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Critical outdoor education seeks to promote improved human to nature relationships. As academics and teachers strive to develop theory and practice appropriate for such outcomes, the traditional role of adventure activities is being scrutinized. This paper draws on a two year qualitative study which traced changes in human/nature relationships reported by a group a university students as a consequence of involvement in an outdoor education programme. From the many outcomes of the study, the following discussion extracts and concentrates on the role outdoor adventure activities can play in shaping connectedness to nature within outdoor education. Results suggest that adventure can be a very powerful tool for green outdoor education and that deskilling activities as a means of enhancing environmental outcomes may be counterproductive for some students.

There is increasing pressure on academic staff in this economically competitive world to enhance the graduate capabilities of students, rendering them employable as morally informed global citizens, in addition to enhancing their disciplinary knowledge and understanding. The BA Outdoor Adventure Education degree programme at Plymouth Marjon University, includes the module, Environmental Awareness through Adventure Sport, as one focus to engage students in the environmental ethics discourse of outdoor adventure and explore how adventure activities are managed with specific consideration to ethical environmental practices (Module Descriptor, 2016). We aim to achieve this through learning, teaching and assessment that includes autoethnography as pedagogy and research method. This approach enables students to experience nature through an adventure activity, in this instance, rock climbing. This is a human experience in a social and cultural context, in, of and for nature. Students are asked to engage with nature ‘making-meaning in, about, and for the various environments’ (Payne and Watchow, 2009, p. 16) as outdoor practitioners and leaders. These lived experiences in nature have prompted us to develop a framework where future students and other outdoor leaders can develop understanding and interrogate, the multiple, complex and nuanced ways outdoor activities can engage people with nature.

Physical education in recent years has undergone modifications in order to meet the changing demands of students. The traditional paradigm has been to teach physical education from a sport- and skill-based approach, whereby traditional teams and individual sports are emphasized (e.g., basketball, volleyball, flag football). However, this curriculum may be less impactful on student learning than alternatives and is not viewed favorably by administrators because it is perceived as lacking relevance to broader educational goals. The purpose of this paper was to reintroduce a curriculum that has the potential to address student learning in physical education and broader educational goals. The outdoor/adventure education curriculum, while neglected in recent years, is demonstrating promising gains as a viable model.

Outdoor adventure education (OAE) and study abroad share many epistemological and pedagogical foundations and have been on parallel tracks for many years yet rarely intersect. This paper has two goals: (a) to invite study abroad researchers and practitioners to consider findings and practices from OAE to further enhance study abroad, and (b) to explore the benefits of combining OAE and study abroad practices by presenting such a model. Three questionnaires (pre, post, and 1-year after) were distributed to 32 students in 2012 and 2015 who participated in a combined OAE and dual-immersion study abroad experience. Responses were analyzed to identify central learning outcomes and critical elements. Overall, the findings affirm that the combined model of OAE and study abroad provided meaningful learning and point to a number of potential benefits of combining study abroad and OAE as an effective means of enhancing shared learning goals. Abstract in Japanese 野外冒険教育（OAE）と留学（スタディアブロード）は認識論的にも教育学的にも、その土台とするところに共通点を持ちながら、これまで互いに関係づけて論じられることがなかった。この論文は次の２つの目標を持つ；１）スタディアブロードの研究者や実践者らが、OAE研究の成果や実践から知見を得ること、２）OAEとスタディアブロードの実践を組み合わせることの利点を、事例から探求すること。本研究では、OAEと二重イマージョンのスタディアブロードを織り交ぜた体験プログラムに2012年と2015年に参加した32人の大学生を対象として、質問用紙が三度（事前、事後、1年後）送られた。収集された回答は、プログラムからの主たる学びは何かと、それにつながった要素を焦点に分析された。その結果、OAEとスタディアブロードを組み合わせたプログラムは、価値ある学びを提供したことが明らかになった。また両者を組み合わせることは、互いに共通する教育目標をより高める効果的なやり方として、いくつもの利点を持つ可能性を示した。

This study explores father-child relationship development through participation in an Outward Bound (OB) family course, using the lens of identity theory. Data were collected through partic...

