This paper examines the effect of participation in an Outward Bound course on participant levels of situational fears. Patterns of situational fears were studied with regard to: (1) fears before, immediately after, and 1 year following the Outward Bound course; (2) the intensity of these fears; and (3) relationship of fears to gender, age, and…

The New Zealand Department of Corrections commissioned an outcome evaluation of an outdoor adventure challenge program (OACP) on 84 participating inmates at Rolleston Prison. The program consisted of 2 weeks of fitness training, skill development, and challenge experiences, followed by a 5-day wilderness expedition. Outcome was measured in three…

According to a small study, Outward Bound can enhance the treatment of hospitalized psychiatric patients. Researchers measured the effect of a therapeutic Outward Bound program of prescribed physical and social tasks on the contentment and self-esteem of seven patients undergoing short-term treatment at the Veterans Administration Hospital in…

This study investigated the effectiveness of using an outdoor-adventure education program as a method of intervention for enhancing the self-concept of a group of hearing impaired individuals receiving services from the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. Nine adults (6 male, 3 female) with hearing impairments participated in a 4-day…

In April 1996 survey examined issues that many educators face when facilitating outdoor adventure programs that include persons with disabilities. The survey was returned by 176 of the 487 program directors listed in the 1992 Directory of Experiential Therapy and Adventure-Based Counseling Programs. The great majority of respondents were persons…

In 1989, Ewert and Hollenhorst proposed the Adventure Recreation Model to describe participant characteristics, behaviors, and motivations with regard to adventure recreation activities. The model relates participant attributes (frequency of participation, skill and experience level, locus of control, and motivation factors) to activity/setting…

A study examined the effects of integrating cultural history interpretation of the environment into wilderness adventure trips for college students. At Colgate University (New York), pre-orientation camping trips available to all incoming students integrated interpretive activities related to the local environment. Before the trips, leaders…

Eight to eleven year-old girls and their counselors in a summer camp were studied to ascertain the impact of the camp experience on the campers' self-concept and social competence behavior. Among the findings were that the campers' perceptions of the counselors as accepting and controlling were associated with significant changes in self-concept…

A total of 24 self-identified women of color took part in focus groups and interviews concerned with attitudes toward the outdoors and involvement in outdoor activities. Analysis focuses on social support for participation, family influence, peer influence, role models, perceived isolation, sociocultural influences, discomfort and fear, personal…

The characteristics of fun are that it is relative, situational, voluntary, and natural. Fun can have a positive effect on the learning process by inviting intrinsic motivation, suspending one's social inhibitions, reducing stress, and creating a state of relaxed alertness. Includes summary of questionnaire responses from 20 experiential education…

Processing outdoor adventure activities allows participants to extract meaning from their learning and to generalize new learning to other settings and situations. Thirty program administrators completed a survey identifying essential facilitator processing skills in the following categories: fostering a caring environment, general communication…

Provides a comparative analysis of the implications for girls in outdoor and adventure education in New Zealand and England. Observed and interviewed girls aged 13-15 in residential outdoor education programs. Girls in both settings stated that their self-confidence had increased as a result of the outdoor and adventure activities. (KS)

A survey of 158 members of the Association for Experiential Education examined the controversial topics of outdoor leadership certification and adventure program accreditation. Respondents preferred program accreditation over leader certification. The majority believed that accreditation should be strictly voluntary and conducted through an…

Questionnaires assessed anticipation and actual enjoyment of various adventure activites by 60 New Zealand secondary schools students before and after a school-sponsored adventure week. White water rafting was rated most preferred on both occasions. Pre- and posttour comparisons showed a significant increase in enjoyment ranking for horse trekking…

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…