Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed many facets of outdoor adventure and experiential education (OAEE) programs. Using past literature, four variables represent important student outcome variables associated with OAEE programs. Purpose: This study examined the effects of participation in an OAEE program on levels of anxiety, depression,…

Adventure therapy programs can promote beneficial experiences and attributes that cultivate positive youth development (PYD). This study explores the impact of an urban, outdoor adventure therapy program for underserved youth. Multiple versions of the Positive Youth Development Inventory were given to participants and a comparison group (N = 161)…

This study aims to evaluate the effect of adventure education programs on resilience enhancement among first-year undergraduate students. The researchers designed adventure education courses using a benefits-based management activity planning model. An analysis is conducted using quasi-experimental and pre- and post-test non-equivalent group…

Continuing education programs for educators are designed to advance educators' teaching practices and ultimately advance students' academic success. However, many non-traditional wilderness-based programs lack evidence of proven efficacy. Experiential wilderness-based programs are believed to enhance participants' character traits through…

What does it mean to grow up? Why is it important? How does one measure it, and what factors make it so difficult to realize? This paper explores how one's experience in an outdoor adventure education program may be observed, understood, and potentially maximized through the lens of Robert Kegan's constructive-developmental theory. This paper…

In a hope to foster their students' autonomy, capability of decision-making and problem-solving, and thus better equipping them for facing real-world challenges in later life, an increasing number of German schools have implemented so-called 'challenges'. In these novel de-schooling projects, students get the chance to spend a longer period of…

This qualitative exploratory research explores meanings that practitioners of adventure activities in nature, who are 60+ years old, attribute to their activities and leisure. The intentionally selected participants were 24 practitioners of adventure activities in nature, in Florianópolis, Brazil. The instruments were a semi-structured interview…

Background: The outdoor industry has experienced a number of problematic issues, one of the most prominent being staffing concerns related to hiring, retention, and burnout. Purpose: This study investigated the relationship between the level of experience, gender, and age on the selected variables of resilience, coping skills, mental toughness,…

Using interpretative phenomenological analysis and Robert Kegan's constructive-developmental theory, this study investigated how developmental stage shaped the subjective experiences of 13 adolescents (M[subscript age] = 15.92 years, 54% females) in a developmental coaching and outdoor adventure education program. Participants were drawn from…

The UK Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) commissioned research into provision of opportunities that support children and young people's (CYP) engagement with natural environments outside school time to identify whether CYP from disadvantaged backgrounds access the opportunities available, the challenges to do so, and…

There is increasing pressure on academic staff to enhance the graduate capabilities of students, rendering them employable as morally informed global citizens, in addition to enhancing their disciplinary knowledge, reflective practice and understanding. The BA Outdoor Adventure Education degree programme at Plymouth Marjon University, includes the…

21st Century Skills encompass life capabilities for individuals to work and prosper in complex environments. Resilience encapsulates positive behavioural adaptations acquired through optimised exposure to outdoor adventure education (OAE). This study examined the efficacy of one-week OAE residentials upon young people's resilience, psychological…

Action sports have increased in popularity, particularly over the past two decades. Research in the area has also proliferated, as multiple disciplinary perspectives and theoretical and conceptual frames have been applied to understanding and exploring a host of research questions concerning action sports culture, contexts and participants.…

This paper is a duoethnography--a dialogic exploration of a person with a disability seeking to participate in outdoor adventure activities and that of an outdoor instructor helping to facilitate such learning experiences. Using dialogue, narrative, and photo elicitation, the authors discuss equitable and inclusive access to nature and outdoor…

As part of a larger research program examining the impacts of nature-based experiences on veterans with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, this study focused on changes in their depression and meaning in life after participating in a four-day river rafting experience. Results showed that there were statistically significant improvements over time for…