that there is change evident among the participants following program participation and that …

Women And Girls In Outdoor Education: Scoping The Research Literature And Exploring Prospects For Future Body Image Enquiry, Joelle Breault-Hood, Tonia Gray, Son Truong, Jacqueline Ullman

Research in Outdoor Education

Research into women's and girls' outdoor programs and their influence on perceived body image has gained scholarly attention in recent decades. A systematic review of research from 1980 – 2017 identifies key trends and themes revealing opportunities to advance understandings in the field. In particular, while there has been extensive research conducted on women's and girls' outdoor education programs from various perspectives, there is a shortage of robust research examining the impact of outdoor education on body image. While identifying some trends, the broad scope of the enquiry highlights the scarcity of this empirical data, and calls for heightened emphasis …

Defining Moments: An Examination Of The Gender Divide In Women's Contribution To Outdoor Education, Tonia Gray, Denise Mitten, Ta Loeffler, Sandy Allen-Craig, Cathryn Carpenter

Research in Outdoor Education

Throughout our collective experiences in the outdoors, defining moments have helped ignite innovation and provided inspiration for women and men in the outdoor profession. Women's representation among the ranks of the senior leaders and researchers in the outdoor field is disproportionately low. As such, women in outdoor education today still face challenges being recognized and accessing the upper echelons of the profession and academy. An incident at the 6th International Outdoor Education Research Conference in 2013, where women donned an invisibility cloak provided the impetus for our paper. Significant progress has been made in the past three decades; however an …

Perceived Life Significance Of A University Winter Outdoor Education Course: A Qualitative Study, Jennifer Wigglesworth, Paul Heintzman

Research in Outdoor Education

This qualitative study explored the life significance of a winter, bilingual (French/English), outdoor education (OE) course offered by a Canadian university. The current investigation involved 16 in-depth interviews with alumni who had taken one of the university's winter OE courses more than 20 years earlier. Interpretive analysis of interview data found the following significant life impacts: development of interpersonal/social skills; self-discovery; environmental awareness; leisure style change; transfer to others; and increased outdoor knowledge/skills. The researcher used “how and why” questions to probe for processes that linked the course experiences and activities with significant life impacts. The processes identified included: personal …

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

Research in Outdoor Education

The Coalition for Education in the Outdoors is a non-profit network of outdoor and environmental education centers, nature centers, conservation and recreation organizations, outdoor education and experiential education associations, institutions of higher learning, public and private schools, fish and wildlife agencies, and businesses that share a mission the support and furtherance of outdoor education and its goals.

This article includes the Editors and Research Committee for Volume 15 as well as the Table of Contents.

Playing Naturally: A Case Study Of Schoolyard Naturalization In Cape Breton, Emily Root, Kathy Snow, Catalina Belalcazar, Bettina Callary

Research in Outdoor Education

Transforming schoolyards into naturalized areas enhances play and nature connection (Dyment, 2005), increases repertoires of outdoor activities, and promotes resilience (Chawla, Keena, Pevec & Stanley, 2014). Employing photovoice and conversational interviews, this study examines children’s perceptions pre-and post-playground naturalization at an elementary school in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada. Themes from data analysis include: engagement with nature, and desire for more nature; physicality and movement; built and natural play features; and risk, rules, and well-being. Drawing on existing literature in the fields of schoolyard greening and naturalization, the study discusses benefits and complexities for future consideration in similar contexts.

Using Dynamical Systems Theory In Outdoor Adventure Education Research, Jeremy Jostad, Jim Sibthorp, Jonathan E. Butner, Shannon Rochelle, John Gookin

Research in Outdoor Education

No abstract provided.

On Making A Difference: How Photography And Narrative Produce The Short-Term Missions Experience, Joshua Kerby Jennings

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

Short-term missions participants encounter difference in purportedly captivating ways. Current research, however, indicates the practice does not lead to long-lasting, positive change. Brian M. Howell (2012) argues the short-term missions experience is confined to the limitations of the short-term missions narrative. People who engage in short-term missions build assumptions, seek experiences, understand difference, and convey meaning, as a result of this narrative. The process of telling and retelling travel stories is integral to the short-term missions experience. Drawing upon literature on tourism, narrative, development, and photography, this study intends to evaluate the inefficacy of short-term missions through the stories which …

Material Politics Of The Bicycle, Joshua David Rotbert

Senior Projects Spring 2017

Beginning with a focus on the material and semiotic dimensions of the bicycle, as well as the proprietary linguistic and epistemological conventions that surround the bicycle mechanic, this project explores how such concepts intersect with notions of class, identity, resistance, and belonging within the ethnographic context of a contemporary urban bicycle repair shop.

Technological Disruption In Entertainment: Navigating The Film Industry's Dynamic Relationship To The Consumer, Samantha Mea Simon

Scripps Senior Theses

The following thesis acts as a critical cultural progression report surrounding the current technological disruption in the entertainment industry and its impact on consumers. This begins with a study of the history starting in 1910 and covers the urbanization of America during the Industrial Revolution, the developing fan experience, a history of consumer demands in relation to oligopolistic principles and the blockbuster method, the invention and influence of the television, and the current effect of technological advancement in the entertainment industry. Following this historical overview, four chapters will study different methods of analysis covering the intricacies of the current technological …

Protocol For Surveying Bat Use Of Lava Tube Caves During Winter In Craters Of The Moon National Monument And Preserve, Version 1.0, Thomas J. Rodhouse, Kathleen Slocum, Todd Stefanic, Shawn Thomas, Meghan Lonneker, Gordon Dicus

United States National Park Service: Publications

Executive Summary

The mission of the National Park Service (NPS) is “to conserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment of this and future generations” (NPS 1999). To uphold this goal, the Director of the NPS approved the Natural Resource Challenge to encourage national parks to focus on the preservation of the nation’s natural heritage through science, natural resource inventories, and expanded resource monitoring (NPS 1999). Through the Challenge, 270 parks in the national park system were organized into 32 inventory and monitoring (I&M) networks.

