Outdoor Adventure Research Articles

Trust, Workload, Outdoor Adventure Leadership, and Organizational Safety Climate

The outdoor adventure leadership (OAL) field has an extensive body of work centered on individual safety performance, but much less at the organization level of analysis and assessment of organizational safety. Safety climate is a well-established construct and when measured can be indicative of employees’ perceptions of organizational safety and predictive of safety performance. This study employed a safety climate scale and surveyed 506 employees across ten United States OAL not-for-profit organizations. Dimensions of safety as a recognized value, and leadership and management for safety typically scored the highest across organizations. The Dimensions of safety as learning oriented, and safety as integrated into operations, typically scored the lowest. Trust in the organization and OAL delivery pressure, workload, and stress emerged as important indicators of safety climate at the organizational level. Directions for future research based upon this safety climate tool are identified.

Compassion through Asceticism: Contemplating the Caveats and Socio-Environmental Values Related to a Backcountry Fast

Given the socio-environmental crises we face, educators might advisably look for means to address them. Within US outdoor adventure education (OAE), the moral educational potential of the “backcountry fast” is one such curricular area. However, little is written on this field-based tradition. This absence is concerning since fasts raise questions of risk and social-ethical appropriateness (e.g. food-scarcity). After acknowledging these social-ethical caveats, this paper, which draws from philosophical and monastic sources, provides a moral rationale for the backcountry fast. An act of asceticism, fasting practices can cultivate discipline, promote self-revelation, and awaken empathetic compassion (a-suffering-with) through identification with the involuntary suffering of others (human, more-than-human, and the planet itself). Although fasting’s full value is realized in a justice-seeking practice, highlighting the limits of one-off OAE programming, the article affirms its continued use within OAE, and counsels that fasts be educationally framed regarding their purpose(s) and potential as a post-program discipline.

Examining the indirect effects of embodied learning on adaptability: The mediating roles of challenge stressors and psychological capital

AbstractWe examined the efficacy of embodied learning for augmenting leader psychological capital—a latent construct reflecting hope, optimism, self‐efficacy, and resilience. To do so, we leveraged the literature on embodied cognition and the challenge‐hindrance stressor framework to better understand how involving both the body and mind during learning (i.e., embodied learning) can lead to heightened perceptions of challenge stressors, which then result in greater psychological capital. We also expected that higher levels of psychological capital relate to greater subsequent adaptability on the job. We tested these predictions in two quasi‐experimental field studies. Study 1 included a sample of 141 executive MBA students and Study 2 included a sample of 163 working managers. In both studies, the disembodied learning condition consisted of classroom training. The embodied learning condition included an outdoor adventure training component (including an 88 km hiking race and various team challenges) conducted in the Gobi Desert in Study 1 and in a nature park in Study 2. The results of the first study revealed that participants in the embodied learning group experienced higher post‐learning psychological capital than those in the disembodied learning group and that psychological capital mediated the relationship between learning approach and peer‐rated adaptability 6 months later. Study 2 replicated the positive relationship between embodied learning and post‐learning psychological capital and extended it by showing that challenge stressors mediated this relationship.

Exploring the Drivers of Visitor Loyalty in the Context of Outdoor Adventure Parks: The Case of Arsenal Park in Romania.

Outdoor adventure parks are highly important for contemporary society, having positive social, economic, and environmental impacts. Nevertheless, to fulfill their positive role in society, and to be economically sustainable, such parks need to nurture visitor loyalty. Drawing on previous fundamental research results that ascertain that customer satisfaction has a positive influence on customer loyalty, the objective of the current research is to explore the specific elements of outdoor adventure park visitors’ satisfaction, within an applied research framework, in order to emphasize those attributes that have a significant impact on visitors’ loyalty. For that, an online survey was conducted among the visitors of Arsenal Park, Romania, one of the largest adventure parks in south-eastern Europe. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Our results show that visitors’ satisfaction with respect to the safety and equipment involved in amusement services, the ambience of the park’s food and beverage facilities, and the quality of the food are the most important satisfaction constituents for enhancing visitor loyalty in the context of outdoor adventure parks. By formatively specifying the exogeneous variables of our model (in contrast with the omnipresent reflective measurements used in previous studies), and by employing the importance–performance map analysis (IPMA), we clearly emphasize those particular aspects that are under the control of outdoor adventure parks’ managers, which significantly impact their visitors’ loyalty, as well as the way in which managers can clearly identify those attributes that need improvements.

