A journey into understanding gendered experiences of outdoor adventure education

Abstract

ABSTRACT Outdoor Adventure Education (OAE) is traditionally depicted as a hegemonic masculine domain. Thus, fundamental to any dialogue on gender in OAE is whether the outdoor experience reifies or disputes stereotypical gender roles. This study explores the influence of gender on the psychosocial outcomes and descriptions of gender-related influences on the experiences of Journey, a South African school-based OAE programme. Employing a mixed methods quasi-experimental design, a purposive sample of 74 male and 70 female Grade 10 learners was recruited for this study. Gender comparisons reveal a significant difference for post-Journey scores of Resilience but not for Life Effectiveness and Emotional Literacy. The qualitative findings suggest that individual differences, rather than gender, account for much of the variation in outcomes and meaning for the learners. It is imperative that we recognise that gender identities are inextricably intertwined with our understanding of sexual orientation, sex and issues of privilege and oppression.