This research is an autoethnographic account of teaching and learning during outdoor education experiences in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE). Through the process of writing as a method of inquiry, I use a framework of outdoor experiences that went wrong, to identify the symbiotic relationship between teaching and learning in outdoor…

Background: We present a unique study of adventure sports coaches teaching lead climbing. Expanding existing work on judgement and decision making, we examine the coaching process and the decision making employed to manage the pedagogical and security needs of climbers when they are being introduced to lead climbing. Research design and data…

Adventure tourism is a rapidly growing segment of the tourism industry, which can be regarded as specific activities that are alluring for their uncertain and potentially dangerous outcomes. Risk-taking attitudes and behaviors may be common among adventure recreationists and increase the potential for litigation against recreation operators. In…

Any use or non-use of digital technology in outdoor experiential learning requires critical examination. Digital technology can undermine the aim of being outdoors, but it can also create opportunities to enhance outdoor learning experiences. This paper presents a conceptual framework, based on a systematic review of the literature, that…

Risk is a complex component of outdoor adventure education (OAE) that can both enhance and diminish meaningful learning experiences. Outdoor professionals are searching for the balance between providing a high level of safety and challenging students through outdoor adventure activities. This case study of Outward Bound New Zealand (OBNZ) utilised…

The purpose of this article is to explore and problematise teachers' talk about outdoor education in New Zealand. The focus is on what can be said, how it is said and the discursive effects of such ways of speaking. The inquiry draws on Foucauldian theoretical insights to analyse interview transcripts derived from semi-structured interviews with…

In this article Jill Donovan shares her experiences as a parent in finding a healthy balance between protecting her sons and letting them take the risks necessary for growth. Like all parents, she often struggles with providing appropriate safety nets and trusting them (and the world) enough to let them try things and make mistakes. She describes…

Experienced teams competing in multiple adventure activities, several of which involved ropes, kept their harnesses on all day. Safety procedures included an initial check of buckles and harnesses by an instructor, but failed to recognize that participants would remove their harnesses for toilet purposes. Lists other possible safety errors for…

Contrary to a rule to never teach students to lead climb, an instructor taught several youth to lead climb at a parent's request. These students planned to pursue rock climbing on their own after they left school, and preparing them was deemed a safety precaution. Analysis of this "close call" offers guidelines for introducing students…

Outdoor instructors should know legal considerations including inherent dangers, program objectives, participant awareness, participant evaluation, supervision, professional conduct, safety considerations, and negligence. Threats of law suits can be diminished with care, "foreseeability," appropriate techniques and equipment, and well-prepared…

Reviews the literature related to experience-based training and development (EBTD) programs and physical safety. Discusses injury rates, cardiac arrest, and apparent and real risk for clients of different ages. Suggests that EBTD programs need a comprehensive documentation efforts to clarify and evaluate safety records. Contains 27 references. (SV)

Examines ways in which outdoor adventure programs can guard against charges of negligence and the possibility of lawsuits without diluting challenge or participant satisfaction. Discusses risk management, insurance, safety guidelines to use in the development of program-specific standards, and accident prevention. Contains 19 references. (SV)

Provides advice on how an adventure program can protect itself from the risk of being sued. Defines terms dealing primarily with civil liberty and describes the four criteria for negligence. Lists strategies for preventing litigation, responding appropriately to an accident, seeking legal counsel after an accident, and using contributory and…

This paper is designed to acquaint the outdoor professional with the risk management decision making process required for the operation and management of outdoor adventure activities. The document examines the programming implications of fear in adventure activities; the risk management process in adventure programming; a definition of an…

Reviews the history of risk management and currently popular risk management tools, e.g., item-decision model and frequency/severity matrix. Discusses the safety record of outdoor adventure programs including data on injury rates and frequent accident types. Argues for flexible and realistic safety procedures and serious study of the phenomenon of…