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Existing research evidence pertaining to the occupational therapy (OT) role with adventure-based outdoor activities for military veterans and the authors' positive experience serving members of a non-profit veteran-run organization that promotes rehabilitation archeology suggest that outdoor rehabilitation for this client population is a promising avenue for the profession. Moreover, students' exposure to outdoor experiences designed for military veterans as well as other populations presenting with physical and mental health conditions has the potential to significantly augment OT curriculum by impacting both the learning trajectory and personal transformation of the students. This paper describes a unique service-learning experience involving graduate OT students who engaged with and provided services to veterans participating in archeological fieldwork, as well as the impact of this experience on the students.

Background: The United States Air Force Academy's Center for Character and Leadership Development developed the 'Adventure and Experiential Based Learning' (AEBL) course--a new experiential education summer course intended to develop interpersonal leadership skills in 1,100 sophomore cadets. Purpose: Improving cadet emotional intelligence (EI) is of particular focus due to its value in leader effectiveness. Methodology/Approach: Rather than rely upon the more common military pedagogy of lecture-based learning or a military handbook that prescribes exactly what participant success looks like, the aim of the course examined in this study was to improve participant EI via a combination of experiential education methods including interactive classwork, challenge course experimentation, and a capstone 28-h adventure comprised of uncertainty and stressful team dynamics. To measure the effect the experiential education curriculum had on participant EI, the Workgroup Emotional Intelligence Profile (WEIP) was used in a pre/postsurvey method. Findings/Conclusion: The results indicated a significant increase in EI among AEBL participants as measured by the WEIP. Implications: Outdoor experiences like the one described in this article may be an effective way to train EI skills.

Background: A variety of residential and experiential therapeutic programs exist for youth who experience emotional, behavioral, or substance abuse problems that are not adequately responsive to traditional treatment options. While evaluations of programs are available in the literature, investigation of the experiences of professionals who undergird these programs and oversee reentry of youth back into their communities is lacking. Purpose: The research reported here aimed to explicate the experiences of recreational therapists. Methodology/Approach: Qualitative design was used to collect and analyze data. Semistructured interviews were employed, and data were analyzed by content analysis. Findings/Conclusions: Findings indicated recreational therapists were optimistic, intrinsically motivated to spend time outdoors, became personally invested in their work and experienced personal growth from their work. They required additional systems of support and guidance to effectively counter compassion fatigue and associated burnout. Measures for organizations to effectively counter compassion fatigue through enhancement of peer support systems and self-care guidance are needed. Implications: The results provided insight into the characteristics, needs, and experiences of recreational therapists who work with high-promise youth. Further, the work provided a proposed change to current models of compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue subscale interactions in this population.

Introduction: Different international guidelines indicate the need for improving educational procedures. This study aims to contribute to the professional development training program of higher education professors from a Physical Education Teacher Education degree in México. Methodology: This qualitative study used a participatory action research design through four cycles: (a) diagnosis; (b) elaboration of the action plan; (c) implementation and evaluation; and (d) feedback. The participants were the professor, six experts, and 17 students. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with students and the professor, the analysis of the class syllabus, and nonparticipatory observations. Findings: The importance of carrying out a diagnostic cycle allowed us to identify the specific needs of the class. Similarly, the model of development and evaluation of academic competencies (M-DECA) allowed the professor to develop specific pedagogical and disciplinary competencies from the training program. Conclusion: A continuous professional development training program for university professors in pedagogical and disciplinary strategies generates better learning results. The inclusion of innovative content in the class syllabus was also crucial.

Considerable research has demonstrated the presence of masculine norms in outdoor adventure education. The resulting values and practices function to ostracize or devalue women leaders, a dynamic that often goes unnoticed by men in the field. Although women's and men's perspectives on their experiences have been studied, to date no research identified by the authors has compared the perspectives of a man and woman leader on the same outdoor excursion. The current research aims to address this gap. Two leaders on a university-sponsored excursion used a comparative autoethnography approach, each journaling about their experiences on a 13-day flat water backcountry canoe trip. The two leaders subsequently performed analysis collaboratively to consider themes arising from the comparison of the two journals. Despite awareness and desire to actively combat gender norms, both leaders performed their gender in ways that adhered to stereotypes. Multiple hegemonic masculine norms were evident in the man's performance, possibly affected by the group composition. Greater critical self-reflection or training is required, particularly for men in outdoor adventure education contexts, to avoid reproducing harmful masculine norms. These results come despite participants' awareness of such norms and professed efforts toward gender equity.

This paper is an adapted version of the Brian Nettleton Lecture given at the Outdoors Victoria Conference, 2022. It explores how the last two decades have seen an ever-accelerating Digital Revolution which has impacted on almost every aspect of human experience to the point that it is now omnipresent. Life is now mediated through the screen. As a result, children and young people have become hyper-vigilant, overly anxious, experience a sense of climate trauma, and have decreasing access to, and time spent in, the outdoors. In addition, children have just experienced two years of isolation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and evidence suggests that they are already experiencing significant mental health issues as a result. This paper considers the implications of this for Outdoors Victoria and Outdoor Education.

