Outdoor adventure education for children in Scotland: quantifying the benefits

Abstract

Outdoor adventure education (OAE) is widely recognised for its ability to elicit personal and social development for its participants. However, quantitative evidence on which this recognition is based is frequently questioned, and is virtually absent in Scotland. To provide some of the first statistically determined evidence from Scotland that OAE benefits personal and social development, and through this understand concerns over the robustness of quantitative evidence, a survey of children 10–12 years old attending a residential week of OAE was undertaken. A small positive benefit was measured after the intervention, but this was lost 10 weeks later. The loss is attributed to euphoria at the time and limited integration of experiences into subsequent classwork. Teachers said they were reluctant to integrate outcomes when some pupils could not participate, commonly those from poorer families. Pupils who perceived themselves as having relatively poor personal and social skills appeared to gain most benefit and then lose the least. Since these pupils may well come from poorer families, funding to allow them to participate would permit integration of outcomes into classwork and benefit all pupils. The methodology highlights the need for carefully selected samples, use of an appropriate questionnaire and control of numerous variables.

Keywords:

• adventure
• Scotland
• quantitative methodologies
• personal and social development

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Pete Higgins and Simon Beames for their help and advice during the course of this project and the many pupils, teachers and heads of outdoor centres who greatly facilitated the data collection.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Roger A. Scrutton

Roger A. Scrutton is Honorary Research Fellow in Outdoor Education at Moray House School of Education in the University of Edinburgh. His research interests are in measuring the benefits and understanding the processes of affective and cognitive development in children and young people on outdoor adventure and field studies courses. Prior to joining the Outdoor Education Group he was a long-standing member of academic staff in the University’s School of Geosciences.