Adventurous activities are established as an integral aspect of The National Curriculum for 5–16-year-olds. Securing a place in the curriculum provides adventurous activities with an unparalleled o...

Action sports have increased in popularity, particularly over the past two decades. Research in the area has also proliferated, as multiple disciplinary perspectives and theoretical and conceptual frames have been applied to understanding and exploring a host of research questions concerning action sports culture, contexts and participants. However, despite this flurry of research activity, not much is known empirically about the learning of action sport participants, and few studies have focused specifically on learning in action sports. A scoping review was, therefore, conducted with the aim of synthesising the work that has been undertaken, and mapping future research agendas. Informed by Arksey and O’Malley’s six-stage framework, leading sports and education databases and Google Scholar were searched for empirical literature on learning in action sports published before July 2018. After the results were screened and relevant studies identified, data were extracted and analysed using a frequency and thematic analysis to form both a descriptive and thematic summary. A total of 78 empirical studies both from the peer-reviewed and grey literature were included in the scoping review. The frequency analysis concerned information on publication year, academic field, study design, study tools, sport and population. The thematic analysis led to the development of five main themes, addressing learning in social, physical, cultural, and cognitive/psychological contexts and via various forms of feedback. The majority of articles on learning in action sports were published from 2010 onward, suggesting a growing interest in the area. More theses/dissertations resulted in peer-reviewed publications; however, less than half of all reviewed journal articles were published in education/pedagogy journals. Theoretical and conceptual frameworks were rarely explicitly referenced and/or lacked clarity. There was consensus that learning in action sports is largely informal and self-regulated. With the increasing professionalisation of many action sports and their inclusion in international competition events and also in national curricula, an increase in more formalised learning is predicted. Finally, learning in action sports can be highly individualistic but only a few studies acknowledged this. A greater variety of research questions and methodologies, and more work across disciplinary boundaries will assist in the generation of new knowledge.

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...

To address feelings of “placelessness” and “not belonging,” many colleges and universities have implemented outdoor orientation programs developed to assist students with the transition from home. Outdoor orientation programs, in which students participate in some form of adventure activity away from campus (usually in a wilderness or naturalized setting), have been utilized by a growing number of colleges and universities (Bell, Gass, Nafziger, & Starbuck, 2014). This study investigated how an outdoor orientation experience impacted students’ connection to the natural world, and if these experiences built transitional skills and relational capacity that assisted their shift to university life. The study entailed a quantitative analysis of sense of place and a qualitative analysis of students’ self-reported trip experiences with regard to the influence of place, transition to university, and developing connections with others. Results suggest that participants developed a sense of place that positively influenced their connections to others and assisted in building transitional capacity.Subscribe to JOREL

Equity and inclusion are critical issues that need to be addressed in outdoor adventure education. Although some literature identifies inclusive practices for enhancing equity in outdoor adventure education, most research does not situate these practices within the contexts in which they were created and used. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore outdoor adventure education instructors&rsquo, inclusive praxis, and the conditions that influenced their praxis on their courses and in their instructing experiences. To this end, we conducted semi-structured interviews with ten instructors from four Outward Bound schools in the USA. The instructors varied in their gender, school, types of programs facilitated, and duration of employment with Outward Bound. Our inductive analysis of the interview data focused on the identification of themes illustrating the characteristics of instructors&rsquo, inclusive praxis, as well as the conditions that influenced their praxis. Themes emerged from our analysis that highlighted the macro and micro conditions that set the stage for instructors&rsquo, inclusive praxis, which focused on creating spaces that fostered inclusive group cultures on their courses. The findings from this study may be a useful starting point for enhancing the instructors&rsquo, role in fostering equity and inclusion on outdoor adventure education courses. We conclude with suggestions for future research.