This essay presents a theoretical model for the heretofore hidden processes associated with mechanisms of change in adventurous outdoor learning. After summarizing the few researchers who have investigated the components and pathways that bring participant change, four strands of influence are discussed: exercise activity, nature immersion, overcoming perceived risks, and resolving group conflicts. These four strands are traced through a seven-step sequence, where important similarities and differences are highlighted. An emphasis is placed on the interwoven transfer of learning with attention paid to ecohealth outcomes. Implications for practitioners are shared and future research directions are recommended.

Continuing education programs for educators are designed to advance educators' teaching practices and ultimately advance students' academic success. However, many non-traditional wilderness-based programs lack evidence of proven efficacy. Experiential wilderness-based programs are believed to enhance participants' character traits through challenging recreational activities and experiential teaching methods. A mixed survey methodology examined the influence of an experiential wilderness-based training on K-12 school educator participants and used Kirkpatrick's (1959, 1976) taxonomy framework to organize findings into three categories: satisfaction, learning, and behaviors. The results suggest participants were highly satisfied with the program, developed positive character traits, advanced in professional development, and integrated experiential teaching methods in their schools. The results support promoting wilderness-based professional development activities for school educators to improve student outcomes.

Background: Current research in outdoor adventure education advocates for deeper attention to place and the role that place and the more-than-human world play in pedagogical processes. However, historical and socio-cultural analysis of the roots of OAE reveals an educational approach that encourages adversarial human-nature relations toward the pursuit of anthropocentric outcomes. The use of sublime environments towards these ends does not naturally align with the more recent attempts to foster environmental behaviors through OAE. Purpose: This research addresses the ambiguity between "place" and "pedagogy" to suggest a reimagined role of the sublime that fosters more empathetic human-nature relations. Methodology/Approach: This research utilizes philosophical phenomenology and postqualitative analysis to develop an argument for engaging with sublime environments in ways that cultivate empathetic human-nature relations. Findings/Conclusions: I argue for an awareness of the material aspect of sublime experiences that precedes construction and can inspire empathetic and reciprocal human-nature relations. Implications: Reimagining the sublime as a material phenomenon that is relational and promotes virtues of humility, respect, and care for the more-than-human world.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed many facets of outdoor adventure and experiential education (OAEE) programs. Using past literature, four variables represent important student outcome variables associated with OAEE programs. Purpose: This study examined the effects of participation in an OAEE program on levels of anxiety, depression, hope, and resilience. Methods: This study used online data collection software with a 30-item inventory to measure the selected variables. Using a retrospective predesign, data were collected and analyzed using repeated measure t-tests. Findings: Results suggest that OAEE programs can effectively enhance an individual's ability to cope with anxiety and hopelessness while enhancing their levels of resilience.

Background: Outdoor Adventure Education (OAE) predominantly centers learning around individual goal setting and experiences and has not traditionally elevated Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS). Purpose: This research focuses on understanding how student learning and inquiry is affected through OAE that emphasizes the importance of IKS as a starting point for environmental and experiential data collection. Methodology/Approach: Over the course of two multi-day river trips on Idaho's Salmon River during the summer of 2023, 30 incoming university students encountered an Adventure Learning (AL) educational framework centered around IKS. Students used citizen science methods to collect environmental and experiential data to be shared digitally using GIS applications prior to oncampus learning. Web-based surveys will be sent to assess learning impacts. Results will be analyzed for changes in appreciation and awareness of IKS. Conclusions: We anticipate that the data will demonstrate an appreciation and awareness of other ways of knowing within OAE that decenters a Western epistemic ideal of goal driven knowledge production and elevates IKS as a recognized and respected approach to knowledge production. Implications: Incorporating a hybrid environment for incoming university students to address personal knowledge production in context to IKS will promote various decolonizing projects within higher education through shifting student inquiry.

Background: Participation in adventure as a recreational therapy intervention is well-recognized for its benefits for people with disabilities. Advances in technology and adaptive equipment have increased accessibility to adventure-based activities for those with physical disabilities. Climbing has long been established to facilitate the psychological state of flow; however, there is little research on the experience of flow in individuals with physical disabilities and adaptive climbing, specifically. Purpose: This study investigated if flow is experienced differently between individuals with and without physical disabilities who participated in climbing programs and to determine if there was a relationship between flow and intentions in future participation in climbing. Methodology: The Flow State Scale-2 was used to assess flow and additional questions measured participation. Findings: The global flow score on the FSS-2 indicated that climbers with and without disabilities both experienced a flow-like state. Climbers without disabilities reported a significantly higher sense of control, one of the nine dimensions of flow. Implications: With a better understanding of how people with physical disabilities experience flow, practitioners can better design interventions to facilitate this experience and should know how flow can best be used to promote an active leisure lifestyle.

The Australian Outdoor Health (OH) sector provides diverse practices that support an interconnected human and ecological approach to health and wellbeing. There is an urgent need for the OH sector to develop a comprehensive ethical practice framework, to enable professional recognition and other initiatives to progress. This would bring the sector in line with similar health and wellbeing occupations including social work, psychology, and counselling that have established professional recognition. A key feature of professional recognition is the acceptance of a Code of Ethics or Ethical Framework to guide practice and enhance standing in the field. This scoping review of the literature is undertaken to aid in developing an OH ethical practice framework. Findings suggest the framework should incorporate two overarching themes of beneficence and nonmaleficence, and contain six guiding principles: diversity, equity, advocacy, justice, accountability, and competence. We discuss these findings, situate them within broader OH community and health sector discourses, and make recommendations for establishing an Australian ethical practice framework to assist the move towards professional recognition and drive ethical OH practice.

