In Health and Physical Education (HPE) of the "New Zealand Curriculum," Outdoor Education (OE) is one of the seven key areas of learning. It has been taught in various forms because it includes a whole range of outdoor adventure activities and leisure pursuits. To better understand/interpret its nature and value in a New Zealand…

Most previous research on residential outdoor environmental education (ROEE) programs has focused on the outcomes associated with student participation in these learning experiences. In contrast to these previous studies, this research takes an interpretivist approach to understand how work as a short-term instructor in a ROEE setting may also…

Connecting to nature and spending time outdoors as children have been indicated as predictors of environmentally responsible behavior. This study examined whether a residential outdoor environmental education (ROEE) program contributed to the development of children's connection to nature and their attitudes and involvement in spending time…

While many studies have investigated environmental education programs, fewer have focused on the longer-term effects of these interventions. This study provides insight into the longer-term influences of an earth education summer camp in Nova Scotia, Canada. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview process with seven parents of…

Outdoor orientation programming as a means for orientating students to college has experienced significant growth and expanded use over the past decade. An increase in rigorous research has accompanied this growth as colleges and universities seek to understand and meet the needs of young adults in transition. In this study, two research questions…

Research suggests that family camp experiences can enhance family relationships. Families often participate in family camp experiences for a vacation, as part of a therapeutic and/or intervention strategy, or to gain general enrichment or engagement. To better understand the impacts of family camp experiences on family functioning, a mixed-methods…

The study determined whether a residential outdoor education program in Rockford, Illinois provided a long lasting effect on those students who as 5th graders participated in a week long experience in 1963 or 1966. The hypotheses developed were: outdoor educational experiences provide a long lasting effect on those who have had the experience;…

This report examines self-concept and wilderness anxiety among fifth- and sixth-grade students attending three summer camps operated in different regions of Kentucky by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR). Program content at each 1-week camp was standard, consisting of a set of outdoor experiences and instruction. More…

Determined the effects of a highly structured and intensive 10-day camp program incorporating behavior modification techniques on 111 boys and 16 girls, ages 6-12, with severe behavior problems. Results of pre- and posttesting indicate that brief, intensive, and specialized camping programs can significantly increase these children's self-esteem.…

To examine the impact of Camp Limberlost, a two-week residential camp for socially and economically disadvantaged children, various methods were used to obtain evaluation data in the form of parental feedback on the 1982 and 1983 camps. The four research objectives were (1) to identify changes in children resulting from the camp experience, (2) to…

The 4 Eckerd Wilderness camps are designed to rehabilitate the delinquent, emotionally problemed child between 8 and 14 years of age. Through a contract between the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services and the Eckerd Foundation, the camps provide specialized services to 105 youths per year with budgeting for an average length…

Fifth and sixth grade students from the State College Area School District (Pennsylvania) participated in a 5-day resident outdoor education program to investigate the effectiveness of such a program on the development of cognitive learning processes. Students were divided into experimental and control groups of one fifth and one sixth grade class…

Research was conducted at Camp ASCCA (Alabama's Special Camp for Children and Adults) to investigate the effects of an 11-week outdoor residential camp experience with handicapped campers on their self-esteem, attitude toward handicapped individuals, and locus of control scores of first year counselors with no previous experience. Self-esteem was…

Eight abstracts provide key points of papers presented at the 1985 meeting of the Camping Research Section of the American Camping Association. Topics discussed were: the effects of a one-week resident camp experience on environmental attitudes, goals and accomplishments of the National Outdoor Education Consortium for Research and Evaluation, the…

Two methods were used to identify important operational constraints and their potential impact on special education camps: a review of current literature and programs using content analysis and the development of day and resident camping experiences. In the content analysis, a process of evolution through trial and error was seen as leading to…