A study investigated the personality type preferences of people who voluntarily chose to participate in a structured, field-based, outdoor education program. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) was administered to 87 participants prior to beginning a 10-day Wilderness Education Association outdoor leadership trip. Participants were 18-46 years…

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award adopted flexible and creative strategies for delivering the expeditions section since the UK countryside was severely restricted during the foot-and-mouth crisis. This includes the option of undertaking ventures during winter. Because of greater risks during winter, advice and requirements are given concerning…

Explaining what outdoor experiential education is can be problematic, as a variety of terms are being used to identify a wide range of outdoor experiential learning methods. This paper proposes the metaphoric model of an umbrella to explain the relationships existing among these terms and their respective outdoor experiential learning methods. The…

Adventure education has its own set of unique questions that help to define what it is and how it differs from other fields of education. Adventure education has grown rapidly over the past several decades, and with its evolution, many critical topics for deliberation have emerged. This book contains 15 chapters, each arranged in a debate format…

Survey of 366 wilderness experience programs (WEPs) examined number of trips offered per year, types of activities and goals, number and type of clients, areas used, relationships with wilderness managers, and whether wilderness was viewed as teacher or classroom. A typology of WEPs is presented based on five program characteristics, each…

This proceedings of the 2003 Wilderness Education Association (WEA) conference contains 10 papers and presentation summaries on outdoor leadership, wilderness programs, and related training. Following a brief history of WEA, the entries are: (1) "Adventure Education and Rock 'n Roll: Sustaining the Revolution in Post-Communist Romania" (Dawn M.…

Outdoor leaders and those involved in personal outdoor adventure pursuits must be knowledgeable in the assessment, treatment, and prevention of musculoskeletal injuries in the backcountry. In the wilderness medicine setting, extended time periods of patient care, rugged terrain, severe environmental conditions, and limited resources create…

The Wilderness Education Association (WEA) trains outdoor leaders, instills a sense of stewardship in the wild outdoors, and provides the skills and knowledge necessary to lead and teach the public in the appropriate use of wilderness areas. WEA courses are offered through a network of 40 accredited affiliates around the world, including colleges…

Describes how to organize learning expeditions, based on wilderness expedition principles, to benefit schools and campuses. Outlines the principles for designing learning expeditions, how to apply the wilderness expedition model, and how the process can be put into effect. Emphasizes the importance of faculty training in making learning…

Performed a meta-analysis of 22 wilderness challenge programs to assess impact on delinquent behavior. The overall effect size for delinquency outcomes (0.18) was equivalent to a recidivism rate of 29% for program participants versus 37% for nonparticipants. Greatest reductions in delinquent behavior came with intense physical activities or…

Personal narrative links elements of a dog sledding trip with the transformational curriculum model as applied to outdoor education. Describes the physical, mental, and spiritual challenges of a seven-day winter camping and dog sledding trip, during which students learned responsibility through experience and natural consequences and realized the…

Outlines environmental, equipment, and social changes related to the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Expedition since 1956, and debates the need to restore the expedition's physical challenge or to emphasize the developmental inner journey of the mind and spirit. Considers whether the purpose of the expedition is a physical challenge or a developmental…

Suggests ways in which adventure educators can use heritage interpretation in the wilderness setting to promote understanding of the history and significance of events, people, and objects linked to particular places. Factors to consider include creating interpretive lessons, training trip leaders to conduct them, and evaluating their effect on…

Nature stirs many emotions, beliefs, and feelings, and perhaps the real value of outdoor education is to provide opportunities to develop intangible concepts. Discusses ways in which traditional outdoor expeditions can foster increased appreciation of nature and stimulate participants' reflection on their own and their classmates' aesthetic,…

This paper describes a longitudinal study of a residential outdoor education school program in Australia. Specifically, the research tracked 409 ninth-grade students for up to 24 months to determine the impact on boys and girls of an extended-stay outdoor education program. The program is located at Timbertop, a coeducational school in a…