Mika H. Sipponen

Mika H. Sipponen

“Super stoked girls” - a discourse analysis of girls’ participation in freeride skiing

ABSTRACT This article is based on a selection of Norwegian girls’ accounts of backcountry, freeride skiing and mountain biking to better understand how they form and are formed by cultural identity standards. The study is conducted by using the precepts of discourse analysis, which have language and social communication as the central component of the social world. The girls’ narratives occupy an ambiguous space that attempts to bridge the gap between their own and other people’s perceptions of their identity, gender expression and experience in outdoor adventure sports. Being a skier functions as an anchoring point in their identity formation, binding together incredible experiences out in nature and the recurrent fear of failure. The joy, desire and feeling of freedom in the mountain are challenged by an intense pressure to perform. These ambivalent, sometimes even contradictory experiences are a prominent element of the narrative material produced and analysed in the article.

Utilising the community cultural wealth framework to explore Sierra Leonean parents’ experiences of outdoor adventure education in the United Kingdom

ABSTRACT Research exploring race and ethnicity and outdoor adventure education (OAE) has tended to focus on students’ experiences. This paper discusses findings from a small-scale empirical study of Sierra Leonean parents involved in organising their child’s participation in a camping-based, OAE residential visit. The visit was organised by one primary school in London (UK). The community cultural wealth framework by Yosso is utilised to explore the parents’ contributions to the visit. The findings reveal the ways in which parents strove to meet the expectations placed on them and overcame challenges of facilitating the visit by drawing on aspirational, familial, navigational, resistant and social capital. Additionally, the role of spiritual capital is discussed. I conclude with recommendations for the ways in which the schools and providers of OAE could take account of ethnic minority parents’ perspectives and experiences.

Quantifying the psychosocial outcomes of outdoor adventure education for adolescent learners in a South African setting

This aim of this study is to contribute to the existing literature on the psychosocial outcomes of outdoor adventure education. In doing so, it explores the relationship between Journey, a school-based programme and life effectiveness skills, emotional literacy, and resilience for adolescents in a South African setting. Employing a pre–post quasi-experimental design, a purposive convenience sample of 144 Grade 10 learners was recruited for this study. Results of the three measures demonstrated that, after participating in Journey, there were statistically significant increases in self-reports of life effectiveness and resilience, but not of emotional literacy. The importance of the unique contribution of this study to international and South African outdoor adventure education research is discussed, with recommendations for future research and considerations of the practical implications of the findings for programme design.

Outdoor Adventure Programs for Persons with Multiple Sclerosis: A Review and Agenda for Future Research.

Persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) often experience myriad symptoms that affect functioning and quality of life (QOL). Although there are a growing number of nonpharmacologic interventions designed to improve symptom severity and interference and maximize QOL, these particular treatments are limited by barriers to accessibility and, at times, a poor patient-intervention fit. Thus, it is important to consider alternative or supplemental nonpharmacologic treatments for people with MS. Outdoor adventure programs-group-based outdoor adventures aimed at enhancing QOL and fostering personal growth-could be one such alternative or supplemental approach. This topical review provides an overview of outdoor adventure programs; explores the current literature on these types of programs for the general population and medical populations; examines how outdoor adventure programs could enhance mood, functioning, and QOL for individuals with MS; and suggests future directions for research on outdoor adventure programs tailored to persons with MS.

