Today, outdoor therapies are practiced in many nations around the world, with a broad diversity of philosophies, theories, methods, functions, and formats (Norton et al., 2015). The field of therapy within the outdoors has been much discussed and debated within the experiential profession (Itin, 1998). The disputes and deliberations have centred…

Although multiple studies have considered women's experiences in the outdoor adventure education field and the impact on women's notions of gender, little research has been conducted on men's ideas about gender in the outdoors. This research explores male-identifying outdoor leaders' notions about masculinity and how they may shape their practice.…

A mountain bike program was designed and adapted for the school setting with middle school-aged students during 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Two mountain bike groups were offered to facilitate training and development of mountain bike knowledge and skills: one group with integrated Adventure Therapy components to facilitate a therapeutic…

Given the socio-environmental crises we face, educators might advisably look for means to address them. Within U.S. outdoor adventure education (OAE), the moral educational potential of the "backcountry fast" is one such curricular area. However, little is written on this field-based tradition. This absence is concerning since fasts…

Within Extension, certain personnel, facilitators, and volunteers expected to conduct research in the form of program evaluation may have little or no training in effective research design and practices. This circumstance can lead to difficulties in the implementation of evaluation procedures, particularly with regard to program evaluation…

Using the method of educational criticism and connoisseurship, I interviewed and observed 41 participants of adventure education (AE) programmes. Through these efforts, novelty was revealed as a central quality of the experience. In this work, this quality is characterised as it manifest in AE with an eye towards the educational value of novelty.…

Background: Routine outcome monitoring (ROM) was popularized in the mid-1990s to improve client outcomes in psychotherapy, though implementation in clinical practice has been slow. Although increased outcome research in adventure therapy (AT) in the last decade has demonstrated AT as a viable treatment option, recent reviews have found worrying…

This investigation hypothesizes that the effects derived from the reintegration of adult wilderness education will connect adults in unique ways to nature landscapes. The study is based on two cases: a five-year wilderness program that the author designed in a remote part of Canada, and a Yellowstone wilderness program that occurs yearly. The…

This paper argues that the adoption of theories of racial capitalism as a framework for analysis can help shift dominant pedagogies in Outdoor Adventure Education (OAE) to not just be more inclusive, but to reimagine ways that communities of outdoor education, recreation, and leadership can build awareness of the reproduction of the Wilderness and…

Snowshoeing is a traditional winter movement activity, but it is not very often utilised in formal physical education. This research study investigates whether snowshoeing and winter camping are suitable for use in university physical education and how the experience of such activities can benefit students. Eight students (five men, three women)…

Research exploring race and ethnicity and outdoor adventure education (OAE) has tended to focus on students' experiences. This paper discusses findings from a small-scale empirical study of Sierra Leonean parents involved in organising their child's participation in a camping-based, OAE residential visit. The visit was organised by one primary…

This paper expands work on professional judgment and decision-making and examines the coping strategies used by adventure sports professionals to manage the cognitive loads of decision-making. A mixed methodology was employed in which a sample of participants completed a Pro Active Coping Inventory and a sub-group then completed an Applied…

This paper presents a mixed-method investigation of client's perceptions of a good adventure sports coach. Semi-structured interviews were analysed thematically, and the findings used to inform a subsequent larger survey that sought to verify the importance of the themes identified in the interviews. The findings draw an alignment between the…

While gender equity appears to be moving at glacial speed in contemporary societal debate, many argue advancement toward equitable outdoor leadership has been stymied. Hearing and responding to lived experiences and stories can be an impetus for transformational change. The experiences of all genders, as well as nonbinary and agender people,…

The aim of this paper is to describe the development of the Phased Model of Adventure Therapy. Adventure therapy is the use of adventure experiences to engage clients on cognitive, affective and behavioural levels. Use of adventure therapy has been found to improve psychological wellbeing, self- esteem and behaviour in young people. A UK-based…