This study examined the long-term impact of specific course components on participants who attended a 21-day Outward Bound Singapore course between 1997 and 2005. In total, 1029 questionnaires were sent out by mail. Participants were given a choice to complete the questionnaire on paper or online. A total of 318 questionnaires were successfully…

A facilitator is considered to act intentionally when they are deliberate about what they are doing and can provide rationales for their actions. The same facilitator is said to practice intuitively when they are not able to articulate a clear rationale for their actions, yet they are still able to facilitate effectively. A review of the…

Outdoor education has been shaped historically and culturally by many influences. Physically challenging activities out of doors have been appropriated by a number of traditions. These include militaristic, educational and developmental ideologies. Arguably, central to these ideologies are heterosexual, white middle class values. While women have…

Norwegian "friluftsliv" or outdoor life is often identified as a "simple way of life" and as exemplary of green life-philosophy and environmental practices. This paper argues that "friluftsliv" must be conceptualized as a complex social phenomenon and an example of long-standing Western discourse linking ideas of nature, gender and education. The…

Powerful, dominant discourses surrounding neo-Hahnian theory (as discussed by Brookes in 2003) and effectiveness (as discussed by Hargreaves and Fullan in 1998, for example) have influenced both practice and research in outdoor adventure education. This has led to a concentration of research that focuses on the impact of outdoor programmes. It has…

Facilitating the reflection upon outdoor and adventure experiences is a common practice for many leaders and instructors. This article draws upon visual semiotics to provide reflections upon three images from books that originate from within the dominant North American paradigm. These musings are from one Antipodean's perspective, who may see the…

UNESCO's challenge to Higher Education institutions to provide educational leadership in sustainable development, provides an impetus to develop innovative, interdisciplinary curricula and pedagogy. Whereas Higher Education curricula in sustainability and sustainable development have tended to come from the environmental sciences, recent studies…

Recent interest in ways of assessing the performance and "value-added" aspects of higher education and how universities can enhance graduate employability skills has prompted this study into the acquisition of National Governing Body Award (NGBA) qualifications by students on a UK outdoor education degree programme. Students' age, gender, academic…

Physical activity levels were measured with an accelerometer in a case study including 19 children, from nine to ten years of age, in a Danish primary school. The teachers conducted their teaching in a forest every Thursday from 2000 to 2003. The purpose of this study was to measure the students' activity levels during outdoor learning days in the…

While many studies have sought to understand challenge courses and their benefits, less emphasis has been focused on understanding participants' perceptions of these programmes. In this study, 16 adults working at a dental office attended a one-day challenge course programme designed to teach lessons about co-operation. Data were collected via "in…

Adventure is a playful pacemaker for real border crossings from reality to possibility; it can, from a benevolent point of view, be the trigger for individual changes of reality, a provider of impulses for the development of self. Confronted with the unpredictability of the wilderness, the turbulences of torrents, the chaotic state of the oceans,…

This research highlights the learning of female offenders on a 20-day tailor-made experiential adventure education course (Women in Action) delivered by Outward Bound New Zealand. The aims of the course were to increase self-awareness, to develop an understanding of the concept of choice and self responsibility, to improve communication skills and…

Conflict resolution between different social groups is an issue that has continued to gain high profile news coverage both nationally and in a global context. In this respect, it has been shown that carefully designed and managed physical activity programmes can make a small but nonetheless invaluable contribution to reconciliation and…

This paper presents research on participant learning processes in challenge course workshops using the framework known as Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). CHAT views learning as a shared, social process rather than as an individual event. Participants' experiencing and learning was mediated by the physical and social conditions of the…

Many outdoor organizations integrate whitewater rafting into their programmes. Often this is accomplished by contracting with a whitewater outfitter. This paper analyses rafting accident data collected by the American Canoe Association in an effort to suggest ways in which programmes can better manage risk while contracting with outfitters for…