Foreword

Abstract

vii Foreword We are pleased to present this issue of the Research in Outdoor Education (ROE) journal. This marks the 12th volume of ROE and also represents an important point of transition for the journal. Following this volume, ROE will be published annually instead of being a biannual publication. In addition, ROE will now be published in cooperation with Sagamore Publishing, with Dr. Tim O’Connell from Brock University serving as the new editor. Relative to this current volume, six articles are presented for your perusal and reflection. We start with an essay by Thomas Beery titled “People in Nature: Relational Discourse for Outdoor Educators.” We stay in the theme of discourse and involvement in nature with Michael Griswold and his colleagues in their paper, “Exploring the Social Impacts of a Summer Camp for Youth with Tourette Syndrome.” Jayson Seaman and his fellow researchers explore the connection between rural youth and outdoor activities with their study, “A Longitudinal Study of Rural Youth Involvement in Outdoor Activities Throughout Adolescence: Exploring Social Capital as a Factor in Community -Level Outcomes.” Benjamin Mirkin examines the social climate of a group and individual peer interactions in his article, “Group Social Climate and Individual Peer Interaction: Exploring Complex Relationships on Extended Wilderness Courses.” Changing tack a bit, we have an article by Scott Schumann and Jim Sibthorp on “The Development and Scaling of the Teaching Outdoor Education Self-Efficacy Scale.” This ROE volume concludes with a study by Pohja, Ocobock, and Gookin titled “Energy Expenditure in the Backcountry.” As is usually the case, and certainly with ROE, the success of any journal is heavily contingent upon the quality of both the submissions and the reviews. Over the years, ROE has been fortunate to have a pool of dedicated and competent reviewers and this year is no exception. We are indebted to the following people who served as reviewers for this volume, including M. Deborah Bialeschki, (American Camp Association), Tim O’Connell, (Brock University), Keith Russell (Western Washington University), Jim Sibthorp (University of Utah), Frank Vernon (University of Wisconsin), and Alison Voight (Indiana University). Many thanks and kudos for all their efforts. Finally, a special thanks to Yun Chang for serving as the assistant editor with this volume of ROE. She immeasurably contributed to this effort through her attention to detail, ongoing communication to the authors and reviewers, and overall insight and suggestions made during the editorial review process. Thank you, Yun! viii And, of course, we acknowledge the faculty and staff at New York State University at Cortland who are involved in both ROE and the Coalition for Education in the Outdoors. Of particular note are the efforts of Andy Young and Charles Yaple, for without their efforts, ROE would probably not exist. Alan Ewert, Editor Research in Outdoor Education ...