[in Japanese]

View full abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate instruction methods in outdoor education regarding experiential learning in the United States and to find suggestions for practice in Japan. Research sources were articles, dissertations, books related to outdoor education and experiential learning in the United States from 1930 to 2000.
Experiential learning is learning through doing. It is a process through which individuals construct knowledge, acquire skills, and enhance values from direct experience (Luckmann, 1996). Experiential learning theory is based on Dewey's (1938) and Kolb's (1971) philosophy. Several worthwhile models have been created that explain the experiential process of outdoor education programming since the 1970s. They consist of steps for learning including experiencing, reflecting, generalizing, applying and so on. The role of instructors is to provide experiences and reflection processes which turns experiences into learning. Facilitation, transfer and processing are key concepts in instruction methods. Essential skills are to create a proper learning environment for the participants, to observe and understand the unique processes of the participants, to use appropriate communication for the interaction of the group, to reach closure on the experience to give participants an opportunity to reflect on their experiences. These skills are a useful method for more effective instruction.
The present study suggests that instructors need to have a theoretical understanding, to value unique features of outdoor education experiences, to develop methods of reflection, and to adapt to a crosscurricular approach in school education.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors of the counselor's attraction, the change of the attraction, and attractive attitudes and behaviors in camping. The Character Evaluation Scale and interviews, based on social desirability of personality, were administered to a total of 30 fifth and sixth grade children who participated in 7-day camp. The data was analyzed by factor analysis and ANOVA. The results were as follows: 1) The counselor's attraction was composed of four factors: Trust·Acceptance, Cheerfulness, Activity, and Gentleness. 2) The change of counselor's attraction depended on the program during camp. Trust·Acceptance and Activity were strongly perceived in the environmental education program and mountain climbing, while Cheerfulness decreased after mountain climbing. 3) With regard to attractive attitudes and behaviors, it was strongly perceived to protect participants against danger, to encourage, to help, and to be earnest with Trust·Acceptance, to speak friendly with Cheerfulness, and to be fearless with Activity.

View full abstract

Last time I reported my study on the effects of living environment of people and the change of times on YUUEI (swimming and playing in the water) and also on drowning and near drowning accidents.
The data of this study was, however, found inadequate from the standpoint of age and gender, therefore a second study was made on the students of 35 schools and their families in Shizuoka Prefecture. Here are the four areas questioned in the survey:
The location where the swimming lessons were given
The Swimming Skills acquired
The conditions for playing in the water
The circumstances surrounding drowning and near drowning accidents
A total 6098 peoples responded to the questionnaires of the survey. That data included various opinions from people of different age groups. Considering these generation gaps, my second study is reported as follows;
1. The age for acquiring swimming skills is getting lower. The location for these lessons has changed from the sea and rivers to local swimming pools. The guidance is given by school teachers or swimming instructors with some educational programs for swimming pools.
2. As for the swimming skills, the younger the student is, the higher the ratio is for acquiring a variety of swimming skills.
3. As for the swimming location, swimming pools are predominant. YUUEI (swimming and playing in the water) is best suited to swimming pools.
4. It is inferred that drowning and near drowning accidents often occur just at the time when they have acquired swimming skills and happen where the lessons are given.

View full abstract

Most researchers have reported that an organized camp experience helps children and adolescents to develop more positive human relationship, while their social skills have rarely been studied empirically. Enhancing social skill are considered to be critical issues in outdoor education setting because of low social skill leads to undesirable behavior such as victims, bullies and school non-attendance. The purpose of this study was to examine the enhancing effects of an organized camp experience on a group of children's social skill. A group of twenty-three children participated in an organized summer camp program for one-week, and another group of forty-one children of the same age who did not participate in any camp were used as a control. Social skills, measured by the Self-rating Scale of Social Skills for Elementary School Children (SSS-E), were assessed before and after the organized camp experience. First, a repeated measures ANOVA (Condition×Time) was performed. This analysis indicated a significant main effect of group in “prosocial skills.” Moreover, ANCOVA using pretest scores as covariates revealed that after the intervention, the organized camp group had more “prosocial skills.” Our findings, thus, suggest that organized camp experience may lead to enhance social skill for elementary children. The remains much scope for research on social skills. In particular, future outcome studies should employ longitudinal research designs over an extended duration. Finally, practical implication was also provided.

View full abstract