Overview

The purpose of this study was to investigate postsecondary faculty teaching in outdoor and adventure education programs from a qualitative perspective. The instructor's role in instructional processes has been recognized as important in the fields of outdoor leadership, outdoor education, and adventure education in proprietary and not-for-profit entities, yet studies have not been conducted that specifically focused on faculty teaching in postsecondary settings. This study was international in nature, with participants from higher education institutions in Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. The study utilized the Educational Criticism and Connoisseurship methodology as a qualitative research lens. Data were gathered through first-hand observations of faculty teaching, audio-taping, personal interviews, hand notes, and document analysis. Each faculty person was observed teaching a minimum of fifty-nine hours. Observations took place in classroom and field settings as part of courses in guiding leadership, ski tour guiding, backpacking and natural history, teaching skills, and exercise physiology during an Eco-Challenge activity. The findings of the study indicate that the participants viewed themselves as both outdoor leaders and educators. The faculty in this study were master practitioners in six overarching areas of teaching: the curriculum, the teaching environment, the learner's intensity, holistic assessment, instructional intentions, and adaptability to variables in the teaching setting. The emergent themes from the study led to the formulation of a six-dimensional theory of postsecondary outdoor adventure education. The implications for practice from the findings hold relevance for undergraduate students in outdoor leadership, outdoor education, adventure education programs, and for interdisciplinary postsecondary teaching.

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9781243515667

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