Environmental characteristics of kindergartens are important for the development of kindergarten-aged children. However, knowledge of the role of kindergarten play environments in developing children's fundamental movement skills is limited. A pilot study was carried out to compare the fundamental movement skills of 3.5- to 5-year-old children in two kindergarten groups. One group had access to a traditional playground, an indoor room for active play, and had weekly trips. The other group had access to a nature-based playground. Fundamental movement skills were measured using the short form of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, second edition test. In total, 28 children participated--11 children attended the kindergarten group with the traditional playground, and 17 children attended the kindergarten group with the nature-based playground. The total test score was 14.64 for children with access to a traditional playground and 16.71 for children with access to a nature-based playground. However, no statistically significant difference between the groups in total test score and the individual tests was found. It might be that space and diversity of features are more important than exposure to nature. In future research, more robust longitudinal studies with larger samples are required to investigate different kindergarten playground designs and environmental features related to motor skill development.

There is an increasing appreciation that, in order to prepare learners for success in life, they require a holistic education providing not only academic skills, but also psychosocial competencies (Zins & Elias, 2006). Outdoor adventure education (OAE) shows potential as a way of developing these life skills, which are not easy to incorporate into the school curriculum (Sibthorp & Jostad, 2014). The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the psychosocial outcomes and perceived value of a school-based OAE programme ("Journey") for adolescents in South Africa. Data from a convenience sample of 144 Grade 10 learners' post-"Journey" surveys, letters to the school principals and interviews with members of the focus groups (n = 20), were thematically analysed using template analysis. Applying the acronym, "FLOURISHING," the analysis suggests that while "Journey" was beneficial for the psychosocial development of most learners, not all perceived value from their experiences. We propose that positive psychosocial outcomes could be enhanced by adopting a strength-based approach to OAE. This study provides a unique sociocultural perspective, corroborating the beneficial effects of OAE and could have implications for pedagogical policy and practice within South Africa (SA) and further afield.

This work presents experiential criticism as a methodology for researching experience in education. The approach draws on elements of pragmatism, phenomenology, ethnography, and educational criticism and connoisseurship and was developed through a study of the adventure education experience. It is comprised of three modes of inquiry: (1) observation of others in experience, (2) conversation about experience, and (3) participation in experience. The use of all three modes positions the researcher to arrive at an empirically corroborated understanding of the experience. This methodology contributes to the body of methods necessary to centre experience in educational research.

The goal of the study was to assess the effects of two instructional frameworks (Cooperative Learning/Outdoor Adventure Education hybridization and Direct Instruction) on students' motivation and disruptive behaviours and explore students and teachers' views on hybridization. The participants were 170 high school students randomly distributed into an Experimental (hybridization) and a Comparison Group, and their two teachers. A quasi-experimental study and a mixed quantitative-qualitative approach were followed. Those who experienced the hybridization showed significantly higher intrinsic motivation and lower disruptive behaviours. The analysis of teachers and students' responses produced four positive themes (enjoyment, autonomy, novelty, motivation), one negative (workload), and other mixing different feelings (uncertainty, relatedness, learning). Orienteering lessons were found capable of impacting positively on students. All students felt fully integrated into the class, promoting both models (Adventure Education and Cooperative Learning) and the content implemented (Orienteering) a shift in social hierarchies and equality among boys and girls.

Background: The use or non-use of mobile technologies and social media in residential outdoor adventurous education (OAE) remains contested and generates an often-cited for-and-against argument in both theory and practice. Purpose: This qualitative study explored instructor perceptions of mobile technologies and social media in their practice as members of instructional staff at the United Kingdom's Outward Bound Trust. Methodology/Approach: Grounded within a multiple-case study design, 20 members of instructional staff were interviewed online from three Outward Bound Trust centers across Wales, England, and Scotland. Findings/Conclusions: Two major themes are shared as statements: (1) "phone-free outdoor experiences are more impactful for young people in contemporary society;" (2) "social media is fake, outdoor adventurous education necessitates in-person and in-place interaction." These findings are presented within a postdigital conceptual lens which questions whether any residential outdoor experience can be truly "technology free." Implications: The study consolidates perspectives on mobile technologies and social media in the practices of residential OAE instructors. These perspectives are considered important in the framing and delivery of contemporary OAE practice.

Background: Research in outdoor adventure education (OAE) and related fields has argued that OAE programming can problematically reproduce dominant ways of being around patriarchy and whiteness. In particular, scholars have forwarded specific critiques of sense of place (SOP) in OAE or related fields. Purpose: This article investigated and critiqued SOP as a fundamental curricular concept and offered an anticolonial analytical tool for educators. The article posited that SOP is a key site of intervention for OAE educators and programs with anticolonial goals because of the historical, sociocultural, and economic foundations of SOP in OAE. Methodology/Approach: This study employed an anticolonial and antiracial capitalist theoretical framework and qualitative methods including thematic study of select literature on environmental conservation and colonialism, analysis of fundamentals of anticolonial pedagogical frameworks, and interview findings from mentor-partners in OAE and related fields. Findings/Conclusions: This study developed an anticolonial analytical tool to understand and interpret SOP in OAE through an anticolonial lens. Implications: The purpose of this tool is to assist practitioners and educators in the analysis of their own SOP pedagogy and practices and to encourage the development of SOP curricula toward anticolonial aims.

