Abstract
Welcome to Volume 39, Issue 1, of the Journal of Experiential Education (JEE). Included are six varied research articles focused on wilderness therapy, outdoor education leaders and students, as well as pedagogical outcomes and methods.
Gabrielsen, Fernee, Aasen, and Eskedal present a refreshingly candid exploration of important ethical, health-related, practical, and empirical shortcomings and lessons learned using a randomized control trial methodology, which they abandoned, in their study of adventure therapy in a Norwegian wilderness context. Also exploring wilderness therapy, Tucker, Norton, DeMille, and Hobson integrated assessment of physical and mental health changes following treatment using pre- and post-intervention measures of body mass index (BMI) and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to assess general health and body composition, coupled with the self-report version of the youth-outcome questionnaire to assess mental health. The authors found that both physical and mental health improved following a wilderness therapy program, and that impacts differed for overweight and obese versus underweight youth. Their findings support moving toward an integrated approach to primary care as well as research and assessment.
Field, Lauzon, and Meldrum compliment the extensive research on outdoor education participants with a phenomenological study describing the lived experience of outdoor education leaders in their chosen career. The authors identify a particular seasonally structured life cycle, impacts on various interpersonal relationships, a prevalent and demanding sense of being in transition, as well as mixed impressions of health and wellness among their study participants. Howard, O’Connell, and Lathrop investigated the impacts of an outdoor orientation program on new university students using a case study with structured focus groups. Participants reported developing a profound sense of connectedness with other students, peer relationships that helped them transition to life at university, and a strong sense of loyalty and commitment to the university. The authors discuss approaches to programming and implications for encouraging continued student engagement in the university community.
Barton, Bragg, Pretty, Roberts, and Wood used standardized measures pre- and post-wilderness expedition to show benefits in participant self-esteem and nature connectedness among adolescents, and females in the study showed greater increase in self-efficacy than did males. Finally, Sanders, Van Oss, and McGeary used mixed methods within a matched-sampling approach to compare structured and unstructured reflection in terms of changes in personal understanding and community self-efficacy among students following a service learning project within an occupational therapy course. Results indicate that structured reflection was correlated with significant increases in measured personal growth and personal self-efficacy, when compared with unstructured reflection.
On behalf of the JEE Editorial Team, we hope these articles inform your thinking, practice, teaching, and research.