This article discusses the recipient, locations and subject matter of education using geocaching, based on a literature review. The aim is to aid the implementation of similar methods of education in Poland, including forest education, by providing practical information and guidelines.In the literature, the most frequently mentioned recipients of geocaching education are pupils, especially between 10–18 years of age, and university students. This is due to the fact that the authors of the publications were mostly school and academic teachers, as well as students and doctoral students of teaching and social faculties. For the same reason, the preferred locations of educational geocaching were also school/university areas and their immediate vicinity, as well as urban areas, including parks. Locations modified to a lesser degree by anthropogenic influences such as protected areas, waterfronts and forests were also mentioned. The subject range of geocaching classes is very wide, although geography, mathematics, biology, ecology, history, culture, modern technology/equipment, linguistics and physical education were particularly frequently mentioned. Subjects related to geology, local society, economy and art were also reported. Regarding recipients of educational geocaching, the literature clearly indicates limitations in its application to the youngest age groups, while at the same time its great usefulness in the education of all other age groups is highlighted. In addition to the currently dominating anthropogenic geocaching locations, Poland offers a large variety of natural places, such as forest areas, which are already used for informal field education. These locations furthermore enable multidisciplinary education, which is in line with the extremely wide range of subject content proposed for educational geocaching.

Background: Critical examination by adventure educators in North American colleges and universities reveals that students receive messages about the nature of adventure education through both the intentional and hidden curriculum. Purpose: The study was designed to discover adventure education’s hidden curriculum and its potential effect on women in adventure education. Methodology/Approach: The phenomenon of the hidden curriculum was examined using a modified Delphi method. Three rounds of questionnaires solicited knowledge from a panel of experts (21 females and 18 males), who had tenure of at least 15 years in the adventure education field, to obtain a reliable semi-consensus of opinion. Findings/Conclusions: Gender-based hidden curriculum messages were found, including the prioritizing of values and traits perceived to be predominantly male, linguistic sexism, assumptions about outdoor identity, outdoor career messages, gender insensitive facilitation and teaching, and the centering of White men in the field’s history. Implications: The proposed strategies to consciously address sexism and gender role conditioning in the adventure education’s hidden curriculum may benefit women and gender-nonconforming participants and leaders.

This paper aims to contribute to on-going discussion about the teaching and learning strategies used in effective outdoor education programmes. A naturalistic inquiry was conducted with two schools...

Little research on the socialisation of adventure educators into their craft has been conducted. The purposes of this study were to describe (a) the perspectives and beliefs of preservice adventure educators as they began adventure education training (AET) and (b) the elements within their acculturation that led to these perspectives and beliefs. Participants were 20 preservice adventure educators at the beginning of their AET. Data were collected with three types of interview. They were coded, categorised, and reduced to meaningful themes by employing analytic induction and constant comparison. Results revealed that preservice adventure educators possessed one of three orientations. These were a leisure orientation, outdoor pursuits orientation, or adventure orientation. Factors shaping these orientations were family and friends, experiences of outdoor and adventurous activities, experiences working as counsellors, timing of occupational selection and age, and a number of secondary attractors inc...

The rise of an accountability mindset (Linn, 2003) has led to a loss of time for play and independent, experiential, or interest-led learning during the typical school day. However, the art room is...

This paper presents a review of research focusing on ‘Learning Outside the Classroom’ (LOtC). We provide a distillation of international research in this field that identifies how future investigations could be focused and move the discipline forward. As a consequence of the breadth of our study, we feel our findings will have applications in educational settings across the globe. What we discover is a significant bias towards types of learning that largely cannot be measured, and that only a minority of published research in our review pays the level of attention to theoretical and philosophical foundations found in most other educational research.

Background: Participation in youth sport is often associated with a variety of positive development outcomes. In order to effectively utilize sport as a context of learning and development, the sport must be intentionally designed and programed. One often-used approach is known as sport-based positive youth development (PYD). Recently, to further enhance the intentionality of a sport-based PYD approach, several researchers have posited the potential benefits of applying experiential learning theory to youth sport programing. Through utilizing experiential learning within a sport-based PYD approach, it is believed youth sport can be designed to intentionally promote desired PYD outcomes.Purpose: Experiential learning theory offers a deep understanding and history of effective youth programing. However, within the field of experiential learning, many different pedagogical approaches exist. To date, sport-based PYD has yet to identify a specific pedagogical approach within experiential learning. In o...

