“Immersed within the rock itself”: Student experiences rock climbing in outdoor education

Abstract

AbstractOutdoor education has a long tradition of using adventurous activities like rock climbing to achieve learning outcomes. Concepts like adventure, perceived risk, and flow have been used to justify the inclusion of these activities. However, the arguments for their inclusion have been eroded in recent decades, leading the authors of this paper to ask: How do students actually experience an activity like rockclimbing? In addition, outdoor activities/sports have often been grouped together, as if they were one activity, rather than distinct activities, that may require specific pedagogic considerations. This paper presents the findings of research into one group of secondary school students and their experiences rock climbing while on an OE camp at Mt Arapiles/ Dyurrite in Victoria, Australia. It re-tells their stories about two climbing contexts - top rope and multi pitch climbing. Data collected through interviews were used to retell the student’s stories about their climbing experiences and inform our analysis of how rockclimbing practices may be modified to better suit evolving ideas within outdoor education. The study highlights the impact that guides have on student’s experiences and the need for program design to be guided by intended learning outcomes. Finally, we recommend more research into students’ lived experiences across the OE curriculum to develop more nuanced outdoor education programs.