Brad’s Story: Exploration of an Inclusive Adventure Education Experience

Authors

  • Sue Sutherland
  • Sandra A. Stroot

Keywords:

Adventure education, Inclusion, High functioning autism, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal

Abstract

Adventure education programs impact the interpersonal and intrapersonal development of participants through experiences within the natural environment that provide emotional, physical, and social challenge (Ewert, 1989; Priest & Gass, 1997). The premise of such programs is that there is an increased level of self-awareness brought about by the positive change experienced through participation. The purpose of this ethnographic case study was to explore opportunities for interpersonal and intrapersonal experiences for a 13-year-old boy with high functioning autism (HFA) who participated in an inclusive adventure education program. Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1986), particularly social self-efficacy, was used as a lens to guide the design and data analysis of the study. Two themes emerged from the data: a) letting down his guard, and b) Brad as helper. The findings suggest that participation in the 3-day trip provided positive interpersonal and intrapersonal experiences for Brad.

Published

2009-07-21

Issue

Section

Research Papers