Background: Research in outdoor adventure education (OAE) and related fields has argued that OAE programming can problematically reproduce dominant ways of being around patriarchy and whiteness. In particular, scholars have forwarded specific critiques of sense of place (SOP) in OAE or related fields. Purpose: This article investigated and…

This research explored the use of adventure therapy in Aotearoa New Zealand, how practitioners have learned their skills, and what they perceive the field needs to support its development. The mixed methods study used interpretive description methodology to analyse focus group and survey data. The field is diverse and includes practitioners from…

This essay presents a theoretical model for the heretofore hidden processes associated with mechanisms of change in adventurous outdoor learning. After summarizing the few researchers who have investigated the components and pathways that bring participant change, four strands of influence are discussed: exercise activity, nature immersion,…

Menstruation impacts participation in adventurous activities but there are gaps in reported research on the views and perspectives of men. This study examines the ways in which people who menstruate (inclusive of the LGBTQIA+ community) perceive and report attitudes to menstruation and the menstrual cycle by men, and the ways in which cis-males…

Sail training is described as an educational endeavour where participants are required to adapt to an unfamiliar physical and social environment, acquire new skills (maritime and domestic), and confront personal challenges (e.g. going aloft, dealing with seasickness). It shares many of the philosophical underpinnings of adventure education, where…

Environmental characteristics of kindergartens are important for the development of kindergarten-aged children. However, knowledge of the role of kindergarten play environments in developing children's fundamental movement skills is limited. A pilot study was carried out to compare the fundamental movement skills of 3.5- to 5-year-old children in…

Background: Little is known about the effects of outdoor behavioral healthcare on participants' body composition or about the relationship between body changes and indicators of mental health. Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to compare body and mental health changes in adolescents in an 8-week adventure therapy program.…

This is a composite article which brings together the international perspectives of the editorial board of the Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning to explore the impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) on the field of adventure education and outdoor learning (AE/OL). Building on the AE/OL profession's response to the impacts of…

In this paper, I consider the ethics education potential of two documentary films set in the mountains. I first draw upon the work of Emily Brady in order to tease out some similarities and differences between environmental tragedy and sublime experiences in nature. I secondly argue that the screened sublime is qualitatively different but not…

This work presents experiential criticism as a methodology for researching experience in education. The approach draws on elements of pragmatism, phenomenology, ethnography, and educational criticism and connoisseurship and was developed through a study of the adventure education experience. It is comprised of three modes of inquiry: (1)…

In this paper I argue that every learning situation may be based on an implicitly religious essence. It may be visible in experiential education, which utilizes challenge, adventure, and other unsafe situations intentionally and purposely. According to Rudolf Otto, the sacred as well as religion is characterized by awe and trembling…

Nature-based adventure (NBA) interventions can be broadly understood as any intervention of adventure occurring in a natural setting not necessarily involving a licensed mental health professional. Evidence suggests that some NBA interventions improve people's health. Although encouraging, the strength of this evidence is often impaired by the…

Group status hierarchies can affect individuals' experiences (e.g., sense of belonging) and the group's outcomes (e.g., cohesion) in group-based outdoor adventure education programs. The study aimed to explore how specific interpersonal status processes, which we also call the "relational status game," within an expedition group, affect…

Background: Scholarship has demonstrated the influence of hegemonic masculine norms on values and practices in outdoor adventure education. However, recent publications indicate that men outdoor leaders may be increasingly aware of gender biases and consequently changing their practice. To date, few publications have considered men outdoor…

This paper presents an ethnography study that explores the formulation of interculturality from the unique experiences of sail trainees who were bound by space and time during a sailing voyage across the North Sea. The author immersed herself as a mentor-researcher into a 107-year-old tall ship's expedition, sailing across 1000 nautical miles.…