Gender: How does it effect the outdoor education experience

1996

Although a growing literature base about women's involvement in the outdoors has emerged in the past 10 years, little attention has been given to gender analyses related to the social meanings of being female in a changing society. Five focus group interviews with a total of 36 women focused on past, present, and future involvement in the outdoors and whether the outdoors was perceived as a gendered environment. The women were university students attending leisure studies classes and ranging in age from 19 to 25. The sample consisted of 5 African-Americans, 2 Asian-Americans, and 29 women of white heritage. The women described a range of gendered behaviors related to the outdoors and discussed common constraints to participation such as fear and the need for partners. With gender as an organizing framework, interpretation of the data exemplify how most women made choices contingent on contexts and relationships, not just their biological female status. However, the impact of changing women's roles, past socialization, and stereotypical gender expectations made the determination of how choices were made difficult. Findings included: (1) women's appreciation of the outdoors was related to exposure to outdoor opportunities as a child, either through family, school, or summer camp experiences; (2) a progression of appreciation, interests, skills, and opportunities in the outdoors was necessary for female involvement but was sometimes impeded by gendered constraints; and (3) most women were optimistic and wanted to believe that the outdoors is a gender-neutral environment, but their experiences sometimes contradicted such idealized attitudes. Contains 25 references. (SV)

Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education, 2022

We analyze how gender intersects with risk processes and practices in outdoor adventure education. Language, binary logic, and societal norms work together to gender risk and offer three ways that risk may be gendered in the context of outdoor adventure education courses with youth. First, hierarchical language and the gendering practices of order, labeling, and omission place girls and girls' needs as external or additional to a "neutral" masculine norm. Second, adherence to a rigid binary in the definition and conceptualization of risk parallels and perpetuates a gender binary that prioritizes masculinity and boys above femininity, girls, and non-binary youth. Third, societal norms influence stereotypes, assumptions, and expectations that gender risk on outdoor adventure education courses. We conclude by offering practical suggestions for how this research can be applied to outdoor adventure education and youth programming more broadly.

Palgrave Macmillan eBooks, 2018

The purpose of this paper is to describe the benefits and motivations associated with all-women outdoor programming. The results of this study can benefit adventure recreation in numerous ways. By determining motivations to participate in female specific adventure experiences, this study can assist recreation practitioners in planning and implementing more appropriate programs for women. In addition, skeptics of this approach may be educated as to the uniqueness and benefits of outdoor programs specifically for females. Furthermore, the myths and fears of possible participants might be alleviated through increased knowledge regarding all- women programming. Finally, this study can help determine the particular elements of all-women programming that warrant separate consideration from mixed-gender programming.

Journal of Experiential Education, 2019

Background: Although outdoor education provides many positive learning outcomes for students, it is a field in which women continue to be underrepresented in leadership roles. Centering the voices of women and other underrepresented populations is critical to creating a more inclusive outdoor education field. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore women’s experiences as outdoor leaders, and how women’s perspectives may broaden how outdoor leadership is defined and conceptualized. Methodology/Approach: The study was grounded in narrative inquiry and a critical feminist framework and included interviews and photo reflections of six participants identifying as women outdoor leaders in higher education. Findings/Conclusions: Participants experienced sexism, gender bias, and lack of confidence in technical skills as outdoor leaders. Participants discussed how they conceptualize outdoor leadership through a lens of facilitation and discovery, challenging masculine norms and ideologies. In addition, participants’ intersections of identities influence how they experience outdoor leadership. Implications: Implications from this study indicate the continued need to center the voices of women and diverse populations, using critical frameworks nascent in outdoor education studies. In addition, critical examinations of policies and practices that may reify the White male privileged narrative of outdoor education are needed.

Journal of Experiential Education, 1997

T he purpose of this study was to determine and describe the benefits and motivations associated with all-women outdoor programming. The results of this study can benefit adventure recreation in numerous ways. By determining motivations to participate in female specific adventure experiences, this study can assist recreation practitioners in planning and implementing more appropriate programs for women. In addition, skeptics of this approach may be educated as to the uniqueness and benefits of outdoor programs specifically for females. Furthermore, the myths and fears of possible participants might be alleviated through increased knowledge regarding allwomen programming. Finally, this study can help determine the particular elements of all-women programming that warrant separate consideration from mixed-gender programming.

There can often be confusion among practitioners about the relationship between outdoor education and outdoor recreation and how they relate to personal and social development. This article provides an overview of the relationship of both fields. Consequently, it is important for practitioners to understand and as an eye opener about the roots and its notions. The discussion hopefully will enlighten the issues of sceptical perception for both groups of practitioners’ due to lack of understanding the notion, method, fundamental theoretical and objectives of each field.

Journal of Experiential Education, 2018

Background: Critical examination by adventure educators in North American colleges and universities reveals that students receive messages about the nature of adventure education through both the intentional and hidden curriculum. Purpose: The study was designed to discover adventure education’s hidden curriculum and its potential effect on women in adventure education. Methodology/Approach: The phenomenon of the hidden curriculum was examined using a modified Delphi method. Three rounds of questionnaires solicited knowledge from a panel of experts (21 females and 18 males), who had tenure of at least 15 years in the adventure education field, to obtain a reliable semi-consensus of opinion. Findings/Conclusions: Gender-based hidden curriculum messages were found, including the prioritizing of values and traits perceived to be predominantly male, linguistic sexism, assumptions about outdoor identity, outdoor career messages, gender insensitive facilitation and teaching, and the cente...

2009

Women have played important roles in different working areas and have raised their voices in the labor force. Outdoor Education sector is not an exception. More and more female teachers-leaders have dedicated their lives in the reforming process of education in general and in Outdoor Education in specific. This study examines the participation of female teachers-leaders in Outdoor Education sector to see an overview of their achievements and contributions in this field. Eleven outdoor teachers-leaders answered questions displaying the motivation and the enhancement of women's participation in Outdoor Education sector as leaders. Through semi-structured interviews, the participants revealed their opinions towards their current occupations and their future expectations and promotions as well as the effects of childhood memory on people's attitudes. Results show optimistic visions for the participation of female teachers-leaders in Outdoor Education sector. The results also exhibit the imbalance of the participation of female teachersleaders in different levels of Outdoor Education sector. There are more outdoor schoolteachers but less female leaders in outdoor adventurous pursuits. To keep the balance of female teachers-leaders in different levels of Outdoor Education is to create more chances for women to challenge themselves and to give students opportunities to interact with the diversity of outdoor teachers-leaders regardless race, age and gender.

Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education

Within our fast-paced, fluid society, it is arguable that outdoor education needs to be innovative to play a useful role in young people's overall educational enterprise. A critical view, however, would suggest that we must beware of accepting technological innovation for its own sake. Innovations (or improvements) in education can take the form of ideas, methods, and products. This paper discusses how outdoor educators need to recognise how some innovations may add unwanted layers of clutter that reduce direct interaction with geophysical, ecological, and sociocultural elements of the landscape, whilst lessening the quality and quantity of interaction between humans-whether with classmates or community members. It may be possible to assess the degree to which an innovative piece of equipment or educational practice is "good" by considering its ability to elicit meaningful engagement between the learner and the ideas, physical objects, and other human beings encountered.