Outdoor Adventure Education: Applying Transformative Learning Theory to Understanding Instrumental Learning and Personal Growth in Environmental Education

We conducted a qualitative study of the experiences of 23 Outdoor Adventure Education (OAE) participants to determine what participants found significant about their course and to what course elements they attributed this significance. Participants experienced personal transformations, which they attributed to spending extended time in pristine nature, separation of the course from normal life, the community that formed among course participants, and the intensity and challenge of the course. Whereas outcomes related to personal growth, as opposed to changes in environmental behaviors (instrumental learning), are consistent with participant motivations for joining OAE courses and with most course activities, transformative learning theory suggests ways in which courses might integrate personal growth with instrumental learning to better foster environmental behaviors post-course.