Exploring How Roles in Outward Bound Help Adolescents Learn Social-Emotional Skills

Szot, Natalie; Orson, Carolyn

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/113544 Copy

Description

Title

Exploring How Roles in Outward Bound Help Adolescents Learn Social-Emotional Skills

Author(s)

• Szot, Natalie
• Orson, Carolyn

Issue Date

2019

Keyword(s)

• Outward Bound
• Social-Emotional Skills
• Adolescents

Abstract

This study examines how adolescents learned social-emotional skills from Outward Bound (OB), an outdoor adventure education program. Participants engage in activities such as backpacking and canoeing during five- to seven-day trips in the wilderness. Prior research has shown youth programs, including Outward Bound, are effective in facilitating the development of social and emotional learning skills. There is limited research, however, exploring the experiences and processes behind the development of social-emotional skills. For this study, semi- structured interviews were conducted with 10 teachers who chaperoned their students on Outward Bound courses. These teachers were able to provide insight into changes in youth participants as theyinteracted with the students prior to, during, and after the program. Transcribed in terviews were analyzed using grounded theory methods, a set of analytic procedures involving creating codes and memo-making (Cha rmaz, 2014). Teachers reported that having a structured role in OB, such as a leadership role, promoted students’ ability to be socially open and better able to connect with those outside their usual friend groups, even when they returned to school. Furthermore, these structured roles appeared to help students gain a sense of self-efficacy. They became more confident in their ability to take action, including trying new things and problem-solving in the classroom. These results highlight the value and potential of structured roles in supporting the development of social-emotional skills and can be used to inform staff practices in Outward Bound and other youth programs.

Publisher

University of Illinois School of Social Work

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/113544

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2019 Natalie Szot and Carolyn Orson

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