Nature-based adventure (NBA) interventions can be broadly understood as any intervention of adventure occurring in a natural setting not necessarily involving a licensed mental health professional. Evidence suggests that some NBA interventions improve people's health. Although encouraging, the strength of this evidence is often impaired by the…

Although sensuous and embodied engagement is an integral part of child--environment relationalities, the intersections of aesthetics, children and environments remain scarcely addressed. As a response, this study develops a concept of 'aesthetic flux' to delve into the sensuous dynamics of matter and bodies in the context of a storying workshop in…

Background: Outdoor Adventure Education (OAE) predominantly centers learning around individual goal setting and experiences and has not traditionally elevated Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS). Purpose: This research focuses on understanding how student learning and inquiry is affected through OAE that emphasizes the importance of IKS as a…

The Anthropocene is a geo-stratigraphic unit of the upper Earth's layers, impacted by human disturbances, but also humankind's historical record, and children's place to live on. It is an unfinished narrative. This study explores how garden and soil-related activities with kindergarten children, guided by well-informed teachers, may have the…

The term nature deficit disorder describes the "human costs of alienation from nature" (Louv, 2019). While not meant to be a medical diagnosis, Louv argues that the condition has, "profound implications, not only for the health of future generations but for the health of the earth itself" (Louv, 2008). Children most at risk are…

Background: The long-held assumption of character development through outdoor adventure education (OAE) maintains some adherents; however, growing criticism calls into question its efficacy. Yet, current social/environmental crises signal the immediate importance of moral education. Purpose: This article highlights the importance of character in…

This paper presents a review of research focusing on 'Learning Outside the Classroom' (LOtC). We provide a distillation of international research in this field that identifies how future investigations could be focused and move the discipline forward. As a consequence of the breadth of our study, we feel our findings will have applications in…

This study asked the participants of place-based educational programs in Micronesia and the Philippines between 1992 and 2017 how past learning experiences impact them now and how the learning changed over time. The responses of 128 program participants, mostly Japanese, were examined using a mixed-methods approach with an emphasis on qualitative…

There is an increasing appreciation that, in order to prepare learners for success in life, they require a holistic education providing not only academic skills, but also psychosocial competencies (Zins & Elias, 2006). Outdoor adventure education (OAE) shows potential as a way of developing these life skills, which are not easy to incorporate…

Background: One of the core environmental studies learning objectives at NOLS is for students to develop a "sense of place" by experiencing wilderness and exploring relationships with their surroundings. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore how students report developing a sense of place after completing a course based out…

As marine environments within the adventure domain are future key-settings for recreational SCUBA diving experience, SCUBA-based textual materials should provide insight into environmental knowledge that is well connected to the novice divers' behaviour and attitude. This research is concerned with a major recreational SCUBA diver manual for…

This qualitative study examines the experience of 12 Native American youth who participated in culturally appropriate geoscience summer programs throughout California. These programs have been shown to change participating youths' perceptions of science. After the programs, the youth are more likely to describe science as something tribes use to…

The people around us - as well as the methodical progression of education through content - often shape our relationship to the world. Currently, Earth is at a crossroads, which requires humans to act and live more sustainably with an intentional environmental ethos, whether for literal survival or for slowing Earth's resource degradation.…

Ecologists have long theorized about humans' psychological relationship to the natural world. The importance of feeling connected to nature is a theme in the writing of ecologists (Leopold, 1949; Orr, 1994; Roszak, 1995). They have argued that this connection to nature is a key component of fostering ecological behavior. In a meta-analysis of the…

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has increasingly taken on importance around the world, in part due to the growing awareness of environmental concerns such as climate change, and in part due to a challenge set forth by the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) to integrate the principles, values, and…