A Summary
Paul 0. Reynolds
My project evolved as a result of ray background and interests
in outdoor education. Having observed the wilderness as a positive learning
environment I was curious to observe the teaching methodology and the students'
responses to this identified teaching methodology in tills unique setting.
My question, 'What are students' attitudes and perceptions or learning
when participating in an outdoor education program?', ermines these issues.
I chose evaluative research ror this project as a means to develop
meaning from the data and observations. My subjects included 46 students
and 6 parents from the school at which I am employed. I also observed 4
instructors from a camp to which I took the group. To begin my preparations
for the camping program I organized the students into mixed gender, cooperative
activity groups. I designed a program of outdoor education activities that
the camp staff would instruct. I focused the study on two activities, canoeing
and orienteering, to obtain the students' reactions to the methods of instruction
and the success that was achieved.
The dab sources and analyses came from the author's notes and
observations of verbal instructions by tile instructors, from the students'
performances at the activities, from conversations with students and parents
as they discussed their observations of the activities and from the written
responses of the students to a brief questionnaire.
The units or analysis came from a comparison of lessons taught in canoeing
and orienteering. The instructional methods, the contents of the lessons
and the students' responses and successes were examined.The volume of collected
data had to be edited to a workable and representative level, which proved
to be an interesting process. The results were unanimously positive so
appropriate language that best communicated the consensus of the group
needed to be presented. The conclusions that emerged are that the
lecture method, followed by student interaction was most effective for
the short duration of the activities, that students gained confidence quickly
through the 'hands on" or "learn by doing' format and that this format
provided sufficient time for a comfortable degree or satisfaction at skill
development for each participant. In conclusion this first attempt at evaluative
research has proved to be both interesting and educational. [am especially
pleased that the students introduced to this form of education had a positive
experience and would want to do it again.! recognize that there are many
more issues to address in outdoor education and that this study is only
the beginning.