The impact of outdoor youth programs on positive adolescent development: Study protocol for a controlled crossover trial (original) (raw)
Related papers
Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education, 2018
This paper describes a quasi-experimental crossover trial of an outdoor adventure program for Year 9 school students in Australia. Previous studies have reported a range of positive outcomes of outdoor camps and adventure programs, but cautious interpretation of some claims may be warranted due to limitations in research methods. This study examines a purpose-designed, seven-day outdoor adventure program intended to promote positive adjustment in young people. A total of 335 participants (aged 14
Outdoor education and the rehabilitation of at-risk adolescents
1984
Amongst alternative forms of treatment for adolescents facing social and emotional adjustment problems, Outdoor Education has been identifed as an effective vehicle for behaviour and attitude modification. An evaluation of a programme incorporating Outdoor Education principles within a residential institution for adolescent females was undertaken using a quasi-experimental design. Changes in self concepts, social adjustment and classroom behaviour of subjects who participated in the programme was compared with subjects who were involved in the regular school programme. Results indicated that the Outdoor Education programme was not instrumental in producing change in participants. However, it was concluded that problems affecting the internal validity of the study, contributed importantly to the negative results. Of particular concern was the fact that the Outdoor Education programme did not occur in the form in which it was initially described. Nevertheless, drawing on qualitative data gathered throughout the study, the potential worth of Outdoor Education in the rehabilitation of at-risk adolescents was considered.
Effects of an outdoor education intervention on the mental health of schoolchildren
Journal of Adventure Education & Outdoor Learning, 2011
This study aimed at examining the effects of an outdoor educational intervention on the mental health of schoolchildren. Two elementary schools participated (N = 230); one experimental school where the intervention was implemented, and the other a reference school. Demographic questions and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire were completed by the parents. An outdoor educational intervention was implemented at the experimental school, and the data collection was repeated after one year. The results point towards a small but non-significant improvement in mental health at the experimental school while adjusting for demographics. However, this effect was significantly moderated by gender: boys generally fared better than girls at the intervention school, relative to the reference school. The results indicate that it may be important to address gender issues when educational programmes are implemented in schools.
Elevating the Role of the Outdoor Environment for Adolescent Wellbeing in Everyday Life
Frontiers in Psychology
In light of concerns about adolescent mental health, there is a need to identify and examine potential pathways to wellbeing in their daily lives. Outdoor environments can offer multiple pathways to wellbeing through opportunities for restoration, physical activity and socialising. However, urbanisation and new lifestyles revolving around the home and the internet are changing young people’s access, use and relationship to the outdoor environment. The authors point out how the research related to adolescents’ outdoor environments is generally not treated with the same level of importance or as comprehensively as that for younger children. The aim of this paper is to pave the way for research and planning initiatives on everyday outdoor environments promoting the wellbeing of adolescents and the authors suggest ways in which perspectives from developmental psychology might inform the study of adolescents’ outdoor environments. The paper concludes by calling for an elevated focus on t...
Coefficient Omega (), Goodness of fit Indices (TLI & RNI), and Sample Size (N)………… 4 8-point Likert-type scale response ………………………….…... 5 Research Design……………………………………………………... 6 Comparison of the Internal Consistencies for the 8-factor, 24-item model between this study and the study by Neill, Marsh, & Richards (2003)………………………………………………………………… 7 LEQ-H results for the Experimental group (N=189)………………... 8 Homogeneity test between the Experimental and Control Groups (N=345)………………………………………………………………. 9 Post-tests Mean Scores of participants (N=345)…………………….. ABBREVIATIONS The following abbreviations are commonly used in this study: 1. CCAB Co-Curricular Activities Branch 2. ECAC Extra-Curricular Activities Centre 3. MOE Ministry of Education 4. LEQ Life Effectiveness Questionnaire 5. ES Effect Sizes 6. CRC Challenge Ropes Course ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine changes in primary five Singaporean pupils' life effectiveness based on a typical three-day adventurebased residential outdoor education programme organised by schools. Life effectiveness is a measure of how competent a person perceives himself or herself to be in a variety of areas necessary for success in life (Neill, Marsh & Richards, 2003). Comparison was made between pupils' life effectiveness prior to the threeday adventure-based programme and their life effectiveness after their participation. In addition, a control group was introduced into the research design to control for any baseline differences in their perceptions based on the LEQ-H. The participants of this study were 345 primary five students from four primary schools. The majority of the participants did not have similar experiences prior to the three-day adventure-based camping programmes provided for by the schools. 189 (M=75, F=114) of these students, with an average age of 10.6 years, participated in a three-day adventure-based school camping programme. The other 156 (M=89, F=67) students with an average age of 10.7 years, participated in this study as the control group. The Effect Size (ES) of this study (.21) was found to be similar with the size of changes reported in the findings of previous meta-analytic studies that reported an average ES of .21 (228 effect sizes, Hattie, Marsh, Neill, & Richards, 1997) for outdoor education programmes with school students. Neill (1999) also found that the smallest ESs for Outward Bound, Australia (OBA), school programmes (.26) which was consistent with findings for school-age participants experiencing smaller changes than adults in the Hattie et al., (1997) meta-analysis.
