ERIC Number: EJ1379954
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1948-5123
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Lasting Impressions of a Mandatory University Outdoor Experience Program: A Retrospective Study
Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership, v15 n2 p16-34 2023
A mandatory outdoor experience program (MOEP), involving a three- to four-day outdoor canoe excursion, has been a compulsory university course for undergraduate students for nearly five decades at a post-secondary institution in Northern Ontario, Canada. However, the experiences and perspectives of students who participated in these excursions have not been fully investigated. The aim of this study was to harness the power of storytelling by alumni to improve our understanding of the long-term impact of MOEPs. Using an innovative methodology combining computer-assisted qualitative data analysis (Leximancer) and framing theory, the links between alumni stories became evident through three main interconnected frames: people, activity, and environment. Although there are unique components of the MOEP program described by our participants, the results contribute to the retrospective literature on the critical and memorable features that students recall years after completing an outdoor adventure experience.
Descriptors: Student Attitudes, Required Courses, Outdoor Education, Undergraduate Students, Foreign Countries, Student Experience, Aquatic Sports, Alumni, Content Analysis
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A