Academic literature on the topic 'Adventure recreation'

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between dominant brain areas, alexithymia and risk-taking behavior levels of nature and adventure recreation participants. The study was carried out on 652 outdoor adventure recreation participants in different categories (air, land, water) between the years 2016–2017. After meeting normality and homogeneity of data obtained from participants of nature and adventure recreation, it was based on the mediator influence analysis method, which was established by Baron and Kenny (1986, 1176), in order to determine whether alexithymia and extrovert thinking play a mediator role in the relationship between brain dominance and risk-taking behavior. In addition, the significance of stepwise regression analysis results was checked by Sobel Test. The results show that nature and adventure recreation participants with a high level of alexithymia and with extrovert personality tend to take more risks.

This study investigated the death anxiety (DA) scores of participants in outdoor-adventure recreational (OAR) activities, and the relationship of the DA scores to several demographic features and experience of DA. The study included 589 individuals with various leisure-time OAR experience levels (131 women, 458 men; Mage=29.79±9.64). Their sports included climbing (n=200), scuba diving (n=142), and paragliding (n=247). DA was measured by the Thorson-Powell Death Anxiety Scale. Overall, the DA scores were low, with no significant differences between OAR activities. However, the DA scores were affected by age and gender, and length of OAR experience. More specifically, the DA scores were highest for 18-28-year-old participants, women, and participants with 4-6 years of middle-level OAR experience. Previous negative DA experiences did not increase the DA scores.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, 2007.
Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-07, Section: A, page: 3144. Adviser: Alan W. Ewert. Title from dissertation home page (viewed Apr. 10, 2008).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies, 2008.
Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on May 11, 2009). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-08, Section: A, page: 3317. Adviser: Alan Ewert.

