The paper examines how outdoor education teachers in Tasmania, Australia have implemented and perceive a new pre-tertiary Outdoor Leadership curriculum document. It draws on an analysis of in-depth semi-structured interviews with 11 outdoor education teachers. The results revealed that teachers were generally welcoming of the new higher-order…

Outdoor practitioners widely embed reflective practice (RP) into the delivery of experiential education, but its contribution to their continued professional development remains under developed; by default, claims of its worth to the experiential education, they deliver must be approached with caution. Although the value of RP has been established…

"Leadership for Recreation, Parks and Leisure Services" presents new perspectives on the importance of leadership in the profession. Integrating theory with practice, the book provides foundational perspectives in the study of leadership at all levels--direct service, supervisory, managerial and community/civic--in recreation, parks and leisure…

This basic interpretive qualitative research study explored the personal and professional backgrounds, training experiences, perspectives, and perceptions held by adult volunteers serving as crew advisors in the Venturing program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Venturing is the BSA's adventure oriented youth development program for coeds age…

Research on leadership in outdoor adventure programs has focused primarily on Educational and Outdoor Skills. Anecdotal and practical experience has suggested that the performance of highly effective leaders may depend instead on distinctive qualities and components closely tied to individual character--a perspective of transformational…

The Wilderness Education Association (WEA) helps people enjoy and protect the nation's most precious resource: the wilderness areas. The WEA has been training and certifying outdoor leaders around the world for nearly 30 years, teaching students safely and effectively to lead groups in the outdoors without harming the environment. This document…

The purpose of this study is to measure the effects of the Leadership Inspiration Facilitation Team (LIFT) program on the life effectiveness and locus of control of a group of sixth grade students at Schultz Middle School. The participants consisted of 36 sixth grade students, ages 10 to 12 years, from a single public middle school. The…

Inverness Research studied the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) Seminars on Science program for eight years, from its inception in 1998 to 2006. This paper presents teacher survey ratings for "The Diversity of Fishes", along with profiles of two teachers who took the course. Course takers report on the annual follow-up surveys that "The…

In recent years, cellular phones and tablets have become increasingly more prevalent and popular. Due to their great mobility, light weight and ability to serve as a platform for various applications, these devices are ideal candidates for supporting out-of-classroom learning. Geography teachers in the twenty-first century must become familiar…

This document presents the proceedings of the Wilderness Education Association's 2005 National Conference on Outdoor Leadership. Following a brief history of the Wilderness Education Association (WEA), 21 conference papers are presented. Topics of the conference papers include: wilderness education curriculum, programs, history, environmental…

Recent empirical research on outdoor education programs describes adjustment symptoms that instructors suffer from after the programs have come to an end. Post-course effects are also documented for students, but those are normally scientifically coded in measured changes in "skills" or "learning effects." In this paper, the author compares the…

When people say that children grow up faster today, they are confusing appearance with reality. Children may be avid consumers of adult culture. They may adopt adult mannerisms and styles. They certainly get to grips with new technology far more easily than grown-ups. But when it comes to everyday freedoms--like walking to school alone, or meeting…

This study examines how a group's dynamic changes under the influence of different leadership styles, and determines what leadership style works best in a large group expedition. The main question identified was "What roles can a leader play in affecting the dynamic of a large group while partaking in a field expedition?" The following research…

Most educators have spent many days and thousands of dollars attending academic conferences around the world, only to find themselves sitting in ballrooms, listening to speakers and watching PowerPoint presentations. In most cases, this conference format represents a profound pedagogical contradiction for outdoor and experiential educators. This…

When the author thinks back to all the wilderness educational expeditions he has led, one thing sticks out in his mind: While he knows these were amazing experiences for the students (primarily university undergraduates), could he have done more to help them transition into the experience and out again afterwards? The author has continued to…