Shaping Positive Summertime Experiences for All Youth to Promote Healthy Development
Journal of Youth Development, 2020
Shaping Summertime Experiences: Opportunities to Promote Healthy Development and Well-Being for Children and Youth was released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in September 2019. This multidisciplinary committee authored report examines evidence on outcomes of summertime experiences for children and youth in 4 areas of well-being: (a) academic learning and enrichment, (b) social and emotional development, (c) physical and mental health, and (d) safety, risk-taking, and pro- and anti-social behaviors. Using a systems perspective, the committee looked at how social, physical, and economic environments interact to promote or limit access for children and youth to opportunities for positive development, healthy behaviors, safety, and well-being during the summer. The committee’s recommendations are intended to improve planning, administration, and coordination of summertime programs and services, improving availability, access, and equity of summertime p...
Perceptions and Experiences After Participating in a Two-Year Outdoor Adventure Programme
Physical Culture and Sport. Studies and Research, 2023
Physical activity levels are alarmingly low and new strategies must be adopted to prevent this trend. This study focuses on examining the impact of an outdoor adventure education programme on adolescents. The participants were 75 adolescent students aged 12-14. The programme lasted two school years. Students participated in extracurricular schoolyard outdoor activities and outdoor adventure activities conducted during the two one-day and one four-day trips in both school years. A qualitative methodology was used with data collected using semi-structured interviews. At the end of each school year, 12 students were interviewed. Data analysis revealed that the programme promoted basic psychological needs. More specifically, adolescents reported that schoolyard activities and outdoor adventure activities promoted their satisfaction with autonomy, competence and relatedness. Interestingly, the programme gave girls the autonomy to choose activities that promoted their competence and interaction with peers in a better way than a typical PE lesson. Modifying existing curricula with innovative practices or planning new ones could improve the general quality of life.
Statistical Analysis of the Benefits of Outdoor Adventure Activities Programmes
2011
There is a long-standing call for robust empirical evidence that a residential experience of outdoor adventure activities (OAA) is beneficial for the personal and social development (PSD) of young people. This call reflects the fact that consistently strong anecdotal and qualitative evidence of positive benefit is not mirrored in quantitative measures. To date, statistically significant measures of benefit, almost entirely made outside Scotland, range from negative to medium positive effect sizes. This quantitative research measures the benefit of a residential week of introductory OAA for the PSD of upper primary school children, with the overarching aim of contributing to the argument for full funding of a "residential" for every Scottish school pupil. In the absence of suitable questionnaires, a questionnaire tailored to the project was created and tested for validity and reliability. Despite poor reliability, but encouraged by the repeatability of the distribution of pupils' mean scores across administrations, the research was continued. Scores from over 300 pupils yielded a small, statistically significant improvement in their perception of their PSD skills from immediately before to immediately after their "residential", but then a large decline measured two-three months later. Underlying this trend, low-scoring pupils perceived greater benefit and retained this into the delayed test, girls demonstrated a more positive view of their skills than boys, and all pupils had greater belief in their social competence than in their confidence. Socioeconomic data clearly supported the presence of a school effect, there was some evidence of a euphoria effect around the time of the "residentials", and some evidence of improved understanding of the concepts embodied in the questionnaire over successive tests. Regarding the implications of these results for research methodology, it is suggested that inconsistency in quantitative measures of benefit relates, in part, to the presence of numerous variables and survey effects that are often poorly constrained. For teachers, it is suggested that the observed loss of benefit 2-3 months later might be overcome if the experience is better integrated into the curriculum. For education policy makers and funders, the implication is that only if the experience is available free of charge to all pupils will it be fully integrated and its full benefit realised. Outdoor centre managers are encouraged to maintain quantitative records of pupils' and teachers' feedback on benefit to strengthen the case for full funding.
Life Skills Transfer through Outdoor Education for Positive Youth Development
Universal Journal of Educational Research, 2020
Outdoor Education firstly emerged in the 19th century until the 20th century in the form of camping activities in schools, and it also has been developed in several universities. In Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore, Outdoor Education has been included in the school curriculum. Outdoor Education (OE) has also been developed in Indonesia during the development of various learning sources. Having around 17,504 islands, Indonesia becomes an archipelagic country with an area of 1.9 million km 2. Lying along the equator line, Indonesia has two seasons, namely rainy season and dry season. Indonesia also has many beautiful landscapes scattered in various regions that can be used as the media to implement OE activities such as forests, mountains, and rivers. With Indonesia's geographical conditions, OE is very suitable to be applied in the school curriculum. With the context of Positive Youth Development (PYD), there are many positive benefits for children involved in OE activities, namely life skills improvement, social interaction, and higher environmental concerns to protect the natural environment. This paper is ended with an OE program that integrates structured and deliberated life skills for the development of positive youth. Besides, the transfer process of life skills that occurs is discussed in depth.