This review of the relationship between experiential education and intellectual development/academic learning is organized as follows: first, the theoretical arguments are presented, followed by a review of recent related research. It focuses primarily on experiential education for secondary students, though research on college-level programs is very briefly summarized. The theoretical case considers experiential education as a method of learning, as a guard against meaningless abstraction, as an extension of one's world, and as a stimulus for personal learning. Experiential learning may be viewed as a mode of learning, as a process, or as a style of learning. While the strength of the theoretical case for intellectual development through experiential education is substantial, empirical research to validate these claims is of a more modest scale. The empirical research does underscore two important points: (1) experience-based programs are series of program experiences shaped by individualistic motives; and (2) experiential education programs are often a hidden curriculum expressed largely through vague and imprecise goals. (BW)