This research note argues the outdoor adventure profession needs census research studies. Although conceptually simple, a census is a laborious process needing methodological guidance. This paper provides suggestions for conducting a census. Four previous outdoor adventure census projects are referenced. These, along with the U.S. Census, are used…

Background: Research results indicate outdoor orientation programs (OOPs) successfully help students transition to college and increase student retention, but an understanding of all the key variables involved in creating those positive transitions is unknown. Purpose: The aim of this study is to explore the role of subjective social status as a…

The growth of outdoor adventure programs developed, in part, from the Outward Bound movement in the 1970s (MacArthur, 1979; Outward Bound, 1968), which created a demand for specialized collegiate training. Since the inaugural conference on outdoor pursuits in higher education at Appalachian State University in 1974 (Smathers, 1974), approximately…

This study compares a first-year experience (FYE) course utilizing outdoor adventure experiences to a more traditional FYE class at a large mid-Atlantic university. This study compares the quantitative differences between responses by participants in the two classes using the First Year Initiative Survey (FYI), a measure of FYE outcomes related to…

Researchers surveyed colleges and universities in the United States to assess the number providing outdoor orientation programs (OOPs). OOPs are defined as college orientation programs that work with small groups (15 or fewer) of first-year students, use adventure experiences, and include at least one overnight in a wilderness setting. This census…

Outdoor orientation programs are established at the rate of 10 programs a year, yet discontinued at a rate of six programs a year (Bell, Holmes, & Williams, 2010). This study examined the discontinuation of 10 separate college outdoor orientation programs between 2003 and 2008. Using grounded theory, researchers proposed three reasons for program…

This study examined the effects of an adventure orientation program on the student development behaviors of incoming first-year students at Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York. Student development was measured by a condensed version of the Student Development Task Inventory-2 (CSDTI-2; Gass, 1986; Winston, Miller, & Prince, 1979). Data…

Over the years researchers have attempted to gather information on outdoor orientation programs. Past researchers used different sampling techniques to locate programs, but all concluded more outdoor orientation programs probably existed than they were able to find. In the fall of 2005, a research group for the present study set out to create a…