Background: Research in outdoor adventure education (OAE) and related fields has argued that OAE programming can problematically reproduce dominant ways of being around patriarchy and whiteness. In particular, scholars have forwarded specific critiques of sense of place (SOP) in OAE or related fields. Purpose: This article investigated and…

This study aimed to determine adventure camps' effects on Japanese adolescents' body image. A questionnaire survey containing three body image scales was administered to 64 adventure camp participants and 100 non-participants. The study results revealed significant differences and trends regarding 2 of the 3 factors ("understanding of…

Outdoor Adventure Education (OAE) may reduce levels of intolerance to certainty (IT) and increase levels of cognitive flexibility (CF) by introducing the individual to situations that create uncertainty and reward cognitive flexibility. This study used a two-group design, where one group featured a 3-day backpacking trip, and one was devoid of any…

Outdoor Adventure Education (OAE) programs are important developmental contexts for youth. Researchers have long sought to understand the lasting impacts of programs and what moments are linked to these impacts. However, little research has examined the types of events that occur during OAE programs are most impactful to a participant's identity.…

This research explored the use of adventure therapy in Aotearoa New Zealand, how practitioners have learned their skills, and what they perceive the field needs to support its development. The mixed methods study used interpretive description methodology to analyse focus group and survey data. The field is diverse and includes practitioners from…

This essay presents a theoretical model for the heretofore hidden processes associated with mechanisms of change in adventurous outdoor learning. After summarizing the few researchers who have investigated the components and pathways that bring participant change, four strands of influence are discussed: exercise activity, nature immersion,…

Menstruation impacts participation in adventurous activities but there are gaps in reported research on the views and perspectives of men. This study examines the ways in which people who menstruate (inclusive of the LGBTQIA+ community) perceive and report attitudes to menstruation and the menstrual cycle by men, and the ways in which cis-males…

Sail training is described as an educational endeavour where participants are required to adapt to an unfamiliar physical and social environment, acquire new skills (maritime and domestic), and confront personal challenges (e.g. going aloft, dealing with seasickness). It shares many of the philosophical underpinnings of adventure education, where…

This study of adventure sports learners expands on earlier work on adventure sports coaching. We examine learners' perceptions of their coaching and its effect on their self-efficacy and independence as adventure sports performers. We utilise a convergent mixed approach that deploys the Outdoor Recreation Self-Efficacy Scale, pre- and…

This paper presents a new integrated model for documentation and evaluation tested in 2021 on Back Into the Wild project, an Adventure Education project by Equilibero Association (Padova-Treviso, Italy). The project proposes educational walks to groups of at-risk adolescents to promote their psychophysical and relational well-being. Due to the…

Despite the utilization of adventure therapy techniques in behavioral health disorder prevention programming, little is known about how providers become trained in adventure-based prevention practice. Additionally, limited literature examines how adventure therapy providers are trained. This exploratory qualitative study provides a starting point…

The United States military has encountered challenges in meeting recruitment and retention goals, during a time when college outdoor orientation programs have been reporting positive impacts on retention. This study investigated the impact of different first-year orientation program models on student sense of belonging and trust; factors linked to…

Environmental characteristics of kindergartens are important for the development of kindergarten-aged children. However, knowledge of the role of kindergarten play environments in developing children's fundamental movement skills is limited. A pilot study was carried out to compare the fundamental movement skills of 3.5- to 5-year-old children in…

Background: Little is known about the effects of outdoor behavioral healthcare on participants' body composition or about the relationship between body changes and indicators of mental health. Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to compare body and mental health changes in adolescents in an 8-week adventure therapy program.…

Adventure education (AE) has long been celebrated for its unique contributions to learning and personal growth. But the benefits of the AE experience may be broader than these outcomes and we are best positioned to uncover these benefits through employing new lenses in our analysis of AE. A qualitative study of the AE experience was completed at…