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ERIC Number: EJ853338
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Mar
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1053-8259
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Creating Outcomes through Experiential Education: The Challenge of Confounding Variables
Ewert, Alan; Sibthorp, Jim
Journal of Experiential Education, v31 n3 p376-389 Mar 2009
There is an increasing interest in the field of experiential education to move beyond simply documenting the value of experiential education programs and, instead, develop more evidence-based models for experiential education practice (cf., Gass, 2005; Henderson, 2004). Due in part to the diversity of experiential education programs, participants, goals, designs, and specific program experiences, there exists a broad constellation of variables that can impact the results of studies using an evidence-based approach. While many of these variables are accounted for through effective research designs, others are largely uncontrollable, yet remain influential. These uncontrollable variables can often distort or confound the results from research and evaluation efforts. This paper categorizes some of the most common confounding variables into three temporally based categories: Precursor, Concomitant, and Postexperience. Following this, suggestions for researchers and evaluators in addressing these variables are provided.
Association for Experiential Education. 3775 Iris Avenue Suite 4, Boulder, CO 80301. Tel: 866-522-8337; Fax: 303-440-9581; e-mail: publications@aee.org; Web site: http://www.aee.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A