42,192 research outputs found
Paraphrases and summaries: A means of clarification or a vehicle for articulating a preferred version of student accounts?
The use of group discussions as a means to facilitate learning from experiences is well documented in adventure education literature. Priest and Naismith (1993) assert that the use of the circular discussion method, where the leader poses questions to the participants, is the most common form of facilitation in adventure education. This paper draws on transcripts of facilitation sessions to argue that the widely advocated practice of leader summaries or paraphrases of student responses in these sessions functions as a potential mechanism to control and sponsor particular knowledge(s). Using transcripts from recorded facilitation sessions the analysis focuses on how the leader paraphrases the studentsâ responses and how these paraphrases or âformulationsâ function to modify or exclude particular aspects of the studentsâ responses. I assert that paraphrasing is not simply a neutral activity that merely functions to clarify a student response, it is a subtle means by which the leader of the session can, often inadvertently or unknowingly, alter the studentâs reply with the consequence of favouring particular knowledge(s). Revealing the subtle work that leader paraphrases perform is of importance for educators who claim to provide genuine opportunities for students to learn from their experience
Brain Resilience: Shedding Light into the Black Box of Adventure Processes
Understanding of the active beneficial processes of adventure learning remains elusive. Resilience may provide one foundation for understanding the positive adaptation derived from Outdoor Adventure Education (OAE) and Adventure Therapy (AT) programming. From a neurological perspective, resilience may be explained by the brainâs innate capability to adapt its structure (growth of new cells) and function (re-wiring of existing cells) directly in response to environmental exposure. This paper explores the role of known brain responses to experiences analogous to adventure programming based on themes from a key literature review. The fundamental paradigm of âstress and recoveryâ contends that a balance of neurobiological processes help realign psychosocial equilibrium in the short term and over time. Through progressive, repeated exposure to custom-built outdoor challenges, the concept of brain resilience may provide a scientific platform for understanding the mechanisms of achieving meaningful, authentic and healthy outcomes. It could also help to begin to illuminate a section of the black box of adventure processes
Taking things into account: learning as kinaesthetically-mediated collaboration
This paper presents research on participant learning processes in challenge course workshops using the framework known as Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). CHAT views learning as a shared, social process rather than as an individual event. Participants\u27 experiencing and learning was mediated by the physical and social conditions of the experience and by the contributions of other participants. The concept of mediation suggests that the meaning participants make of experience is not an individual event, but instead is enacted as a creative, collaborative process using cultural and institutional tools. The recognition that people\u27s physical, social and reflective learning processes are mediated, challenges longstanding assumptions about the radical autonomy of learners, about âdirect experience,â and about the centrality of independent, cognitive reflection in experiential learning. Empirical data showing processes of mediation are presented, and the implications for research and theory are discussed
How Do Adventure-Based Team Building Programs Produce Change? A Case Study.
Adventure-based team building programs are commonly used for the purposes of creating positive change in individuals and groups of people. Nevertheless, the body of research on these programs is largely composed of quantitative studies that examine their efficacy and outcomes, but fail to address questions regarding how these programs facilitate positive change. Answering past scholarsâ call for theory-based research that explores processes, the present study utilized a qualitative case study design to explore how a challenge course program facilitated interpersonal and intrapersonal change among a group of post-secondary students employed as Residence Life Staff at a mid-sized Canadian university. Data were collected via researcher observations of the program, focus group interviews, individual interviews, and document collection, and analyzed through inductive and comparative analysis. Results revealed that the program facilitated increases in group sociability and participantsâ interpersonal relationships, communication and confidence. Program elements that facilitated those changes, such as an informal atmosphere and an element of challenge, were also identified. Kurt Lewinâs (1947a) theory of planned change was utilized as a theoretical framework for understanding the process of change, which illuminated the importance of participantsâ pre-program readiness for change (i.e., unfreezing) and the sustainment of those changes post-program (i.e., freezing). Lewinâs conceptualization of field theory and group dynamics offered further relevant theoretical insights. Findings have implications for future participants, practitioners, and researchers, and make a theoretical case for the continued use of Lewinâs theory of planned change as a framework in the field of adventure and experiential education
Contact Theory as a Framework for Experiential Activities as Diversity Education: An Exploratory Study
Participation in experiential education is said to enhance people\u27s appreciation for diversity. This article reports on a study that found significant changes in participants\u27 attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors following a nonformal diversity education program using adventure-based and community-service activities. Additionally, hypothesized program conditions, as outlined by contact theory, were significantly predictive of outcomes, although majority and minority participants differed on their perceptions of these conditions. These findings suggest that experiential activities may be considered a viable approach to diversity education in nonformal settings, assuming key conditions are met. Implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed
The evolution of experiential learning: Tracing lines of research in the JEE
This essay introduces a collection of past articles from the Journal of Experiential Education (JEE) focused on the concept of experiential learning. It outlines the historical trajectory of the concept beginning with human relations training practices beginning in 1946, as it came to be understood as a naturally occurring psychological process and a grounding for pedagogical reforms. The eight articles included in the issue reflect the way JEE authors have contended with problems arising from the conceptâs departure from its origins in practice. We suggest that experiential learningâs evolution into a general theory was accomplished by decoupling it from its roots in a particular social practice and ideology, and then focusing on the conceptâs technical problems. It is now important for researchers to revisit assumptions underpinning current theory and practice, situate research on experiential learning in wider practical and scholarly traditions, and develop new vocabularies concerning the relationship between experience and learning in educational programs
The Lia Fund: An Adventure in Philanthropy
Randy Lia Weil made two highly unusual decisions about the 5,000 to 5 million. This is the story of what The Lia Fund did, how they did it, and what they learned. It describes the impact of this type of grantmaking on some of the most important issues of our time. It also looks at what foundations and individual donors might learn from this adventure in philanthropy
Aid, education and adventure: Thai womenâs participation in a development scholarship scheme.
Development scholarships â endowments that provide individuals from so-called
âdevelopingâ nations with opportunities to undertake tertiary training abroad â are an
historically important, yet increasingly contested, form of educational aid. However,
meaningful debates about the value of this type of aid are limited by a lack of research
about the impact that it has. The experience of female development scholars is a
particularly neglected area of research. This article provides a qualitative exploration of
the experiences of twelve Thai women who have completed a postgraduate degree
through a scholarship scheme funded by the New Zealand Agency for International
Development (NZAID). This research highlights a number of benefits associated with
these schemes, including greater emotional autonomy, increased cross-cultural
knowledge, new professional networks, new work skills, and improved English-language competency. Negative outcomes identified include career disruption, new unwanted
work responsibilities, and dissatisfaction with aspects of life in their country of origin
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