A 3-year study of 115 youth offenders ages 14-17 who were involved in a program that integrated wilderness or adventure therapy with a community-based component revealed significant positive changes in 10 out of 33 psychometric scales considered essential precursors to behavioral changes. However, no significant behavioral changes were observed.…

Discusses the components of outdoor education and its potential as an ideal context in which experiential learning can take place. Touches heavily on spirituality, which is seen to be fundamentally concerned with relationships between ourselves and others, the earth, and God. Promotes outdoor education as a vehicle for discovering what life has to…

A group of outdoor teachers camping in the snow on high ground was caught in a blizzard at night. Their tents were ripped and they were forced to descend in the dark. Analysis determined that they had been caught unaware, they had improper equipment, and a lower-risk option for the descent would have been more prudent. (TD)

Two groups of students were taken on the same canoe trip and overnight outing. The unpleasant experience of the first group taught the leaders some important lessons about briefing, organizing access, checking gear, and preparedness in general that were used to make the second outing a success. (TD)

Making errors can be a salutary learning experience. The problem in outdoor adventure education is to protect the error makers from real harm, which requires careful structuring of the learning situation. Discusses error limits, how much error correction is appropriate, involving participants in decision making, video playback and debriefing…

Applies the four-stage reviewing sequence of Experience, Express, Examine, and Explore to climbing, skiing, expedition, and group adventures to show how the experiences of success, learning a skill, responsibility, and cooperation can be enhanced. Discusses things a leader can do before, during, and after the experience that will reinforce the…

Discusses the need for women-only outdoor programs as an alternative to mixed programs, socialization and stereotyping of gender roles and behavior in society, and barriers to outdoor participation for women. Describes some women-only outdoor programs and their benefits and disadvantages. Provides recommendations concerning program design and…

Debunks various myths related to the adventure experience: rural idyll versus urban squalor, the British character, leadership potential, adventure as substitute for aggression, role models, adventure experience as a route to political and social awareness, adventure is environmentally friendly, economic regeneration, the hills are free, adventure…

A residential ninth-grade program in the Australian bush strives to develop initiative, personal integrity, respect for nature, leadership, self-esteem, and sense of community by combining academic study with a strong outdoor education program, replacing competitive sports with cooperative activities, requiring students to be responsible for…

In the new order of academic worlds, marked by multiculturalism, postmodernism, and the interdiscipline of cultural studies, American Indian studies offers an alternative to Eurocentric domination of 21st-century scholarship if, and only if, it does not become encircled by the benevolent imperialism of neocolonial versions of multiculturalism.…

Traces the development of Native American literatures as following a pattern of cultural revitalization. Examines how these literatures are being incorporated into the national literary canon and subjected to institutionalized domination at the same time that they are serving as a vehicle for indigenous political resistance and revitalization. (SV)

Using capitalist market assumptions and legal theories, the Western legal system is extending practices of cultural imperialism to include commodification and marketing of indigenous cultural resources (medicinal and spiritual knowledge, ceremonies, and artistic expressions) and genetic resources (human DNA). Recognizing that law has never been…

In 1880 the Laguna people and the predecessor of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad reached an agreement giving the railroad unhindered right-of-way through Laguna lands in exchange for Laguna employment "forever." Discusses the Laguna-railroad relationship through 1982, Laguna labor camps in California, and the persistence of Laguna…

Tobacco control policies and incidence of smoking were examined for 71 tribally controlled public sites, including tribal offices and buildings, work sites, health clinics, schools, and urban Indian centers. About two-thirds of sites had written tobacco policies; observations of indoor smoking were modestly related to the leniency or absence of…

Among 1,607 American Indian and Anglo dropouts and currently enrolled middle- and high-school students, language difficulties and problems with teachers were predictive of academic troubles and dropping out. Success of Indian students was related to stronger Anglo cultural identity and better English proficiency (in mainstream schools) but was not…