Phones have become pervasive in many teenagers' lives, and outdoor educators are increasingly faced with making decisions regarding technology. This case study sheds light on the complex relationship between teenagers, phones and residential outdoor environmental education by exploring the experiences of participants at a phone-free summer camp in…

When children drop out of school, either temporarily or permanently, this poses a significant problem for both children and society. In the Netherlands, care farms offering care-education programs for school dropouts are emerging. While there is evidence for their effectiveness, models explaining how such outdoor interventions may facilitate…

Outdoor recreation has many benefits for youth. Benefits may be more profound in youth with visual impairments as the involvement in outdoor recreation activities provides improved self-determination and socialization. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to comprehend each participant's lived outdoor recreation experiences,…

Researching ethically is an institutional requirement and cornerstone of good everyday practice in conducting research, adopting a mindful consideration for participants and resisting the temptation to use methodological approaches which may exploit participants or their trust in the research process or researcher. In the context of outdoor…

Adventure-based learning is used by behavioral health providers to connect clients to therapeutic activities outside traditional settings. These approaches often aim to build internal and external assets that support positive youth development. Here we evaluate the impact of an experiential learning curriculum on youth development and identify…

This study explores the interaction of participants and institutional cultures in adventure education (AE) through the qualitative method of educational criticism and connoisseurship. Three AE programmes were included in this study: a backpacking expedition (11 participants), a challenge course (29 participants), and a multi-activity adventure…

Significant declines in outdoor activity and engagement with the natural environment are growing concerns with negative impacts on well-being. We pilot-tested an intervention encouraging outdoor activity among adult mentor and child mentee pairs and families, in partnership with Milwaukee's Urban Ecology Center. The study used a mixed methods…

This paper is a twelve-month follow-up study that explores perceived outcomes from participation in a Norwegian wilderness therapy program. Through a critical realist approach, the authors performed an in-depth analysis of individual interviews with ten adolescent participants. Long-term outcomes included the transfer and adaptation of calming and…

Evidence from four retrospective empirical research studies on lasting impacts (>12 months) of outdoor residential experiences for young people in the UK since 2015 are examined through a form of systematic review of papers and datasets. Thematic and comparative analysis identified lasting impacts as: self-confidence, independence and…

Research suggests that experience of the natural environment may have a range of beneficial outcomes for children and young people. A systematic review of the peer-reviewed empirical literature focused on research involving direct interaction with nature amongst children and young people and its impact on wellbeing; 14 papers, within the domains…

The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award (as it is named in Australia) is an extremely widespread and popular youth development program. Participants (14-25 year olds) navigate the Bronze, Silver and Gold Award levels by completing: (1) Service, (2) Skills, (3) Physical Recreation, and (4) Adventurous Journey (recognising that at Gold level…

Research provided ample evidence that excessive screen time (ST) in adolescence has detrimental effects on psychosocial health. This paper argues that structured outdoor programs can serve as an antidote to negative health impacts of exaggerated ST. For youth with a high level of regular ST, outdoor adventures imply a break with their 'normal'…

Recent research underscores the importance of the skills, beliefs and behaviors that support student achievement in the classroom and beyond. This set of intrapersonal and interpersonal assets (e.g. perseverance, grit, social skills, efficacy beliefs and mind-sets) are often referred to as noncognitive factors, as they are not measured directly by…

Outdoor activities can be an important complement to classroom learning, especially for children/young people excluded, or at risk of exclusion, from mainstream schooling. The current research explored the impact of a 12-week surfing programme among such a group in the UK. Pre-post data on physiological health (heart rate (HR)/blood pressure),…

A number of recent studies have revealed that taking part in a sail-training-based Adventure Education Programme elevates youths' self-esteem. Across two studies, we sought to examine the extent to which youths' sense of belonging contributed to this increase in self-esteem. Study 1 revealed that participants who completed the voyage showed an…