The purpose of this analytical study was to identify patterns in primary, empirical research data collection methods published in five experiential education refereed journals over time (essentially from 1978 to 2017). A total of 815 research reports were examined among five prominent refereed journals, in the arena of outdoor and adventure-based approaches to experiential education. Data collected included general research methods used, data collection procedures, study locations, and sample sizes. Descriptive statistics, frequencies, and crosstabulations were used to determine tendencies in these four data stratifications. Because of varying foci of the sample journals, data were collectively tabulated and reported to show patterns in experiential education primary research over time.