Colleges and universities have recently focused more attention on incorporating high-impact practices into their curricula, often under the auspices of the potential benefits such practices have for developmental growth and student success (Lange & Stewart, 2019). Outdoor adventure education represents an experiential practice where students can extend their learning beyond the more traditional, heavily structured classroom environment. However, due to access and inclusion barriers, students with one or more intersecting marginalized identities remain less likely to participate in these activities (Warren et al., 2014). This study investigated extreme cases of self-guided experiential learning by drawing on the experiences of three college students who took a semester's leave to backpack the entirety of the Appalachian Trail. The purposes of the exploratory study were twofold: (1) to more deeply understand developmental dynamics within self-authorship theory, particularly in how self-guided experiential learning opportunities might contribute to such development; and (2) to situate these insights by exploring what they might mean within more critical contexts.

In this paper, I consider the ethics education potential of two documentary films set in the mountains. I first draw upon the work of Emily Brady in order to tease out some similarities and differences between environmental tragedy and sublime experiences in nature. I secondly argue that the screened sublime is qualitatively different but not necessarily inferior to sublime sensations in nature. I then discuss how the film Mountain showcases the allure of the mountains while also suggesting the search for the sublime there may not be morally justifiable unless it is sustainable. I thereafter unpack the tragic themes in, and moral issues raised by, The Last Mountain. I maintain the film invites viewers to consider the ethics of risky mountain adventures and whether the rewards of such adventures justify the very real risk of tragedy. I conclude by thinking through how the films explored in the paper can aid mountain adventure education in at least two ways: (1) by opening up questions about the moral and ethical frameworks that mountain adventurers have and should have and; (2) by providing viewers with safe and sustainable experiences of the tragic and sublime.

This is a composite article which brings together the international perspectives of the editorial board of the Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning to explore the impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) on the field of adventure education and outdoor learning (AE/OL). Building on the AE/OL profession's response to the impacts of COVID-19 on outdoor and environmental education in 2020, this article includes authors from 10 countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Japan, Kenya, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, and Wales. The statements discuss the impacts and opportunities of AI for the AE/OL professions, researchers, the nature of being in and with the outdoors, and Indigenous knowledges. The intention of this article is not to present a definitive summary of the state of the profession, but to provide examples of the ways in which diverse people are responding to the challenges and opportunities of AI. By sharing these views, and identifying some commonalities, we hope that AE/OL educators, practitioners, researchers and managers can creatively and cautiously seize the opportunities of this technological revolution.

This essay defines the metaverse and its many uses. It then draws parallels to adventure and examines the elements that make adventure a unique learning medium. Next, it predicts the future based on the present and the past and discusses the drawbacks of this process and its outcomes. Finally, it concludes with a few observations and expectations around adventure not being easily replaced by the metaverse in the near future, but long term advances might tell a different story.

Sail training is described as an educational endeavour where participants are required to adapt to an unfamiliar physical and social environment, acquire new skills (maritime and domestic), and confront personal challenges (e.g. going aloft, dealing with seasickness). It shares many of the philosophical underpinnings of adventure education, where personal and social growth is believed to be achieved through challenge and working as a team. Sail training has a focus on educational experiences "through" the sea rather than "for" the sea--thus practitioners need a combination of maritime and people management skills. This study looks at the motivation of crew to engage in sail training, the challenges they face, and what they believe would assist them to perform their role. This study contributes to the growing research on the professional development needs of 'incidental' outdoor educators and makes recommendations to address some of the challenges they face.

This article considers the epistemological chain in adventure sports coaching through personal experiences of undergraduate adventure students using semi-structured interviews and qualitative thematic analysis. Findings showed many observable practices utilised by adventure sport coaches were epistemologically sophisticated. This included personalising sessions, reflective practice, nurturing relationships and demonstrating adaptive expertise towards risk/challenge. Autonomy aiding behaviours were observed, allowing participants freedom where there was little recognition of a hierarchy between coach/participant. However, a dichotomy was revealed where naïve epistemological approaches were taken when safety and environmental factors were prioritised and when delivering a national governing body curriculum. Outcomes indicate that coaches who deliver lower-level adventure sports provision demonstrate an autonomy supporting culture which utilises sophisticated epistemological approaches, creating confident and independent minded participants. However, this autonomy is influenced by participant competence, logistical factors such as a prescriptive curriculum, time limitations and the dynamic external environment, unique to adventure sports.

Over the past several decades outdoor adventure recreation programs (OARPs) have seen an increase in popularity on university campuses across the country. This study used the Leisure Motivation Scale (LMS) developed, to measure motives for participation; that is, the study investigated college students' motivations to participate in OARPs. Specifically, we sought to build a model for predicting interest in water or land-based activities based on experience levels and year in school. Using a sample of 152 participants from an OARP at a Midwestern University, results indicated significant differences in motivations based on stimulus avoidance. The findings from this study will help researchers and practitioners understand motivations for participation in OARPs and provide direction for more attractive and impactful outdoor programming.