Background: Understanding strategies for enhancing learning is central to developing effective teaching practices. Students’ perceptions of these practices are critical for deepening this understanding. Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate students’ perceptions of a group journal activity (GJA) on learning enhancement and to present a model that illustrates the reflective-learning process of the GJA. Methodology/Approach: Three questionnaires (pre, post, and 2 months after) were distributed to 22 expedition participants in 2013 and 2015. Responses were analyzed to identify the learning benefits of the GJA, and grounded theory was used to develop the process model. Findings/Conclusions: A positive relationship exists between students’ participating in the GJA and self-reported perception of learning. Students report the GJA as having similar benefits as traditional personal journal-writing with the added benefits of promoting learning from others’ perspectives, enhancing understanding of others, promoting reflective communication skills, and providing a tangible record of experience which enables continued reflection and learning. A process model illustrates the recursive cycle of writing, sharing, and discovery that the GJA enables. Implications: This research presents the GJA as an uncommon form of journaling in outdoor education and demonstrates the GJA’s potential for enhancing learning. The model outlines the effective use of the GJA.

The article is a synthetic analysis of the Outdoor Adventure Education model in the context of three elementary components: the environment – in relation to the theory of space from the perspective of sociological and pedagogical theory of space; personal perspective and growth as well as social development – in relation to psychological phenomena that accompany the individual and group involved in the process of Outdoor Adventure Education. The aim is to present how these processes determine the effects of education and what personalities’ elements are involved.

While key personalities often connected with the roots of outdoor education and experiential learning, like Dewey, Seton, Hahn or Naess, are well known internationally, Jaroslav Foglar, a Czech outdoor and experiential educator, is mostly unknown to the international audience. The article adds to the literature related to Czech outdoor experience and focuses on introducing Foglar, his personality and work to a wider audience. Foglarʼs principles of boyhood are taking risks, active lifestyle, honest behaviour and learning in nature with others in a small group. Foglar’s specific outdoor adventure characteristics include timelessness, place, romance, mystery and challenge, and traditions with rituals. All these factors together point to Jaroslav Foglar being not only an important Czech writer and educator, but also potentially influencing the field of outdoor adventure and experiential education internationally.

Challenge course programs influence a variety of psychological, social, and educational outcomes. Yet, many challenges exist when measuring challenge course outcomes like logistical constraints and a lack of specific assessment tools. This study piloted and tested an assessment tool designed for facilitators to measure participant outcomes in challenge course programs. Data collection occurred in three separate but related studies with participants in two different challenge course environments from two regions of the United States. Through confirmatory factor analysis, a two-factor structure in challenge course participation was supported. The Challenge Course Experience Questionnaire (CCEQ) consists of challenge course participants’ (a) individual experience and (b) feelings of group support. During the first study, the structure was created and initial evidence of reliability was indicated. The second study examined the structure and reliability with a similar population. The third study confirmed the structure and reliability using a different population and challenge course program. The CCEQ is a preliminary step toward helping challenge course professionals improve their programming through statistical evaluation of desired outcomes.

Recent research underscores the importance of the skills, beliefs and behaviors that support student achievement in the classroom and beyond. This set of intrapersonal and interpersonal assets (e.g. perseverance, grit, social skills, efficacy beliefs and mind-sets) are often referred to as noncognitive factors, as they are not measured directly by traditional academic assessments. Outdoor adventure education (OAE) is well positioned to deliver these desired outcomes—boosting self-confidence, self-efficacy and social skills while developing leadership and communication competencies. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to better understand the form, function and delivery of an effective OAE program/school partnership targeting factors that support student success. Findings explain how shared OAE experiences among adolescent girls attending the same school contribute to greater social connectedness, self-efficacy in leadership competencies, and a recalibrated sense of self and personal poten...

