A journey to adolescent flourishing: Exploring psychosocial outcomes of outdoor adventure education

Abstract

There is an increasing appreciation that, in order to prepare learners for success in life, they require a holistic education providing not only academic skills, but also psychosocial competencies (Zins & Elias, 2006). Outdoor adventure education (OAE) shows potential as a way of developing these life skills, which are not easy to incorporate into the school curriculum (Sibthorp & Jostad, 2014). The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the psychosocial outcomes and perceived value of a school-based OAE programme (Journey) for adolescents in South Africa. Data from a convenience sample of 144 Grade 10 learners’ post-Journey surveys, letters to the school principals and interviews with members of the focus groups (n = 20), were thematically analysed using template analysis. Applying the acronym, FLOURISHING, the analysis suggests that while Journey was beneficial for the psychosocial development of most learners, not all perceived value from their experiences. We propose that positive psychosocial outcomes could be enhanced by adopting a strength-based approach to OAE. This study provides a unique sociocultural perspective, corroborating the beneficial effects of OAE and could have implications for pedagogical policy and practice within South Africa (SA) and further afield.