Despite the recognized positive effects attributed to outdoor adventure education programs, few studies have examined the mechanisms involved therein, particularly with regard to factors that influence group process. The purpose of this qualitative research was to examine an outdoor adventure education program utilizing Yalom's helping factors in relationship to established groupwork intervention stages. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 individuals who participated in an 18-day outdoor adventure expedition. Findings shared include the conditions and group stages that helping factors emerge and suggest the relevance of offering adventure-based programs in nature settings for effective groupwork.

Research has articulated the benefits of autonomy in outdoor programming (e.g., Chang, 2017), and the independent student expedition (ISE) is one type of autonomous experience that has received attention across the literature. Research suggests that ISEs have the potential to foster personal growth and promote group development (e.g., Daniel et al., 2014). However, the majority of research conducted on these experiences focuses on the outcomes of participation, and much of it has been conducted with adolescents under 18 years of age. As such, less is known about the developmental affordances ISEs offer emerging adults. The purpose of this study is to re-examine unaccompanied ISE experiences utilized during outdoor adventure education programming to identify the meaningful learning occurring during this course component for emerging adult-aged participants and investigate the pedagogical mechanisms present during ISE that foster growth and development for these individuals and help them realize important developmental milestones.

An argument can be made that integrating mindfulness practices (MPs) into Outdoor Adventure (OA) programming can help students develop and expand on a variety of social and emotional attributes, such as stress reduction, awareness of the present moment, relationship skills, and maintaining psychosocial equilibrium. However, there is a paucity of empirical inquiry that specifically aims to explore in-depth participant experience using MPs in OA programs. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the perceived benefits that MPs provided university students during OA trips. The term Mindful Lived-Outdoor Experience (MLOE) was conceptualized to define a participant's experience during an OA trip with MPs included. The findings suggest MPs are a beneficial component in adventure programming. The MPs promoted opportunity for participants to reduce stress and socially engage during the OA activity.

Although sensuous and embodied engagement is an integral part of child--environment relationalities, the intersections of aesthetics, children and environments remain scarcely addressed. As a response, this study develops a concept of 'aesthetic flux' to delve into the sensuous dynamics of matter and bodies in the context of a storying workshop in a forest with first graders in a Finnish primary school. An arts-based, post-qualitative methodology guided our analysis of video recordings from the workshop, resulting in visual-sonic montages that draw attention to the intense movements and sounds of children, soap bubbles, air, a research camera and trees. Thinking through the concept of aesthetic flux, our study experiments with the abundance, indeterminacy and potentiality of sensuous dynamics where bodies (human and otherwise) become together and linger. Thus, our study reconfigures aesthetics as a creative and unpredictable force that materialises in both embodied and conceptual ways in environmental education and research with children.

Using interpretative phenomenological analysis and Robert Kegan's constructive-developmental theory, this study investigated how developmental stage shaped the subjective experiences of 13 adolescents (M[subscript age] = 15.92 years, 54% females) in a developmental coaching and outdoor adventure education program. Participants were drawn from socioeconomically disadvantaged schools in Sydney, Australia, and represented Asian, Middle Eastern, and European ethnicities. A single, semi-structured interview was conducted with participants postprogram, following protocols approved by an institutional ethics committee. Interview data were used to investigate participants' meaning-making structures as evidence of constructive-developmental stage both at the time of interview and program participation. We found that, despite being similar ages at program commencement, participants displayed a range of constructive-developmental stages. The data demonstrate how participants at different stages of meaning-making experienced the same activities differently, including what they experienced as challenging and supportive. Furthermore, our findings suggest that there is a valuable role for developmental coaching in scaffolding program challenges to stimulate constructive-developmental growth. Constructive-developmental theory provides a novel framework for understanding the different ways in which adolescents make meaning of developmental programs. We hope the findings from this study will help those who design and implement these programs to appreciate constructive-developmental differences in their participants to better target interventions aimed at facilitating developmental growth.

Rates of intense anxiety among teenagers have risen dramatically, a major concern. Outward Bound (OB), a wilderness expedition program that promotes learning through challenge experiences, is found to help youth decrease anxiety. To understand how program staff support this learning, we asked 30 OB instructors to describe their successful work with a youth following an intense anxiety episode (a "meltdown"). Using grounded theory analyses we identified eight practices OB instructors employed that facilitated the youth's emotional learning. Examples include: helping them open up to examine their emotions, providing tools for detecting and regulating rising anxiety, and instructor-youth co-planning to manage upcoming anxiety-inducing situations. The analyses also revealed the intentionality in each practice: when it was used, its goals, strategies employed, and how each facilitated youth's active emotional learning. Youth's learning processes across practices evolved from being instructor-initiated to youth-driven. The skills youth learned progressed from understanding emotions, to controlling imminent anxiety, to controlling anxiety about future situations, to taking responsibility for the impact of their emotions on others. These OB practices, we suggest, can be flexibly adapted to other youth development settings to help teens build competencies to manage anxiety, including when taking on new demanding challenges.