The Upper Columbia Basin Network Inventory …

Behaviors, Knowledge, And Education Of Leave No Trace Principles In The Red River Gorge Rock Climbing Community, Brian Gregory Clark

Online Theses and Dissertations

Rock climbing is becoming a very popular and mainstream outdoor activity. With the growth in rock climbing comes an increase in the number of visitors this sport attracts. The increase in visitor usage undoubtedly leads to an impact on the natural environment surrounding these rock climbing areas. Rock climbers acknowledge the impacts that are being made and are taking initiative to lessen their impact while visiting rock climbing areas such as the Red River Gorge (RRG) in rural southeast Kentucky. We know that rock climbers make a substantial economic impact while visiting and this dissertation looks at the environmental knowledge …

Prime, Perform, Recover, Patrick Harkin

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the formal and conceptual framework of my artistic practice as it culminated in the installation of my thesis exhibition, Prime, Perform, Recover. My exhibition seeks to operate as an analysis and critique of the separation inherent in media presentation and rhetoric surrounding natural disasters.

I utilize the aesthetics and vocabulary of disaster capitalism and prepping culture in order to pose direct questions about ecological and social change. I examine the role of images within mass media image production as an all encompassing Now-Time. In this paper I describe frameworks that my practice proposes as potential solutions to …

Aquatic Exercise For Better Living On Land: Impact Of Shallow-Water Exercise On Older Japanese Women For Performance Of Activities Of Daily Living (Adl), Mary E. Sanders, Mohammod M. Islam, Aiko Naruse, Nobuo Takeshima, Michael E. Rogers

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Twenty-six Japanese women (70.5 yr) self-selected water exercise (WEX) (n=13), or control (CON) (n=13) for 12 weeks. WEX was performed 60-minutes/day, 3 days/week with warm-up, cool-down stretch, ADL exercises, and cardiovascular/muscular endurance in 30°C water at a xiphoid level depth. CON continued their current activity/nutrition patterns. Compared to CON, WEX improved (p<.05) functional fitness and balance measures including arm curl (22%), chair stand (21%), 8-feet up & go (13%), chair sit/reach (50%), and 12-min walk (15%). No significant changes in sway velocity (SV) or limits of stability (LOS) were seen for either group. This shallow water exercise improved land-based ADL for older women but not balance. ADL tasks associated with balance did improve which may have indicated enhanced motor control.

Marketing The Magic In A Nature-Based Experience: A Case Study On The Walt Disney Company, Kristen L. Byron

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration

Customers focus on different values when looking for a travel experience. Experiential marketing is able to connect customers with companies and experiences that match their values, including ecotourism and nature-based experiences. The Walt Disney Company is an international brand of entertainment features and is able to provide guests with customized experiences. The purpose of this study was to examine experiential marketing techniques in relation to the Walt Disney Company’s ecotourism and nature focused experiences. The researcher used a best practices matrix on the Walt Disney Company, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Aulani Resort and Spa. This study found that the …

Plant Community Composition And Structure Monitoring For Scotts Bluff National Monument, 2016 Data Report, Molly B. Davis, Daniel J. Swanson

United States National Park Service: Publications

Abstract

This report presents the results of vegetation monitoring efforts in 2016 at Scotts Bluff National Monument (SCBL) by the Northern Great Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network (NGPN) and Northern Great Plains Fire Ecology Program (NGPFire).

During the sixth full year of field work, crew members from NGPN visited eight long-term monitoring plots on May 23-25, 2016 to collect data on the plant communities at SCBL. This is part of a long-term monitoring effort to better understand the condition of the vegetation at SCBL. NGPN staff captured data relating to species richness, herb-layer height, abundance of individual native and non-native …

Plant Community Composition And Structure Monitoring For Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, 2016 Data Report, Aaron T. Rasor, Daniel J. Swanson

United States National Park Service: Publications

Abstract

This report presents the results of vegetation monitoring efforts in 2016 at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument (AGFO) by the Northern Great Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network (NGPN).

During the sixth full year of field work, crew members from NGPN visited six long-term plant community monitoring (PCM) plots and the Northern Great Plains Fire Effects Crew (NGPFire) visited nine fire plant community monitoring (FPCM) plots to collect data on the plant communities at AGFO. This effort is part of a long-term monitoring program established to better understand the condition of the mixed-grass prairie, riparian, and upland regions in AGFO. …

University Fundraising Through Special Events: An Application Of The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Megan Elizabeth Hobbs

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to apply the Revised Theory of Planned Behavior and EVENTQUAL models to explore (1) event qualities that significantly impact guests’ satisfaction with a university event that they attend, (2) significant factors influencing university loyalty as a result of an event, and (3) willingness to make a charitable donation to a university as a result of attending an event. An online survey was sent to attendees of an annual Cal Poly auction event between 2002 and 2016 that directly benefits Cal Poly students. The data were used to test a series of hypotheses to determine …

Montana Dragon Boat Festival 2016, Megan Schultz

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This study was conducted for the Kalispell Conventions and Visitor Bureau, to provide insight into the characteristics of attendees of the 2016 Montana Dragon Boat Festival. Paper surveys on site and a post-event web survey were completed by 479 attendees and/or participants of the event. Results show that 58% of respondents were residents of Montana and of those Montana residents, 69% were from Flathead County. Out-of-county respondents spent an average of 3.72 nights away from home. Of those nights, an average of 2.42 of those nights were in the city of Kalispell and 2.89 nights in other Flathead Valley locations …