Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Adolescent Social Group In Outdoor Adventure Education: Social Connections That Matter, Jeremy Jostad, Jim Sibthorp, Mandy Pohja, John Gookin

Research in Outdoor Education

Outdoor adventure education (OAE) experiences provide a unique context for adolescents to develop social connections with their peers. The social group atmosphere is a complex area to study due to the group's multiple components. This study examined key components of a social group model to understand the influences they have on the development of social connections. Using a group identification framework, this study investigated how 237 students from 22 different courses from the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) connected with their groups. The results suggest that goal conflict with other students, social status, leadership consideration and gender ratio were significantly …