Background: Little is known about the effects of outdoor behavioral healthcare on participants' body composition or about the relationship between body changes and indicators of mental health. Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to compare body and mental health changes in adolescents in an 8-week adventure therapy program. Methodology/Approach: In this observational study, we analyzed pre- and posttest weight, body composition, and psychological dysfunction in male and female adolescent participants (N = 112) in an adventure therapy program. Body composition variables were assessed using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Psychological dysfunction was measured using the Youth Outcome Questionnaire (YOQ). We also analyzed the relationship between body changes and changes in YOQ scores. Findings/Conclusions: Overall, from entry into the program (pre) to time of discharge (post), body weight, BMI, and body fat percentage significantly decreased (ps [less than or equal to] 0.0014). Likewise, all YOQ variables significantly improved (scores reduced) over the course of the study (ps [less than or equal to] 0.0003). Changes in body composition and YOQ score were not associated. Implications: Adolescent participation in adventure therapy is significantly associated with improvements in BMI, body weight and composition, and psychological dysfunction. However, changes in body composition and psychological dysfunction do not appear to be associated.

This research explored the use of adventure therapy in Aotearoa New Zealand, how practitioners have learned their skills, and what they perceive the field needs to support its development. The mixed methods study used interpretive description methodology to analyse focus group and survey data. The field is diverse and includes practitioners from outdoor education, youth work, and therapy professions. They share common understanding of, and passion for adventure therapy practices. Formal learning opportunities are limited, and a Community of Practice model exists. Practitioners should use adventure therapy strategies within their discipline boundaries and practice with a trauma informed lens. The field would benefit from more education and training opportunities, from intentionally strengthening the Community of Practice model, and from Maori research to enhance appropriateness of practice for the unique cultural context of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Background: Youth expeditions are regarded as beneficial and even "life-changing" experiences for young people, however the evidence on their perceived long-term impact is limited. Purpose: The purpose of this research was to examine the perceived long-term influence of expeditions in participants' lives 29 and more years after going on a 3-6 week land-based self-sufficient wilderness expedition. Methodology/Approach: This study used a retrospective two-phase sequential research design. The first phase involved a web-based survey followed by individual semi-structured interviews in the second phase. Findings/Conclusions: For the majority of the 144 web-based survey respondents (93.8%), their first BES expedition experience was "enjoyable and meaningful". Twenty-six interviews were conducted with people who had gone on their first BES expedition 29 to 66 years ago. Interviewed participants perceived seven long-lasting influences of expeditions: (1) 'Connecting with others', (2) 'Fulfilling potential' such as gaining confidence and resilience, (3) 'Development of leisure activities and outdoor knowledge/skills', (4) 'Knowing thyself', (5) 'Sharing the experience' to others, (6) 'Impact on academic and professional life', and (7) 'Connecting with nature and the world'. Implications: This study provides evidence that the influence of wilderness expedition experiences can be long-lasting and significant on participants' lives 29 and more years later.

School counselors are encouraged to employ evidence-based practices to meet students' mental health needs, yet a scarcity of outcome research limits their access to adequately supported prevention and intervention resources (Griffith et al., 2019). To maximize their impact and time, school counselors should consider conducting group counseling with students. Specifically, school counselors should consider implementing Adventure Therapy (AT), a kinesthetically engaging form of group counseling that uses adventure activities to promote participation through collaborative problem solving, encourage responsible decision-making, and foster accountability among students (Christian et al., 2019). While literature supports the use of AT in schools, there is a dearth of outcome studies examining its efficacy with students. This study explored the impact of AT on 7th graders' self-efficacy (n = 19). The researchers measured Total, Academic, Social, and Emotional self-efficacy using the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children at pre, mid, post, and follow-up. Results suggested AT groups were effective for increasing all types of self-efficacy for participants with males showing a greater increase. Implications for school counselors and future research are described.

Introduction and Purpose: The aim of this research is to examine the effects of athlete success and permanency of learning the winter mountaineering training given by the Turkish Mountaineering Federation. The research group consists of a total of 105 participants, 21 women (20%) and 84 men (80%) who attended the winter mountaineering training course organized by the Turkish Mountaineering Federation. Materials and Methods: In this study, quasi-experimental design was used in the research. A multiple-choice achievement test of 25 questions which includes knowledge and practice issues related to winter mountaineering education was prepared. The reliability analysis of the achievement test was made with the "ITEMAN" program. The pre-test-post-test data of the study were collected on 20-27 January 2019 on Zigana Mountain, and 4 weeks later, the permanency test data was collected on 28 February 2019 on Erciyes Mountain. In data analysis, for correlated samples (repeated measures) one-factor ANOVA and for repeated measurements two-factor ANOVA analyzes were performed. Findings: There was a significant difference between the pre-test-post-tests-permanency test total, knowledge, and application scores of the athletes. It is seen that the achievement scores of male and female athletes before and after the training do not differ significantly. Results: According to the research results; It has seen that the winter mountaineering training given by the Turkish mountaineering federation has a positive effect on the knowledge and practice levels of the athletes and has an important contribution in the context of the permanency of learning. In addition, it was determined that the success scores of female athletes who received training were higher than male athletes.

