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.