In these remarks, the author shares some comments that not only encapsulate the individual research presentations but also help provide some context with regard to the theme for the session titled "Into the Black Box: Linking Process and Outcomes in Experiential Education," and what these papers collectively contribute to experiential education…

A session that has a theme of outcomes of experiential programs in varied contexts is both exciting and pressing. The three studies in Session IV all addressed relevant issues to experiential programming and all the authors were faced with the empirical challenge of demonstrating how and/or if their programs achieve what they say they are going to…

Even though these papers represent radically different types of research in different environments and with diverse populations, I think they are appropriately grouped under the theme of "experiential education and youth development in diverse settings." In their own way, each of them deals with the role of experiential education in mitigating the…

Three research abstracts dealt with program outcomes and the factors that affect them. Morgan (2008) dealt with the potential influence of sensation-seeking personality traits on perceived risk and perceived competence in adventure experiences. Two abstracts by Bobilya, Akey, and Mitchell, Jr. (2008) and Austin, Martin, Mittelstaedt, Schanning,…

Do researchers make a difference with the research they conduct? Most people would like to think so. In this paper, the author argues that much of the research conducted by researchers is guided primarily by personal interests and needs and not because of professional needs or identified gaps in knowledge. The author also argues that experiential…

This article considers several variations of experience within the intersecting fields of outdoor, environmental, and experiential education. I argue that, to date, too little work has been undertaken interrogating the theoretical and philosophical use of the term "experiential." This has resulted in a relatively homogeneous and simple…

A relatively new movement in psychology, positive psychology, has many implications for the field of outdoor education. Positive psychology has the goal of fostering excellence through the understanding and enhancement of factors that lead to growth. It embraces the view that growth occurs when positive factors are present, as opposed to the…

The educational theories of experiential education and critical pedagogy intersect in a number of ways. One of the intended aims of both of these pedagogies is that the purpose of education should be to develop a more socially just world (Itin, 1999; Kincheloe, 2004). One of the key issues still facing experiential education theory and critical…

A passage is quoted in which the meaning of one's life is the reflecting of light (truth, wisdom) into the dark places of others' hearts and minds. Personal anecdotes illustrate that outdoor leaders and teachers can be reflectors to their students or clients or, conversely, can receive reflections from them. A message from the Hopi elders reminds…

Experiential learning is not linear, but is a cyclical interaction with clients. Engage clients by making them feel needed. Focus on what works for them instead of what does not. Help them develop the capacity to author their own beliefs and values. Most importantly, be guided by compassion for others. (Contains 32 references.) (TD)

Moving active learning forward calls for a focus on learners' actorship, not program activities, and requires distinguishing between active learning and active teaching. Experiential education offers an alternative to didactic approaches, not a more attractive form of it. Accepting traditional principles and procedures of "professionalism"…

A study examined how 28 components of Outward Bound Western Canada (OBWC) courses affected student self-concept, motivation, and interpersonal skills. Data from questionnaires, interviews, and observations of 92 OBWC students generally supported previous research, but also indicated that the objectives of compassion and service received less…

A pedagogy of experience can be cultivated by using a critically responsive approach based on experience, critical thinking, reflection, and action. A service-learning field trip to Cuba illustrates how experiential learning can bring classroom and community together in a way that invites students to engage in meaningful, active forms of learning…

Outdoor educators frame programs as rites of passage because of similarities with Van Gennep's first two stages of a rite of passage--separation and transition. The model is generally ineffective because of the goal of conformity associated with the model's third stage--reincorporation. Smaller communities may be able to use the model to…

Outdoor leaders should address emotional safety and anxiety in program planning and reconsider the common practice of pushing participants, particularly troubled youth, out of comfort zones by purposefully increasing perceived risk. An alternative model of adventure education is proposed in which the greatest amount of change and growth comes from…