Argues that interpersonal effectiveness arises from a life centered on universal principles, that effective outdoor leaders must recognize the basis and interpersonal consequences of behavioral decisions, and that, therefore, adventure leadership training should incorporate a guided self-examination of one's own principles as part of training in…

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…

A survey completed by 189 persons attending the 1983 National Association for Experiential Education Conference resulted in a rank ordered list of 39 competency areas, considered essential to the effective outdoor leader. Respondents placed greatest importance on items related to safety, group counseling, and interaction. (JHZ)

This third edition of "Leadership for Recreation, Parks, and Leisure Services" is unique from many different perspectives.The current effort of this book is focused on bringing together a number of interrelated elements that influence leadership in recreation, parks, and leisure service organizations. Thus, the authors have focused the effort on…

Paul Petzoldt, an early pioneer in outdoor education, saw the need for trained outdoor leaders. This paper presents material from unpublished papers retrieved after his death that clarify and expand on his philosophy of leadership development. Key ideas such as: judgment, 20-20 vision, and use of wilderness expeditions, are expanded upon and…

A study examined the dynamics of female-female and male-female instructor pairings in challenge-course instructor training workshops. Thank-you notes from 47 participants indicated that women instructors were seen differently from men and were also seen differently when working with each other. Whether this is due to actual differences or…

Examines ways that outdoor leaders can address the needs of individuals in a group context, balance the needs of group processes against course objectives, recognize and deal with issues of power and authority in groups, and address psychological health and safety matters. Focuses on leader awareness and behavior and on the leader-participant…

Petzoldt's "grasshopper" method of teaching was a systematic adaptation of opportunity teaching or using the teachable moment. An excellent example of effective experiential education, it presented small, manageable bites of information which were immediately relevant. His emphasis on the importance of judgment and decision making and the first 24…

This paper reviews the literature associated with outdoor leadership and describes ongoing research about outdoor program directors' hiring preferences when filling outdoor leadership positions. Nineteen articles published in the Journal of Experiential Education, 1983-1996, as well as several book collections of leadership articles, discuss…

Paul Petzoldt, co-founder of the Wilderness Education Association (WEA), helped mold the profession of outdoor leadership as we know it today. After his death in 1999, numerous field journals, old speeches, and personal correspondence were salvaged in order to refresh, clarify, and preserve Petzoldt's philosophy and teaching methods. The…

This manual is designed as a tool for teaching and administering the Outdoor Living Skills (OLS) program in a camp and for training program leaders. Introductory sections address the following: (1) program overview and program materials; (2) people and their environment (physiological and psychological concerns of children and youth, understanding…

One of the exciting and sometimes frustrating elements of participating in the field of outdoor wilderness education and recreation involves not only the issue of ensuring that practicing professionals function with competence, safety and prudence, but that they have knowledge and skills gained from many disciplines and a variety of life…

Equitable outdoor leadership responsive to social justice issues has historically been absent in the field of adventure education. The call for social justice in the field has been hampered by lack of information, negligible programmatic support, personal conditioning and bias, resistance to reform from those in power, and firmly established…

A study examined the relationship between outdoor leader self-awareness and co-leaders' perceptions of leader influence. Thirty-three challenge course instructors for a major university in the Midwest operated as a peer group, working in instructor teams leading groups in an outdoor setting. Each instructor took a turn as leader of the day. All…

This paper describes the competencies in the domain of human interaction that are required of leaders in various outdoor adventure programs. These programs may be grouped on a continuum from recreational outdoor adventure to primary (adventure) therapy. In the middle of the continuum, educational, enrichment, and adjunctive (adventure) therapy…