Sail training voyages have been shown to enhance self-constructs and inter-personal and intra-personal skills. It is suggested through this case study approach with twelve 14 year-old crew participants that such an experience contributes towards well-being and character development in emerging adulthood. An audit of voyage-based experiences generated an inventory of 58 authentic activities and participants completed questionnaires immediately post-voyage (T1) and six months later (T2) to rate the significance of each activity. The highest rated activities reflected Maslow’s lower order of needs with a two thirds correspondence at T1 and T2. Helming (or steering the vessel) was ranked as the most significant activity by participants in both time periods, although participants had questioned their ability to do this before the voyage. Helming is suggested to activate cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains in an authentic adventure education experience that contributes to hedonic well-being and may provide a course towards eudaimonia.

In this study, the researchers explored the perspectives of recreational practitioners currently working in the field of outdoor adventure programming on college campuses and their knowledge and interactions with students with disabilities participating in integrated outdoor adventure activities. A qualitative descriptive thematic analysis was used for data collection, management, and assessment. In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 professionals working in the field of collegiate outdoor adventure (outdoor recreation). Three themes and 16 categories were identified, which reflected the contemporary perspectives of the interviewed respondents. The themes identified were incomplete knowledge, positive outlook, and student success. The sample for this study consisted of two women and eight men. The findings show that the themes adequately address the research question pertaining to the lack of integrated outdoor adventure programming on college campuses.

Adventure programming has seen considerable growth throughout the world. While newly established programs aim to meet the needs of their prospective clients, failing to account for cultural differences when conducting or designing programs may impede this goal. Non-western approaches to implementing adventure programs have rarely been discussed, because there is a lack of a clear theoretical framework for addressing cross-cultural issues in adventure programming. This article seeks to address these limitations by drawing attention to the existing literature on the impact of cultural differences on adventure programming and relevant fields (e.g. education), providing suggestions for how such theories could inform facilitation styles. It is proposed that a model adapted from the work of Hofstede offers one useful framework for assessing groups from different cultural contexts, which can strengthen the practice of adventure programs to better meet the needs of participants.

This article discusses the meanings of adventure and its role in learning. An analysis of literature from the fields of education, recreation and tourism suggests that definitions of adventure are constantly undergoing revision and reinterpretation. We highlight how ‘narrow’ views of adventure, which appeal to notions of risk and danger, are paradoxically shaped by control and predictability. A focus on activities involving risk and danger conspires to limit the pedagogical potential of adventure. We argue that current forms of adventure education practice fail to meet the needs of learners who are confronting a world of increasing rates of change, unpredictability, and complexity. In order to better understand the broader social and educational landscape, we briefly outline some of the salient features of late-modernity that require learners to cope with uncertainty in their every day lives. We suggest an alternative approach to adventurous learning that embraces features of late-modernity and takes as its starting point the everyday life of the learner.

Background:Physical education has a long association with teaching outdoor and/or adventure education (OAE). As physical education teacher educators, with a special interest in teaching OAE, we wanted to examine perceptions of models based practices in physical education/teacher education.Purpose:This manuscript; explores and critiques a range of national and international perspectives on models based practices in OAE; challenges what stands for teaching OAE in PETE; and offers suggestions for future practice and research. Method: Papers were selected through a systematic review methodology.Data analysis:Using a process of inductive analysis and constant comparison we identified two main themes: Ways of doing this in PE and Ways of doing this in PETE.Discussion/Conclusion:Future recommendations include the pedagogical relevance and importance of understanding the socio-cultural context, the challenge of adventure education being a controlled orchestration and the need to pedagogically change the key of this orchestration, and employing innovative methodological approaches to further explore these issues.

