Adventure programs have recently emerged that are specifically designed for individuals living with cancer, yet few research studies document the outcomes of such programs. The purpose of the current qualitative study was to examine the effects of an adventure program on individual adult cancer survivors. Three central themes emerged from the…

This article serves to challenge the prevailing wisdom that suggests that most trauma is followed by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and is best treated with critical incident stress debriefing (CISD). Instead, recent evidence suggests that many individuals exposed to stress do not experience stress responses. Even those who do, however,…

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…

Means-end theory provides a useful approach for characterizing the relationship among the attributes or components of an experiential education course (the "means"), the benefits, or the outcomes associated with these attributes/course components, and the personal values (the "ends") these outcomes help to reinforce for course participants. The…

An explanatory mixed-methods design was used to evaluate a service-learning model on academic learning, personal and interpersonal development, and community-engagement for 59 service-learning students. A repeated-method ANOVA demonstrates that students improve their academic learning and participation in service but reduce their interests in…

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…

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…

This paper is a phenomenological examination of Nova Scotian teachers leading children outside the normal school environment for instructional purposes. Phenomenology can examine the everyday, taken-for-granted phenomena in human experiences. Absent in experiential research is the focus on teachers' experience in outside programs. In addressing…

Many experiential education programs are developed on pillars promoting craftsmanship. Changing cultural situations have altered both our definition of, and the experiences offered to, participants that influence their concept of craftsmanship. By using Kurt Hahn's educational ideas, various experiences are explored and critiqued to determine what…

The authors of this paper discuss the researchers' concern raised at the close of the Second Annual Symposium on Experiential Education Research regarding research needs in experiential education. Among the topics developed through the discussion include: (a) the need for access to, and adaptation of, research from fields other than experiential…

In a speech at the Symposium for Experiential Education Research 2003, Henderson discusses the importance of theory in building a body of knowledge. She says that to use information to create a body of knowledge, researchers must continue to develop and apply theory, and to address the emerging opportunities for evidence-based research and…

Seventy-five students from five medical schools participated in structured interviews to elicit their community service history and opinions regarding the relationship of community service to the medical school admissions process and the medical school curriculum. An analysis of responses indicates that service leaders were: (a) influenced by…

Some of the present approaches for studying adventure education are based on grounded theory, folk pedagogies, and existing social science theory. These approaches share some problems, including: (a) an overemphasis on outcomes without specifying processes, (b) a misunderstanding of how different types of evaluation contribute to theory, and (c)…

Citing the need for a basic, K-12 developmental framework for service learning, this article describes such a model. This model, an inclusive typology of service learning, distinguishes three levels of service learning: Community Service, Community Exploration, and Community Action. The authors correlate this typology to Piaget's cognitive…

The processes behind many adventure education programs remain poorly documented, and how development is fostered through adventure is not well understood. While a number of theory-based articles do exist, little empirical research has been available to influence experiential education program design. This study explores the roles that participant…