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Research in Outdoor Education

Abstract

Summer camp holds a special place in the minds of children. thoughts of camp bring images of swimming, hiking, laughing and making new friends. According to Dustiri (1989), the secret of organized camping is that camp is on a finite, human scale. Anyone can make a difference in their own comer of the world. Another important aspect of camp (Dustin, 1994) is creating a place for children to be children, not ''minia­ture adults" (p.28). Chenery (1984) sees the essential contribution of camp as. providing children with a space for spiritual development. Many factors could influence what sort of experiences campers take home with them. The pur­pose of this study was to examine tangi­ble, physical aspects of camp that might affect the personal and social benefits of organized camping for children. If spe­cific factors could be associated with significantly increased personal or social outcomes, then manipulation of those factors might provide campers with bet­ter experiences.

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