An outdoor adventure education/school partnership program promotes social connectedness, self-efficacy in leadership competencies, and a stronger sense of self among adolescent girlsThis study investigated the overall effectiveness and value of multiple extended outdoor adventure education (OAE) experiences as an option for schools interested in promoting noncognitive factors in adolescent students. Noncognitive factors refer to attributes, dispositions, social skills, attitudes, and intrapersonal resources which support student success. OAE uses remote outdoor settings for such adventure activities as backpacking and sea kayaking to foster skill development and personal growth. While previous research documents the effectiveness of OAE in promoting noncognitive factors, most OAE studies conducted in the U.S. examined stand-alone programs (such as Outward Bound and National Outdoor Leadership School) versus programs linked with classroom learning. This research was designed to address this gap by investigating the use of OAE with intact groups of students from the same school.
Students, teachers, and administrators from an all-girls’ school participated in individual interviews focusing on their experiences and insights relating to their school’s OAE program. This program sends nearly all students on six-day/five-night backcountry expeditions during their 7th, 9th and 11th grades. The students travel in small groups of 8–12 students, 2–3 National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) instructors, and a faculty member from the school. All student interviewees participated in a backpacking expedition within the previous 12 months. Student interviews, lasting between 20 and 45 minutes, focused on highlights and challenges of the OAE experience, important lessons, and impacts on relationships. Questions asked during the faculty interviews focused on how the OAE experiences influenced school culture, classroom and learning behaviors, and relationships among and between students and faculty. The interviews were audiotaped and transcribed. Data analysis focused on identifying primary themes and connections among themes.
Outcome-related themes emerging from the analysis included stronger social connections, self-efficacy in leadership competencies, and an overall reappraisal of individual and group identities. Of these, social connectedness was the dominant theme among all grade cohorts. These deeper social connections included peer-to-peer relationships as well as student-faculty relationships. Student interviewees identified their shared experience of challenge and the “being away” experience as factors in bringing them closer together. The ‘being away’ included a distancing from the distractions of technology, along with a suspension of normal social roles and daily home- and school-related stress. Many of the girls cited lessons in leadership and increased confidence and skills in taking on leadership roles as outcomes of their OAE experience. They also cited a re-evaluation of their sense of self, especially in relation to their beliefs of competence, potential and personal values. Several girls mentioned a new appreciation for nature and discovering that they could be “comfortable being uncomfortable.”
Students from each cohort identified ways in which lessons from their OAE experiences helped them succeed in school. Examples included improved decision-making and communication skills which helped them navigate collaborative projects and interpersonal conflicts.
A primary advantage of school-related OAE programs over stand-alone programs is the opportunity to re-visit, reinterpret, and reinforce the lessons learned during the backcountry experiences. Additionally, while the lessons learned support the educational needs of adolescents, they also foster a sense of school community. This research report includes a discussion about how the outcomes from school-related OAE experiences can contribute to school success, both individually and collectively.
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