The Life Effectiveness of Wilderness Adventure Leaders Cory Maria Dack Southern Illinois University Carbondale Introduction The call of the wild has long been accepted as a true phenomenon by mankind. Throughout history countless scores of women and men have written novels, poems, and symphonies in-spired by the ubiquitous reach of nature. As Sigurd Olson once wrote, "Wilderness to the people... is a spiritual necessity, an antidote to the high pressure of modern life, a means of regaining serenity and equilibrium" (Olson & Backes, 2001, p. 61). Eventually, musings on the powerful effects of nature branched out from the realm of artistic expression and began to take root in the domain of science and research as well. As the academic world has begun to quantify the positive benefits nature has on those who immerse themselves in the wilderness, the populace has simulta-neously looked to nature for an antidote to the ever increasing stressors of life. Wilderness adventure programs are one medium that exposes participants to the numerous benefits associated with nature, including an increase in overall life effectiveness and an increase in holistic well being. Wilderness adventure programs can be recreational, educational, developmental, or therapeutic in purpose (Hans, 2000). Programming can range from an afternoon of recreation in a city park, to a week-long stay at a summer camp, to a 45 day backpacking trip through the arctic. Whatever the level or duration of the program, participants are often attracted to wilderness adventure programming by the inherent benefits of adventure and personal growth. A vast array of nature based benefits research exists (see Brown, 1999; Ewert, 1985, 1989; Klint, 1999; Rog-genbuck & Driver, 2000; Stein & Lee, 1995). Literature concerning these benefits often focuses on researching, testing, and measuring the benefits participants receive after completing a wilderness adventure program. While most of the research has shown that participating in a wilderness adventure program increases the self-confidence, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and overall life effectiveness of participants (see Caulkins, White, & Russell, 2006; Goldenberg, McAvoy, & Klenosky, 2005; and Hattie, Marsh, Neill, & Richards, 1997), there is a deficit of research on the benefits and outcomes that occur to those who guide or lead wilderness adventure programs. To truly understand how wilderness adventure program-ming affects the human mind, body, and spirit, there needs to be more research that focuses specifically on the outcomes experi-enced by those who lead wilderness adventure programs. Methods Research was conducted at two camps located in northern Minnesota over the course of the summer during the 2009 camp season. The two camps, Camp Vermilion and Camp Hiawatha, are church affiliated and offer week long canoe adventures, houseboat trips, and residential in-camp experiences. The proposed research was based off of the following research questions: a) Do in-camp counselors experience an increase in life effectiveness after working at a summer camp over the course of one summer? b) Is there a difference between the life effectiveness reported by first-year in-camp counselors compared to the life effectiveness reported by returning in-camp counselors? b) Is there a difference between the life effectiveness reported by female in-camp counselors compared to the life effectiveness reported by male in-camp counselors? Quantitative data was collected through the use of the Life Effectiveness Questionnaire (LEQ). The LEQ was given to the in-camp counselors at the start of the summer during staff training. At the end of the summer the LEQ was then re-administered to the same research participants. Qualitative data was assessed via a short answer questionnaire that asked open-ended questions about the experiences the research participants had while working at their respective camps. This short answer questionnaire was administered at the end of the summer with the second LEQ. Results After the research data were collected, the data were run through a series of dependent t-tests and independent t-tests. The t-tests were used to compare the scores of the pre-summer LEQs to the scores of the post-summer LEQs, the scores of first-year in-camp counselors and returning in-camp counselors, and the scores of female and male in-camp counselors. The results were as follows: The changes in the results of the pre and post-test LEQ scores were t (11) = .102, p = .102. The results of the changes in post-test LEQ scores between new wilderness adventure leaders and returning wilderness adventure leaders was t (18) = .713, p = .485. Female post-test LEQ scores and male post-test LEQ scores resulted in changes of t (18) = 1.256, p = .225. The difference between post-test and pre-test mean LEQ scores was .58 standard deviations, or, a .58 effect size. The qualitative data yielded by the short-answer questionnaires were assessed using the techniques of enumeration and constant comparison. The following themes were pulled from the self-reported answers of the research participants: Increased Self-Confidence, Spiritual Connections, Personal Changes/Growth, Awareness of Strengths/ Weaknesses, Positive Community, and a 100% Job Recommendation. Participants reported that after the summer they felt that they had experienced Increased Self-Confidence. One participant wrote, "My leadership has grown incredibly - I was encouraged to own my authority and truly lead this summer. I have watched my confidence and competence grow." Another participant reported, "On my application I wrote that I wanted to gain confidence in myself and the things I do. I believe I have gained tons more than I started with." Spiritual Connections were identified from research participants who reported, "I feel like I've discovered a deeper sense of peace," "I have grown spiritually and more confident in myself," and "I don't think I would be ready, physically, emotionally, or spiritually, for my next year of school if I wasn't here this summer." Awareness of Strengths/Weaknesses were supported by self-reported responses such as, "I am stronger! I learned this summer that in order to make myself stronger I had to be vulnerable and expose my fears and anxieties." Personal Changes/Growth were evident in a participant who reported, "This summer I pushed myself farther than before in my leadership skills...it has been tough at times, but at that time is when I have experienced the most growth." Many research participants reported that they felt like they were a member of a Positive Community. One participant reported, "I have never laughed so hard, had so much fun, yet felt so proud of [what]... we were doing at camp." Another stated, "It has been an amazing experience... seeing how a community of such random personalities can become so close and grow so much in... 9 short weeks." Lastly, one participant wrote, "I am more steady. I feel loved. I feel like there is a place I belong." After reviewing all of the short answer surveys, it was found that 100% of the research participants stated that they would recommend a job as a wilderness adventure leader to others. Participants stated that "The chance to serve in this capacity is incredible," and "I hope that others are able to have the same opportunity to work with youth and learn, teach, and experience [this] leadership position." Another participant reported, "This is the best job I could ever ask for and is an amazing experience you can't find anywhere else." And finally, while reflecting on the experience of being a wilderness adventure leader, one participant reported, "It is a life changing experience!" Discussion and Implications Although the t-tests did not yield statistically significant results, the research still yielded a moderate change in effect size (.58). The self-reported qualitative data from the post-summer surveys support the idea that there are many positive benefits to be gained from being a wilderness adventure leader. This qualitative data is important, as it shows that the research participants themselves feel very strongly that being a wilderness adventure leader leads to a variety of experienced positive benefits. The moderate effect size and the self-reported qualitative data both support a call for more research in this area. Further research of greater depth could lead to a higher effect size, as well as to greater statistical significance. Previous research also reveals a need for further research in this area. Although there is a copious amount of research on the outcomes that occur after participating in a wilderness adventure program, there is a lack of studies that focus specifically on how being part of a wilderness adventure program can benefit a wilder-ness adventure guide or leader. Hattie et al. (1997) stress an overall need for more wilderness adventure research in their meta-analysis of over 96 different studies on wilderness adventure programs. After noting the diverse multitude of results found in the different studies in their meta-analysis, the authors concluded that more re-search in all of the areas of wilderness adventure programming must be done in order to validate the necessity of the existence of outdoor programming (Hattie et al.). Only through the continuation of research in this field will wilderness educators and leaders be able to conclusively offer evidence that wilderness adventure pro-grams are a vital and important part of human development.

