A study examined the effects of participation in a low-element challenge course on younger adolescents' perceptions of group cohesion. Pre- and post-tests of group cohesion were administered to 167 North Carolina adolescents aged 11-14. Participants perceived an increase in group cohesion after the daylong program, regardless of their age, race,…

Project Adventure (PA) offers certification for adventure program managers and two levels of challenge course practitioners. PA feels certification is timely because other fields have certification programs that work well, PA has been using competency-based certification for their own staff successfully for 8 years, the field has recently…

Organizations should envision accreditation as an opportunity for growth and learning. Accreditation can distinguish an organization by improving its ability to attract resources, employees, and customers. Accredited organizations gain credibility with the public. Accreditation can serve as a mechanism for marketing and referrals. Accreditation…

Describes an activity in which students participate in an unsupervised three-hour adventure-based learning expedition in the urban core of Hamilton (Ontario). Explains objectives and parameters, and presents nine tasks to be performed. Discusses students' reactions to the urban community exploration in debriefing, including the activity's positive…

Discusses the need for women-only outdoor programs as an alternative to mixed programs, socialization and stereotyping of gender roles and behavior in society, and barriers to outdoor participation for women. Describes some women-only outdoor programs and their benefits and disadvantages. Provides recommendations concerning program design and…

Outdoor experiential program providers must be aware of certain issues in order to reduce or eliminate liability claims against their organization and employees. These include liability insurance, liability education, risk control, and record keeping. Recommends that all outdoor program providers provide risk management training to employees and…

A study comparing the influence of the belayor on the development of trust between rock-climbing partners in a corporate adventure training program found that permitting clients to belay each other greatly enhanced the development of trust, as opposed to employing specialized technicians or facilitators for belaying. (LP)

Outdoor and environmental education teachers and consultants identified nine common barriers to implementing outdoor education programs. Two frequently cited problems were lack of administrative support and teacher's limited training, experience, or confidence. Presents techniques and tactics for resolving these barriers. (LP)

In effective therapeutic adventure experiences that incorporate metaphoric transfer, the metaphor contains isomorphs that link the experience to client needs and therapeutic issues. Use of metaphoric transfer in a therapeutic experience for substance abusers is described. Seven steps for creating appropriate metaphoric experiences are outlined.…

Examines benefits of three models for evaluating outdoor adventure programs: program monitoring with debriefings and check-offs; experimental evaluation; and qualitative, naturalistic observation. Illustrates and compares approaches using California 4-H adventure ropes course. Examines data's specificity, assumptions, ambiguities, and followup.…

Describes an adventure activity in which a group achieved a seemingly impossible goal by changing the way it imagined the task. Discusses the sequence of steps in metaphor development that led to the triggering of a generative metaphor: a new image of the task that allowed reframing of the problem and its eventual solution. (SV)

Explains the preexperience, experience, and postexperience phases of seven teaching styles: dictated, prescribed, directed, consulted, interpreted, automated, and shared. The most effective and appropriate style suits the situation, fits the preferences of leader and clients, and results in appropriate client independence. Although no single best…

Adventure programs at Gordon College (Massachusetts), a small Christian liberal arts college, attempt to promote student growth through adventure, community, and solitude; help Christian students develop an experience-based understanding of Biblical teachings they grew up with; and provide opportunities for self-discovery and spiritual experience.…

A case study of an adventure-based counseling program for at-risk youth illustrates research problems in experiential education. Research and programmatic evaluation of adventure-based programs may fail to produce results because of a breakdown or changing delivery methods in the program itself or through inappropriateness of research methodology…

Nearly a half-century ago. Aldo Leopold acknowledged the threat of "landlessness" in our society as measured by the loss of our collective awareness of, and admiration for, the land (Leopold. 1966). At present, this disconnect has evolved to the point where participants in adventure-based programs may find themselves traveling through "Any Woods,…