This study investigated whether students differ in reported levels of social support by different types of preorientation experiences (i.e., wilderness program, community service program, preseason athletics, or no preorientation participation) measured by the Campus-Focused Social Provisions Scale (CFSPS). Two colleges provide a sample (N =…

Muting (verbal silencing) is a teaching practice commonly employed by facilitators in outdoor challenge course education programs as a method for modifying communications among participants. However, it is unknown to what extent this teaching intervention differentially impacts male's and female's overall engagement with challenge initiatives. The…

To date, little empirical research has been conducted to support the claim that outdoor adventure education (OAE) develops desirable psychological characteristics in participants. This study examined the effects of an OAE foundation degree curriculum on positive psychological development. Fifty-two students (26 OAE students, 26 controls on an…

This study explores the impacts of backpacking as a therapeutic process for troubled adolescent women participating in wilderness therapy. A qualitative case study approach was used to investigate the experience of six adolescent women and three female wilderness instructors at an established wilderness therapy program. Data were collected through…

Three large and diverse data sets were used to study the relations among 6th?12th grade students' community service and service-learning experiences, academic success, and socioeconomic status (SES). Principals in high-poverty, urban, and majority nonwhite schools were more likely to judge service-learning's impact on student attendance,…

We conducted a pretest-posttest study using measures of higher order thinking skills (HOTS), and lower order thinking skills (LOTS) in six 12th-grade American Government classrooms taught by three experienced teachers over one semester. One of the three teachers implemented a curriculum in two classes based on experiential education (EE)…

The purpose of this study was to examine the outcomes of using metaphors to enhance learning in the framing and debriefing of teamwork issues for a corporate adventure training (CAT) program. Through random assignment, four different but intact regional work groups from a European banking institution participated in a CAT program for the purposes…

This study examined the long-term effects of participation in a half-day, low-element challenge course on the group functioning of members of college student organizations. Seventy-six participants completed measures of group cohesion, group effectiveness, and individual effectiveness within the group at four points in time: (a) one week prior to…

Nearly a half-century ago. Aldo Leopold acknowledged the threat of "landlessness" in our society as measured by the loss of our collective awareness of, and admiration for, the land (Leopold. 1966). At present, this disconnect has evolved to the point where participants in adventure-based programs may find themselves traveling through "Any Woods,…

This article describes a new educational field labeled "place-based education" and relates it to experiential learning. This term has appeared in the educational literature over the last 10 years and illustrates a concern for providing participants with quality experiences in local settings. After defining and describing the term, one aspect of…

This paper presents the opening remarks made by Michael Gass at the 2004 Symposium on Experiential Education Research. In his speech, Gass draws attention to several of the dynamics connecting research to the current value and livelihood of the experiential education field. He contends that these dynamics ultimately have a large effect on…

The need to provide alternative and exciting community service-learning experiences with university students has been a challenge to institutions of higher education. One institution was able to capitalize on an idea of integrating challenge and adventure-based activities as a form of community service. This article focuses on undergraduate…

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…

In recent years there has been a growing call for introspective examinations to uncover the unquestioned assumptions that ground our areas of study. In this paper, we reflectively examine one area of leisure studies--challenge (ropes) courses. By revealing the assumptions that shape practice and research in this field, we also reveal hidden biases…

Although pervasive throughout counseling psychology and other training programs that incorporate experiential activities, reflective journals have sparse, fragmented and disparate theoretical bases to support their use. Coming from the fields of counseling and professional education, the authors use counselor education as a template to explore the…