There is increasing pressure on academic staff to enhance the graduate capabilities of students, rendering them employable as morally informed global citizens, in addition to enhancing their disciplinary knowledge, reflective practice 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 journaling and 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' 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.

The characteristics of optimal developmental experiences are examined in a group of international Sea Kayaking Guides. This paper considers how these experiences contributed to the development of decision-making. A mixed approach was utilised that included a survey followed by a series of semi-structured interviews that are thematically analysed. An optimal developmental experience is identified as one with authenticity, diversity, transferability, and reflective value. The Guides developed their judgment and decision-making processes as an aspect of their 'seamanship' via experiences they described as 'epics'. The paper concludes that training for Guides must involve individualised, optimal developmental experiences.

The UK Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) commissioned research into provision of opportunities that support children and young people's (CYP) engagement with natural environments outside school time to identify whether CYP from disadvantaged backgrounds access the opportunities available, the challenges to do so, and how provision might be optimised to improve engagement. We used mixed methods, including document review, interviews with national stakeholders, survey of local provision and local case studies with provider interviews and focus groups with CYP. We identified four categories of engagement: outdoor learning; play; improving the natural environment; sports and exercise, and three main provider types: environmental organizations; community groups; and adventure and residential education providers. Using conceptual frames of habitus and 'nature capital', we reflect on barriers that currently limit inclusive youth engagement with nature outside schooltime and suggest implications for the design of future opportunities.

The affective domain can be difficult to teach and define and is underactualized in Physical Education (PE) and Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE). Through the lens of Occupational Socialization Theory (OST), affective domain issues are understood as more significant problems within the PE enterprise, starting with PETE faculty members' training and acculturation into PE of decades-old approaches and conceptions of the subject. Literature indicates that Pre-Service Teachers (PSTs) need more experience participating and teaching affective-based curriculum models and pedagogical content like Adventure Education (AE) during PETE. When PETE and thus secondary PE programs are ruled by the hegemonic norm of multi-sport-based activities, they can miss the mark on cultural competency and teaching and assessing the affective domain. By giving PETE PSTs affective-based experiences as participants and facilitators, PSTs may have more holistic perspectives (learning and teaching through all three domains of learning) and may become more culturally competent teachers. This paper provides four strategies to implement AE within PETE programs and requirements of sequencing. As PETE evolves and improves content and delivery mechanisms to meet learners' needs (PSTs and students in K-12 PE), the propensity for change in the enterprise of PE increases as positive benefits of affective-based teaching ripple through generations of new students acculturated into the field every day.

Adventure education (AE) is a student-centered curricular model built upon acceptance where various types of learners can experience challenge, success, emotional growth, and peer interaction. Most studies focus exclusively on the perspectives of the instructors, whereas this study includes parental perspectives of children with disabilities and peer mentors. This research investigated a regionally well-known high school inclusive AE program to better understand how participants conceptualized its impact on their lives. A case study design was used. Data collection included semistructured formal interviews, informal interviews, observations, document analysis, and narrative descriptions. Participants were alumni of an AE program, parents of students with disabilities who engaged in the program, and faculty members of a school district who initiated the program. Emerging themes were generalization of teachable moments, sense of community, and changing life perspectives. Findings depicted long-term engagement involving physical activity, adapted physical education, and adventure education among multiple populations of individuals. Participation in universally designed adventure education programming during high school physical education can enhance positive feelings among individuals of varying populations that transition into life after graduation. Given the nature of the model, AE may be optimal for fostering peer interaction and lasting friendships among students with and without disabilities.

Background: Research on the effects of adventure education lessons on social emotional skills (SEL), psychological outcomes, and physical activity (PA) is limited. Purpose: This study assessed the effectiveness of adventure education lessons in improving high school students' SEL competencies, resilience, and PA. Methods: 95 10th grade students (mean age = 15 ± 0.56) enrolled in a 90-minute adventure education class 2-3 times a week for 15 weeks during the winter/spring semester of 2022. Questionnaires measured SEL, resilience, and PA at pre- and posttest, while open-ended questionnaires were collected at the end of the semester. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, and constant comparison techniques. Results: indicated significant increases in the total SEL scale (t = -2.00, p = 0.050), self-awareness (t = -2.07, p = 0.043), self-management (t = -2.67, p = 0.010), resilience (t = 5.69, p < 0.001), and vigorous PA (t = -4.13, p < 0.001) levels over time. Qualitative analysis revealed adventure education promotes communication, teamwork, and building transferrable skills leading to intra- and interpersonal growth. Discussion: High school students saw improvements in SEL, resilience, and physical activity after participating in a semester-long adventure education curriculum. Translation to Health Education Practice: The adventure education is useful in improving students' SEL skills, developing resilience, and promoting PA.