Purpose: To investigate how an adventure-based activity could help facilitate dialogue and enable a safe process where students could engage in a difficult topic such as diversity without feeling threatened. Method: A qualitative study was used in which 89 social work students who took part in diversity training gave permission that their manuscripts be used for documentary analysis. Content analysis was used to analyze the data in order to determine if and how the adventure-based activity contributed to the facilitation of dialogue. Results: It was found that the activity contributed to changing the attitude and knowledge of social work students. It opened up new perspectives and allowed students to discuss diversity without fear. Conclusion: The use of adventure activities is an effective strategy to facilitate dialogue between students.

This study investigates the initial development of groupwork skills through outdoor adventure education (OAE) and the factors that predict the extent of this development, using the first two levels of Kirkpatrick’s model of training evaluation. University students ( N = 238) completed questionnaires measuring their initial reactions to OAE (Level 1 of the Kirkpatrick model) and learning from pre- to post-course (Level 2). There were high levels of enjoyment and satisfaction with OAE, and significant self-reported improvements in the use of groupwork skills, attitudes toward groupwork, and groupwork self-efficacy. Learning and intention to transfer learning to the university setting were both positively predicted by students’ perceived use of groupwork skills before OAE, course satisfaction, enjoyment, groupwork self-efficacy, and attitude toward groupwork. These findings demonstrate that OAE increases students’ use of interpersonal groupwork skills, and that this is predicted by positive beliefs at baseline and favorable reactions to the learning experience.

Social workers are confronted with diversity in their daily practice, and the significance of understanding diversity in all its forms is reflected in its inclusion in the BSW program outcomes (South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), 2012). However, some people in society do not value diversity, which leads to minority groups' experiencing intolerance and low levels of social justice. Qualitative research was conducted with social work students with the purpose of performing an analysis of the possible benefits of using adventure activities to determine if this could contribute to teaching social work students about diversity issues since it forms part of the BSW curriculum. This activity also assisted students to face their biases and misconceptions of others and to recognise the myriad diversity factors that exist in society. However, the focus of this article is on how the activity contributed to explaining and discussing diversity. Participants reckoned that it was a meaningful aid in explaining diversity. Sensitivity towards diverse groups and the need to respect their differences were also cultivated. Lastly, the strengths of using an activity to teach diversity were identified. This research showed that adventure-based activities could be a valuable aid when teaching emotionally loaded topics and facilitating dialogues on these topics.

What kinds of teachers are needed for 21 st century learners? While there is recognition that curriculum content, classroom practices and learning environments must alter, there is less attention focussed on the teachers' dispositions for negotiating uncertainty. In this paper, the authors turn their attention to the importance of teachers' lives and mindsets to meet current, emerging and future challenges. Using a narrative inquiry approach, they elicit and examine three of these essential qualities: adventure, resilience and creative problem-solving. These characteristics emerge from interviewing a small group of beginning and experienced teachers who were questioning normative practices and exploring possibilities with more responsive ways to teach.

In a society that is becoming more dynamic, complex, and diverse, the ability to solve ill-structured problems (ISPs) has become an increasingly critical skill. Students who enter adult roles with the cognitive skills to address ISPs will be better able to assume roles in the emerging economies. Opportunities to develop and practice these skills are limited in the traditional schooling structures. In contrast, wilderness education is one environment that provides students opportunities to engage with the critical elements that aid in the development of these cognitive skills. The purpose of this study was to measure the effects of wilderness education on students’ ability to solve ISPs when compared with peers in a traditional classroom setting. Results of this study suggested that students who were engaged in a wilderness education setting showed significant gains in their ISP skills when compared with their peers.

The role of the adventure sports coach was first identified by Collins and Collins (2012) who suggested that the sports coaching process is significantly different in an adventurous context. Whilst there is a growing body of literature surrounding coaching pedagogy (Hay, Dickens, Crudginton, & Engstrom, 2012), investigation of coaching pedagogy within adventure sports is less common. Video ethnography is a well-documented field, with a broad base in the literature across many fields of study, and as technology progresses, new applications of that technology become apparent and require investigation. This paper details the development of a new method of data capture for qualitative analysis in the field of adventure sports research/adventure sports coaching pedagogy, using point of view (POV) video cameras as the primary means of data capture. Ethical and philosophical concerns are considered with a brief evaluation of the technique and suggestions for future use and development.