This investigation attempts to determine the value of outdoor adventure education for educational leaders based upon leadership qualities identified in both the Educational Leadership and Outdoor Adventure Education (OAE) literature. Theoretical underpinnings of outdoor adventure education and claimed leadership outcomes resulting from OAE participation are identified and investigated. Three leadership skills identified as both OAE outcomes and constructs valuable to educational leaders (Self-efficacy, Collaboration, and Trust) are the focus of this mixed methodology study.

Research questions are proposed and addressed using mixed methodology. The anonymous online Outdoor Adventure Education Survey was developed based on previous research (Gareis & Tschannen-Moran, 2004; Rhodes & Martin, 2013; Tschannen-Moran & Barr, 2004; Tschannen-Moran & Gareis, 2004) and with input from educational leadership and OAE experts. Qualitative measures, including participant focus groups and key informant interviews, were developed with the advice of OAE and educational leadership experts before implementation.

Volunteers at a one-day OAE ropes challenge course participated in the anonymous online Outdoor Adventure Education Survey one week after course implementation of a one-day ropes challenge course and focus group discussions occurred within one month in order to allow for reflection, a major component of Experiential Learning Theory. Facilitators and group leaders participated in individual key informant interviews at irregular intervals after implementation.

Analysis revealed that OAE impacted self-efficacy in ways that are valuable to leadership, increased participants’ collaboration, and generally increased trust among members of each group. Results varied based on the obstacles encountered and by the group participating, but were positive overall. Additional outcomes included participants’ increased awareness of the importance of open communication, including active listening, and shared decision-making while solving problems collaboratively.

Thesis (Psy. D.)--Wheaton College Graduate School, 2004.
Abstract. "In an attempt to bolster active family interaction, the Big Idea Foundation ... designed a set of activities based on the principles of experiential education"--Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 33-38).

The provision of outdoor adventure leisure experiences for young people is a complex service task and it requires the careful management of participants' heterogeneous needs in a physically demanding and dynamic risk environment Research into the quality of this experience and its management is limited. It typically presents an adult perspective of young people's needs, without reference to the young people themselves. Practitioners and researchers alike acknowledge that the few studies conducted with young people to date suffer from the lack of clear theoretical and empirical underpinning, therefore this thesis, which draws on the conceptual basis for SERVQUAL, has a clear theoretical foundation. Also, many extant studies are quantitative and do not elicit richer, qualitative data from these young people and thus there is little deep understanding of their experiences to guide management. The literature on service quality links to that on customer satisfaction: in this thesis, the two are explicitly conjoined as a precursor to the field research here. A key contribution made by this thesis is to demonstrate that the main drivers of participants' satisfaction are based on elements not previously identified with clarity. These elements are their interactions with staff, their interactions with one another in their own peer 'socialscape' and their own performance in developing skilled leisure consumption. The explicit identification of a 'socialscape' is a particular feature of the research findings here. This thesis analyses qualitative perceptions of service quality from participants, employees and management, and evaluates how service quality and customer satisfaction are managed in a specific organisational context in outdoor adventure leisure. Firstly, watersports participants were interviewed before, observed during, and interviewed after their courses, to establish whether they felt their expectations were met and how this might have been achieved. Secondly, staff were interviewed to establish their perceptions of young people's experiences of the service, and the critical aspects of managing these experiences appropriately. The critical aspect of managing these experiences is that instructors must have specific personal qualities, summarised in this thesis as 'intrinsic service values', and be able to work in an empowered culture, where the changing physical service environment requires them to make flexible, autonomous decisions to ensure participants have an appropriate experience. There are additional findings, which conclude that the ADVENTUREQUAL Conceptual Gap Model is a more appropriate reconceptualisation of the SERVQUAL Conceptual Gap Model, to inform this study of young people's outdoor adventure leisure. This thesis thus provides both conceptual development and understanding, and managerial insight in a specific context.