Objective: This systematic review aims to investigate the impact of adventure education (AE) on children's physical, psychological, and social development (children's age range: 0-18 years old). Methods: The review was reported based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA 2015). Articles were retrieved from seven databases (EMBASE, PubMed, MEDLINE, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, and Psychology Database) from 2000 to 2021. Methodological quality was examined according to Version 2 of the Cochrane risk-of-tool for randomized trials (RoB 2). Results: Eighteen studies were screened. AE was found to contribute to the improvement of physical development in nonhealthy children aged 9 to 16 years and nonhealthy children aged 3 to 7 years. All results showed a positive psychological impact of AE except for inconsistent results for self-esteem, self-efficacy, and quality of life. Moreover, AE was found to be an approach that enhanced social development among nonhealthy and healthy children aged 11-17 years and nonhealthy children aged 3-7 years. Conclusion: AE intervention produces physical, psychological, and social benefits in children. Most studies analyzed in this review focused on 9- to 18-year-old unhealthy and healthy children. Only one study involved 3- to 7-year-old unhealthy children. However, most of the studies in this field have weak methodological quality, and thus, the present evidence should be interpreted carefully. Future work with superior methodology in AE intervention would help us establish a greater degree of accuracy in this area of study. Implications: AE intervention with better study design is needed. Research also needs to be conducted to examine the effectiveness of AE on physical, psychological, and social development in healthy younger children.

Menstruation is a 'taboo' subject in many cultures and its effect on women's participation in sport and physical culture in western societies is under-researched. This study examines the effect of menstruation and premenstrual syndrome (PMS) on habitual participants in adventurous activities through the voices of women. It transcends the social/biological divide using a theoretical framework to ascertain the personal, socio-cultural and practical constraints and enablers to participation. In a survey to explore women's lived experiences (n = 100), 89% of respondents noted that their participation is affected by menstruation/PMS. The dominant constraints to participation in adventurous activities were related to practical challenges of hygiene and waste disposal for managing menstruation. Rich qualitative data provide evidence for the negative and emotional responses of women to 'missing out' on adventurous activities with the majority of concerns about their performance in socio-cultural contexts related to personal anxieties. Some women commented on their belief in being a role model in professional work encouraging open discussion around menstruation and enabling more women and girls to take part in adventurous activities. Key practical recommendations for practice are suggested in respect of provision of toilet facilities where possible and biodegradable sanitary products. Raised awareness amongst leaders and educators, particularly men is important so that they might identify strategies to manage the constraints facing women and girls and enable more inclusivity and greater participation in adventurous activities.

Challenge, adventure, and risk in outdoor adventurous education (OAE) have long been recognised as foundational components in the framing of valuable and transformational experiences for participants. Whilst the literature has identified the benefits of these types of learning experiences, what has remained largely absent is an interrogation of the emerging emotional effects surrounding the fear response. This paper presents the examined interrelationships of facilitator perspectives on fear and how fear influences the developmental potential for participants in OAE. Multiple-case study research interviewed four OAE facilitators and observed participants' experiences of fear-related practice through a caving activity. The findings demonstrate a distinct and complex tension between the intentional facilitation of fear and the diverse impact fear can have for participants. Two primary outcomes emerged: the historically situated assumptions of a "fear for all" approach are challenged, and fear was recognised to isolate and marginalise participants unable to successfully interact with fear.

This paper aims to stimulate debate and prompt further research regarding the training, development and Higher Education (HE) of aspiring adventure professionals (AP's). The design of the paper draws on 10 years of observations and trends within the HE outdoor degree teaching sector, in tandem with the authors' own extensive professional outdoor careers. Initial findings indicate the role and significance of Professional Judgement and Decision Making (PJDM) in professional practice within adventure sports (AS) coaching and leadership. Consequently, PJDM is found to be a vital element of the education of the AP. The training and practice of these PJDM skills is a situated cognition that is conspicuous in its absence within many coach and leader education programmes where the AP is required to balance pedagogical and welfare demands in consequential environments. A cognitive apprenticeship approach is advocated which builds on recent articles highlighting the importance of PJDM in such domains.

Avalanche studies have undergone a transition in recent years. Early research focused mainly on environmental factors. More recently, attention has turned to human factors in decision making, such as behavioural and cognitive biases. This article adds a "social" component to this human turn in avalanche studies. It identifies lessons for decision making by groups of skiers from the perspective of social choice theory, a sub-field of economics, decision theory, philosophy and political science that investigates voting methods and other forms of collective decision making. In the first part, we outline the phenomenon of "wisdom of crowds," where groups make better decisions than their individual members. Drawing on the conceptual apparatus of social choice theory and using idealised scenarios, we identify conditions under which wisdom of crowds arises and also explain how and when deciding together can instead result in worse decisions than may be expected from individual group members. In the second part, we use this theoretical understanding to offer practical suggestions for decision making in avalanche terrain. Finally, we make several suggestions for risk management in other outdoor and adventure sports and for outdoor sports education.

This inquiry reports the findings of a systematized review of recent studies concerning the affordances associated with implementing mobile technology in outdoor learning. The emergent employment of mobile technologies in education worldwide adds new layers of complexity to the field that require a better understanding. The review aims to summarize and critically interrogate peer-reviewed studies and identify gaps in current research. Taken collectively, the 33 reviewed articles mirror the dualism that is present within the field. Whilst some studies show that the portability and accessibility of mobile devices offer new opportunities, others point at issues of complexity, safety, and loss of experiential quality. The findings highlight three principal strategies that offer meaningful ways to manage the tensions between technology and outdoor learning: mitigation, intentionality, and adaptation. The review thus offers a deeper understanding of how outdoor learning programs can effectively integrate mobile technology to overcome the nature-technology dichotomy.