An Empirical Look at Walsh and Golins' Adventure Education Process Model: Relationships between Antecedent Factors, Perceptions of Characteristics of an Adventure Education Experience, and Changes in Self-Efficacy

Abstract

This study looks at essential aspects of the Walsh and Golins (1976)model of the Outward Bound process in the context of current adventure education literature and theory and seeks to test the relationships between participant antecedent factors, perceptions of characteristics of an adventure experience, and self-efficacy Findings supported the importance of participant antecedent factors in the adventure experience. Participant motives and expectations were most strongly related to perceptions of characteristics of the adventure experience (personal empowerment and learning relevance). Perceptions of personal empowerment and learning relevance were found to be associated with changes in reported self-efficacy. The anticipated direct link between the antecedent factors and the changes in self-efficacy was not supported by this study. Additionally, a decrease in socially desirable responses was reported at course completion. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Adventure education
• outdoor recreation
• empirical model testing