ERIC Number: EJ1301088
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1948-5123
EISSN: N/A
The Case for a New Classification System for Summer Camps Based on Variation in Their Physical, Social, and Activity Structuring
Olsen, Lisa K.-P.; Bixler, Robert D.; Powell, Gwynn M.; Garst, Barry A.; Stephens, Laura E.; Switzer, Deborah M.
Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership, v13 n2 p79-87 2021
The camp community understands that participation in camp produces a variety of impacts; what is less understood are the causal mechanisms leading to outcomes. In the past, research on the camp experience treated causal mechanisms as monolithic; this commentary argues that a weakness in existing camp research is the assumption that "camp" is "camp" and that there is a lack of attention to how components of camp interact to produce valued developmental outcomes. Using two indices from complementary fields (Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment [HOME] and Healthy Sports Index [HSI]) as exemplars, a framework exploring variation in the elements of tri-dimensional offerings between camps is proposed. What the HOME index and HSI have established in other fields is what the camp community could have: a tool that initially helps researchers examine how the structural variations within and between individual camps may eventually help explain the quality and strength of outcomes for campers and counselors.
Descriptors: Classification, Summer Programs, Resident Camp Programs, Day Camp Programs, Physical Environment, Social Environment, Outdoor Education, Observation
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Home Observation for Measurement of Environment
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A