The future past of travel: adventure tourism supporting humans living on the edge of existence

PurposeBy drawing on current reports, this paper positions that Homo sapiens could in the near future be faced with an increasingly uninhabitable planet. It emphasises the importance of adventure tourism and its associated activities as a means of supporting individuals to develop more outdoor survival skills.Design/methodology/approachThis study applies a scenario narrative approach in exploring and presenting potential future ideas. The significance of narratives lies at the essential examination of current trends and drivers that could be shaping future scenarios. This paper, through the exploration of past and current trends supports the researcher in presenting future views. The scenario narratives in this research are established via desk-based research and inspection of academic journals, industry reports, ideas and knowledge.FindingsIf society is pushed to the brink of extinction due to a catastrophic event(s), people will require survival skills, similar to those shared by our hunter-gather nomad ancestor. Thus, this paper highlights the value and importance of the industry in encouraging soft and hard outdoor adventure in the coming years. It recognises how different adventure travel activities can support people in rekindling with our more basic instincts and ultimately, surviving in different natural environments.Originality/valueThis paper offers original theoretical knowledge within the adventure tourism literature. Offering original consideration to the value of exploring the past as a method of understanding the future, the paper presents an original spectrum of soft and hard skills-based adventure tourism activities.

Autoethnographic stories for self and environment: a reflective pedagogy to advance ‘environmental awareness’ in student outdoor practitioners

ABSTRACT 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.

Teaching Outdoor Adventure Activities in Preschools: A Review of Creativity and Learning Development

Creativity is a significant part of all aspects of childhood growth and development, including learning. Adventure play has been identified as a key component of early childhood, and it presents a variety of challenges and opportunities to educators, parents and children. This study explores the current state of knowledge of preschool outdoor adventure activity teaching and its impact on learning and creativity. The review reveals that adventure play boosts creativity and learning development in preschool children. Through a review of current literature, this paper discusses the importance of adventure activities in early years, the role of risk in creativity and learning development and the appropriateness of outdoor and adventure activity teaching methods. The paper concludes with an examination of gaps in existing knowledge and a discussion of the challenges to outdoor adventure activities from both parents and children. It recommends that schools, kindergartens and other institutions organize events, such as conferences, to educate parents and teachers on the role of outdoor adventure play in enhancing children’s learning abilities and creative thinking.

Adolescents’ Experiences of a Developmental Coaching and Outdoor Adventure Education Program: Using Constructive-Developmental Theory to Investigate Individual Differences in Adolescent Meaning-Making and Developmental Growth

Using interpretative phenomenological analysis and Robert Kegan’s constructive-developmental theory, this study investigated how developmental stage shaped the subjective experiences of 13 adolescents ( Mage = 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.

Do outdoor adventure park activities increase visitors’ well-being?

Outdoor adventure activities have become more popular in recent decades, offering excitement and thrills to their consumers. There has been little research on whether or not outdoor adventure activities impact well-being, especially when these activities are consumed in an outdoor adventure park setting. Thus, this study examined the impact of outdoor adventure park visits on the well-being of (day) tourists by applying a quantitative between-subject pre-post-visit design (n = 349). Results suggested short-term effects of outdoor adventure park activities on well-being, which were also impacted by gender patterns. The study at hand broadened existing discussions and literature in terms of the understanding of outdoor adventure park effects on visitors by (1) providing a before-after comparison of outdoor adventure park guests’ well-being, (2) taking heed of socio-demographic predeterminations, and (3) gathering knowledge about how the duration of a stay at an outdoor adventure park effects changes in well-being.

Ultralight: Commercializing Lightweight Backpacks for Long-Distance Hiking

In 1994, American outdoor adventurers Ray and Jenny Jardine completed the Pacific Crest Trail, a long-distance hiking trail in Washington, Oregon, and California, carrying remarkably light packs. Ray Jardine published multiple guidebooks explaining how he and Jenny got to the 8.5 pound base weight, and offered guidelines so that other aspiring hikers could try the ‘Ray-Way’. Jardine’s approach, including both pack design and philosophies about going light, reshaped the outdoor community. Lead users such as Jardine changed the business of outdoor packs by developing their own designs and showing that there was a market for them among new ultralight enthusiasts. Rather than gear companies, it was discussions on internet forums that popularized ultralight packs and other equipment. This article traces the development of the ultralight (UL) concept in the United States from the 1990s to the early 2000s. By the 2000s, individuals and corporations found some success in commercializing both the pack design and concepts of UL, often integrating new lightweight synthetic materials into their designs. Over the course of two decades, backpackers and outdoorspeople, who numbered in the tens of millions, evolved from an attitude of scorn to curiosity to adoption of lightweight packs.