Although the need to compensate life in the rush and buzz of the city made its numerous inhabitants seek quiet recreation outdoors, some of them sought recreation as well as excitement, whose source were adventures inspired by their ideas of the Wild West. In the past century, its heroes, real or fictional, have become the symbols of the bearers of a distinctive and unique subculture called tramping, popular exclusively in Czechia (and partly Slovakia). In spite of the unique lifestyle, tramps could not do outdoors without refreshment, food and drink, which were provided by taverns and pubs in villages and secluded places near their campsites. Those businesses that proved successful and effective from the perspective of our tramps and men of prairies became known as tramp taverns. It was mainly there, especially during various excesses, that their god, Pajda, had to stand by them.

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council's (WTTC) most recent reports, one in every ten jobs (an estimated 330 million) is influenced if not directly supported by travel and tourism-related activity, making it one of the world's largest economic sectors. Whilst the boundaries that separate adventure tourism from active/sport tourism are blurred, the subject is certainly not lacking in terms of evidence-based definitions, conceptual frameworks, or typologies. This chapter offers a critical overview of the existing body of knowledge that relates to the emergence of a global active and/or adventure-based tourism economy. The authors complement their review of the literature with a case study looking at the ‘home of adventure', Queenstown, New Zealand.

Customers no longer seek a product just for its features or benefits, rather they look for unique experiences. This is provided by experiential marketing where experiences broadly are divided into five categories that include consumer, product & service, off-line & online, consumption and brand experiences. Most of the previous research in this area has focused on consumer experiences. However, nowadays product and services too are aligned according to multisensory environments. One of the upcoming industries that focuses on the experiential marketing is the leisure industry or leisure services. These services include businesses focused on recreation, entertainment, sports and tourism which include theme parks, adventure parks, adventure sports, concerts, etc. Some of the examples of the leisure services in top cities of the country include Adlabs Imagica in Mumbai, Kingdom of Dreams in Gurugram, Worlds of Wonder in Noida, and Aquatica in Kolkata. The chapter aims to study the growth of this sector in an experiential economy along with strategies used by the leisure industry.

There are several relevant studies concerning tourism and environment, some of them studying ecotourism, recreation ecology, adventure tourism, and parks and wilderness management. Many publications on sustainable and responsible tourism described the relationship between environmental and economic growth and considered it important to have to consider them in an integrated approach. Usually, the research highlighted the negative impact of tourism on the environment. However, tourism and environment can be complementary to each other, and sustainable management of tourism may produce positive externalities on the environment. This chapter focuses on the environmental challenges of tourism throughout the passage from linear to circular tourism.

Involvement in the tourism movements has been rising every passing day along with the globalization concept. Tourism sector contributes doubly to economy. One of them is interpreted as social activity, and the other one as economic activity or industry. Ultimate purpose of tourism is marketing a particular service to an individual who participates either as a day tripper or as a recreationist. In this respect tourism sector is a commercial sector. Today, tourism has gone beyond sea, sun and sand. A variety of tourism forms exist; such as nature tourism, adventure travel, science tourism, eco-tourism, cultural tourism, alternative tourism and rural tourism. Rural tourism plays a vital role in tourism sector. This study aims to emphasize among other tourism forms rural tourism is an accelerator power for developing countries like Turkey. Ultimately, rural tourism prevents rural immigration and is a significant medium for the publicity of Turkey; which can be integrated in various forms of tourism, which has assorted authentic recreational activities those can be done in all seasons, which contributes to the protection of natural and cultural heritage, which serves sustainable tourism concept. The paper also includes; the rural tourism policies which are applied, and applications of rural tourism. Moreover SWOT analysis for Turkey’s rural tourism will be carried out.