Outdoor adventure education (OAE) research has long aimed to explain and understand the inner workings of its programs. However, many questions remain, and the search for sharper methodological tools with which to deepen our understanding of OAE continues. This article is a collaborative autoethnographic investigation of the unpredictable and…

There is an increasing interest in the field of experiential education to move beyond simply documenting the value of experiential education programs and, instead, develop more evidence-based models for experiential education practice (cf., Gass, 2005; Henderson, 2004). Due in part to the diversity of experiential education programs, participants,…

Research and evaluation are tools that can help validate experiential education practice and provide a better understanding of it. Defines types of research and evaluation and discusses the benefits of these activities. Reasons for conducting research include (1) gaining support and credibility; (2) program improvement; and (3) marketing. (KS)

Describes differences between research and practice of experiential education evaluation, noting that differences arise when evaluation is undertaken by and for persons outside the field. Notes five types of research strategies necessary to build a stronger research base in experiential education. (SB)

Some of the present approaches for studying adventure education are based on grounded theory, folk pedagogies, and existing social science theory. These approaches share some problems, including: (a) an overemphasis on outcomes without specifying processes, (b) a misunderstanding of how different types of evaluation contribute to theory, and (c)…

A case study of an adventure-based counseling program for at-risk youth illustrates research problems in experiential education. Research and programmatic evaluation of adventure-based programs may fail to produce results because of a breakdown or changing delivery methods in the program itself or through inappropriateness of research methodology…

More methodologically sound research in adventure therapy is needed if the field is to claim empirically-based efficacy as a treatment modality. Some considerations for conducting outcome studies in adventure therapy relate to standardization, multiple domain assessment, regression techniques, objective assessment of participant change, client and…

Demonstrates how case study evaluation concentrates on a single situation to present a holistic view of an experiential learning program and reveals unique and unanticipated features. Outlines steps of planning, gathering, analyzing, synthesizing, and reporting data and considers the advantages and disadvantages of the case study approach. (LFL)