Outdoor Adventure Practice in Kenya: Injuries, Illnesses, Non-Medical Concerns, and Evacuation Profiles on Mt. Kenya

Background: Outdoor adventure is inevitably linked to risks that lead to injuries, psychological distress, illnesses, and even fatalities. Gathering detailed information on such occurrences and their contributing factors is a valuable component of risk management in outdoor programs. This study investigated the occurrence of injuries, illnesses, evacuation profiles, non-medical concerns, and near-miss events in outdoor adventure practice in Kenya.

Underground astronauts: Understanding the sporting science of speleology and its implications for HCI

In this paper, we present a qualitative study on speleology that aims to widen the current understanding of people's practices in Nature and identify a design space for technology that supports such practices. Speleology is a practice based on the discovery, study, and dissemination of natural cavities. Speleologists are amateur experts who often collaborate with scientists and local institutions to understand the geology, hydrology, and biology of a territory. Their skills are at the same time physical, technical, and theoretical; this is why speleology is defined as a ‘sporting science’. Being at the boundary between outdoor adventure sports and citizen science, speleology is an interesting case study for investigating the variety and complexity of activities carried out in the natural context. We interviewed 15 experienced speleologists to explore their goals, routines, vision of the outdoors, and attitude towards technology. From our study, it emerged that i) the excitement of discovery and the unpredictability of an explorative trip are the strongest motivations for people to engage in speleology; ii) physical skilfulness is a means for knowledge generation; iii) the practice is necessarily collective and requires group coordination. From these findings, an ambivalent attitude towards technology emerged: on the one hand, the scientific vocation of speleology welcomes technology supporting the development of knowledge; on the other hand, aspects typical of adventure sports lead to resistance to technology facilitating the physical performance. We conclude the article by presenting design considerations for devices supporting speleology, as well as a few reflections on how communities of speleologists can inspire citizen science projects.

‘What a bad idea to camp next to a train station’ – student-reported outcomes and evaluations of the outdoor adventure project ‘challenges’

ABSTRACT In a hope to foster their students' autonomy, capability of decision-making and problem-solving, and thus better equipping them for facing real-world challenges in later life, an increasing number of German schools have implemented so-called ‘challenges’. In these novel de-schooling projects, students get the chance to spend a longer period of time, usually two weeks, on a task of their own choice—most often trips by foot or bike over large distances and with limited money. This study explores students’ reports of their learning experience and benefits of participation, and the effects of various programme features. 763 students from 13 secondary schools took part in this first cross-sectional exploration of this new phenomenon. Voluntariness and the team aspect of the challenges showed to be the most central factors for students feeling they benefited from the experience. The results suggest that such extracurricular activities may benefit from less regulation by the school.

After the Plague: Revisiting Experiential and Adventure Education Outcome Variables After Covid-19

Background: The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way the world works and experiential and adventure education programs are no exception. These changes have significantly affected various outdoor adventure and experiential education (OAEE) programs and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Purpose: To explore changes in outcome variables that may be appropriate for OAEE programs to consider, both during and after the pandemic. Methodology/Approach: Using relevant research literature, outcome variables applicable to a post-pandemic society are identified. Findings/Conclusions: Traditional outcome variables include self-efficacy, resilience, and skill development, which are achieved through intentionally designed experiences based in different theoretical frameworks. Implications: Outdoor and experiential organizations should consider adapting a broader range of outcome variables in program offerings to address the changing needs of a post-pandemic society.

Building resilience through trail running: women’s perspectives

ABSTRACT Access to and benefits from leisure programmes are influenced by both personal and social factors. Within the context of leisure, understanding the gendered experience is important with regards to how adventure experiences are constructed, and how outcomes are measured and interpreted. The purpose of the current study was to determine if trail running develops and supports resilience in women, similar to other outdoor adventure programs. Participants indicated that they gained a sense of empowerment, bravery and tenacity through trail running, and reported a gain in transferable outcomes such as resilience, perspective and mental health supports that improved daily function. Resilience is an important factor for many client populations that seek leisure-based therapeutic interventions, such as within the field of therapeutic recreation. Insight into the nuances of how it is developed and supported in individuals is key when it comes to fostering resilience with clients.