This article describes an alternative method for both safety and extra opportunities for climbing-wall access throughout the year, when no belayer is present: auto-belay systems.

Geography has long been seen as having a central role in education for sustainable development, and yet the degree to which a geographical education translates to personal capacities for action has been questioned (Robinson, 2014). Having struggled for some years to engage Outdoor Adventure Education students with physical geography science-based knowledge of the environment, we trialled a pedagogical shift to emphasise a relational, self-in-environment consciousness developed through autoethnography. We recount this experience to suggest that a similar approach may have potential to connect geography students’ cognitive knowledge of societies and environments with personal identities and capacities for action.

Adventure-based learning (ABL) consists of highly structured physical activity with periods of reflection (i.e., debrief) that help promote personal and social development. It can be used as a valid curriculum in physical education to promote intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships. This type of curriculum can also help physical educators demonstrate student-learning outcomes associated with SHAPE America National Standard 4, which focuses on responsible personal and social behavior. The purpose of this article is to provide an alphabetical list of pragmatic adventure practices, tips, terminology and related resources for physical educators who would like to learn more about this type of curriculum. Using an alphabetical list as a framework allows novice-to-experienced educators to briefly read about a variety of ABL best practices and (if so desired) pursue those topics further by using the resources referenced throughout the article.

Outdoor adventure education has an extensive history of considering how its students should wrestle with privilege. Recent events have brought issues of privilege to the forefront, which raises the question of whether outdoor adventure education can play a role in learning to see and affect systems of privilege. This paper examines several elements of outdoor adventure education that make it an ideal environment for teaching about systems of privilege, and makes the argument that Jack Mezirow&rsquo, s critical reflection, wherein people question the principles that underlie their ideas, should be a key element of outdoor adventure education curriculum in the 21st century. The authors&rsquo, perspectives are grounded in critical theory and the assumption that power dynamics need to be examined in order to be changed. By combining critical reflection with the unique characteristics of outdoor adventure education, outdoor adventure educators may be able to successfully teach participants to recognize and impact systems that operate around them.

This article examines the impact of an outdoor orientation program (OOP) on a cohort of first-year university students who participated in a canoe trip facilitated by peer leaders. The curriculum included training for outdoor skills and transitional guidance to university life (i.e., strategies for time management, critical thinking, becoming independent, diversity, and information about interpersonal relationships and healthy living). Employing McMillan and Chavis’s (1986) community development model and a qualitative case study approach, data were collected via a structured focus group designed to investigate the impact of the OOP on students’ adjustment to university life. Results of the study revealed that the OOP experience favorably affected students through the development of a strong sense of community, the facilitation of knowledge transfer from the wilderness context to the university setting, and the generation of a definitive sense of commitment and institutional loyalty to the university.

Adventure-based learning (ABL) is a sequenced curriculum using structured physical and teambuilding activities that create the space for participants to work on group communication, cooperation, trust, and problem solving. Reflection (i.e., debriefing) is an essential aspect of the ABL curriculum (Cosgriff, 2000). A debrief in ABL is the reflective component that provides opportunity for students to construct meaning from the activities through student-centred discussion. Physical education (PE) teachers can use ABL to promote intrapersonal and interpersonal relationship skills (IIRS) in an effort to establish community within the classroom (Dyson & Sutherland, 2014; Sutherland & Stuhr, 2014). The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate middle school students’ perceptions of their IIRS while involved in a 15-lesson ABL unit of instruction during PE. Four themes developed from the data, with each theme representing a learning outcome stage: connecting to the ABL activities, valuing IIRS worked on in the ABL activities, developing IIRS within PE, and transferring IIRS outside the classroom. The ABL curriculum used within this PE setting produced student outcomes associated with IIRS necessary to function effectively in society. The findings indicated that the students were able to connect with, value, develop, and even transfer IIRS that were taught during the ABL unit. This study demonstrated that an ABL curriculum could produce student-learning outcomes that promote social and emotional learning.