During a summer cruise to Mexico and Central America, students earned academic credit for doctoral-level coursework in qualitative research approaches and data collection and analysis. This study explored how participants, 16 doctoral students at a midwestern university, perceived experiential education and its effect upon their understanding of…

An authentic learning strategy fostering students' active learning was studied using the scenario of a real-world project. Students from two different classes at two different universities worked as clients or consultants to develop an apparel sourcing strategy. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered from 44 undergraduates enrolled in…

With the recent promotion of learner-centered philosophies, educators are beginning to accept the idea that learning is a constructive process. But this philosophical shift has been met with some resistance from both students and faculty. This case study examines the development of a student-designed experiential course from both student and…

This paper describes a field trip by senior undergraduate anthropology students to a local winery, where they participated in a wine-tasting class with winery staff. In response to explicit hints from a wine-tasting facilitator, and more subtle cues from the cultural capital embedded in their surroundings and the winery staff, the students…

Higher education often supports new student transition through various orientation programs. Recently a greater focus on student spiritual growth has emerged as an important aspect. The wilderness orientation program in this study is unique because of its length (12-14 days) and its focus on students' spiritual development. The purpose of this…

Research of wilderness programs indicates a clear need for additional investigation of specific program components and their influence on participant outcomes. This study examines one component of the Outward Bound wilderness program--the Final Expedition. The Final Expedition is a student-led wilderness expedition and is also referred to as an…

Outward Bound's 48 years of programming in the United States has led to a rich history of experiential education research. The exhibition of current Outward Bound research at the Symposium on Experiential Education (SEER) is exciting, as it represents a resurgence of academic investment in one of the oldest experiential education organizations in…

Experiential programs have become a core part of extra-/co-curricular activities in secondary schools in Hong Kong. Programs usually aim at enhancing youngsters' personal development, which incorporates self-understanding, self-other relationship, and self-social involvement (cf. Hahn, 1908-1913). Students are expected to acquire a stronger belief…

Research on wilderness experience programs indicates there is much to learn about specific components of the overall experience. The solo, where students are intentionally separated from their expedition group for an extended time for reflection, has long had an anecdotal reputation for enhancing the quality of participants' experiences. The…

Colleges and universities across the United States are struggling with student retention and attrition (Derby & Smith, 2004; Jacobs & Archie, 2008; Tinto, 1993). As a result, theoretically supported interventions designed to encourage retention and persistence are needed. The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to intentionally create an…

It was of interest to determine if earlier research findings, where female students were particularly advantaged by the Team Building Through Physical Challenges (TBPC; Glover & Midura, 1992) program in a coeducational setting, would still be observed in gender-segregated physical education classes. A total of 260 female (n = 127) and male (n =…

Service-learning (SL) has become a popular teaching method everywhere from elementary schools to colleges. Despite the increased presence of SL in the education world, it is still unclear what student outcomes are associated with SL programs and what factors are related to more effective programs. A meta-analysis of 62 studies involving 11,837…

This paper reports on a New Zealand study that obtained firsthand narrative accounts from a group of Year 10 (14 to 15 years old) secondary school students who were provided with 27-exposure disposable cameras on which they were asked to take a series of photographs to record what a residential school camp was like for them. Follow-up individual…

Adventure-based programs focusing on adolescent girls' development often claim that they cultivate courage in girls; however, very little research has examined whether they accomplish this goal or how they accomplish this goal. An evaluation was conducted on one such program, Passages Northwest, to examine the efficacy of adventure-based…

Participation in experiential education is said to enhance people's appreciation for diversity. This article reports on a study that found significant changes in participants' attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors following a non-formal diversity education program using adventure-based and community-service activities. Additionally, hypothesized…