Many outdoor programs ask young people to keep a journal. But what happens when reading, writing and public speaking become a central part of the adventure? This study looked at a program built on that idea.
Adventure Risk Challenge runs month-long summer courses for high school students. Most come from rural California and have had little access to outdoor experiences or academic enrichment programs. The researchers analyzed program records from 2005 to 2020. These included before-and-after tests and surveys from more than 250 students, end-of-course questionnaires and interviews with 19 former students.
Between backpacking trips of up to a week, rock climbing and rafting, students spend about four hours a day on literacy and environmental lessons. They write poetry and personal essays and read short stories and novels. At the end, they perform their writing at a public community reading and at a graduation for their families.
What they found:
- Test scores rose. At the start and end of the course, students took a reading, grammar and essay-writing test modeled on state graduation and college entrance exams. Scores rose on every part. The largest gain, about 9 percentage points, was on the college-entrance-style questions. Essay scores rose by about half a point on a four-point scale.
- Students saw themselves more positively. A survey asked students to rate their own strengths. By the end, they rated themselves higher on commitment to learning, such as motivation and enjoying reading. They also rated themselves higher on social skills, such as making decisions and getting along with others. The biggest rise was in positive identity: self-esteem, sense of purpose and optimism about the future.
- Students tied their confidence to literacy. In questionnaires and interviews, students described becoming more confident writers, readers and speakers. Some who had disliked writing came to see it as a strength. Several found speaking in public much easier, and some valued having a place to write without being judged or graded.
- Students carried the changes into school. Former students described taking more advanced classes, joining clubs, keeping up with homework and applying to college. Some reused their course essays in college applications.
There was no comparison group, so the researchers describe these as changes linked to the program, not proof that it caused them.
What this means for your practice
The researchers recommend that outdoor programs build reading, writing and public speaking into their courses, using this program as a model. The study looked at the program as a whole and did not test its parts separately. The ideas below are examples of how the program does it.
- Ask students to write about their growth. Students in this study linked their confidence to writing about their experiences. The program asks each student to write a reflective essay about how they changed during the month. Some students later reused these essays in college applications.
- Give writing a real audience. Students perform their poems and essays at a public community reading and at a family graduation, after practice and coaching. Many students reported that public speaking became easier.
- Connect outdoor and academic challenges. Instructors compare reaching a mountain summit to speaking in public or writing a hard essay. The researchers believe this kind of reflection encourages students to take positive risks in school.
- Make writing low pressure. Students said they valued having a place to write without being judged or graded.
The Bottom Line
The researchers analyzed 15 years of tests, surveys, questionnaires and interviews from high school students in Adventure Risk Challenge. The program blends backpacking, climbing and rafting with daily lessons in writing, reading and public speaking. By the end of the month, students scored higher on tests of reading, grammar and essay writing. They also rated themselves higher on commitment to learning, social skills and, most of all, positive feelings about themselves and their future. In questionnaires and interviews, students linked their growing confidence to writing about their experiences and sharing that writing aloud. For educators, the study offers a model for making reading, writing and speaking a serious part of an outdoor program.