Participant Profiles, Antecedent Predictors, and Developmental Outcomes

Authors

Jayson Seaman
Erin Hiley Sharp
Sean McLaughlin
Corinna Tucker
Karen VanGundy
Cesar Rebellon

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pp. 35-36

Abstract

Adolescents spend 40% to 50% of their waking hours in discretionary activities, representing an important context for youth development (Verma & Larson, 2003). Structured and unstructured outdoor activities have been acknowledged as especially promising venues for positive youth development (PYD, Mainella, Agate & Clark, 2010; Sibthorp, 2010). In the youth development and activity literature, however, outdoor activities often are undifferentiated from other options, with researchers emphasizing more generic characteristics such as adult supervision, program structure, and skill-building opportunities (see Mahoney, Larson, & Eccles, 2005). Conversely, many outdoor education scholars highlight the distinctiveness of outdoor programs, yet research designs are frequently limited to brief time periods or relatively specialized interventions; clear links between outdoor activity involvement over time and the achievement of key long-term developmental tasks are comparatively under researched.

Recommended Citation

Jayson Seaman, Erin Hiley Sharp, Sean McLaughlin, Corinna Tucker, Karen VanGundy, and Cesar Rebellon (2014) "Participant Profiles, Antecedent Predictors, and Developmental Outcomes," Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education: Vol. 23: Iss. 2, Article 10.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.cortland.edu/taproot/vol23/iss2/10