Andrew Bobilya

Western Carolina University | WCU · Department of Human Services

Outdoor educators rely on access to protected natural areas to provide transformative learning experiences, yet increasing recreational use threatens this access due to ecological harm and resulting management interventions. This paper explores the ecological impacts of non-motorized outdoor recreation and the implications for outdoor educators’ ac...

School outdoor spaces provide many mental and physical benefits for students. Yet, teachers may not have the opportunity to conduct lessons in these outdoor spaces due to personal or systemic barriers. While K-8 teachers’ perceptions of barriers have been well explored, there is currently a lack of research investigating high school teachers’ perce...

This brief article summarizes five trends and issues discussed during a moderated panel and round table discussion at the Association for Experiential Education (AEE) Symposium on Experiential Education Research (SEER) in November 2023. The aim of this session was to expand on prior documented trends and disseminate current experiential and outdoor...

Indigenous storytelling is a transaction between narrators and audiences that can be expressed through Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK). TEK narratives, such as those of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), can demonstrate ecological literacy by empowering audiences to co-create their engagement with the local environment of that Indi...

This cross-sectional retrospective study examined the life significance of participation in an Outward Bound (OB) course up to 50 years later to discover what participants learned, if their opinion had changed, whether it played a significant role in their lives subsequently, and its relative importance in comparison to other life experiences. Resp...

Resource degradation is a chief concern related to increased recreational of U.S. public lands. The Seven Leave No Trace (LNT) Principles are used to educate visitors how to reduce recreational impacts. This study sought to understand Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM) hikers’ behavioral intent towards LNT practices. A quantitative question...

When considering community impacts of outdoor education (OE), youth are community members, leaders, and experts who can and should be meaningfully involved in the design and evaluation of OE programs and research that impact them. Ensuring youth have agency in these processes can create opportunities for building community (Brennan, 2008), making c...

This study examined differences in participants’ perceptions of their Character Development, Leadership, and Environmental Service prior to and immediately following participation in a North Carolina Outward Bound School (NCOBS) course using the NCOBS Course Impression Survey (NCOBCIS). The three-fold purpose of this study was to confirm the a prio...

This exploratory study examined the benefits of participating in a three-week, multi-state bicycling trip for eight adolescents who participated in a first-generation, college-bound program. The primary purpose of this study was to explore participants’ perceptions of their own resilience, independence, responsibility, and problem-solving and to id...

The twofold purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate various moderators that might influence the effect of participation in an outdoor orientation program on first-year college students’ relationships with the natural world and to examine the potential influence of instructors on participants’ biophilic expression. The theory of biophil...

This exploratory study examined parent perceptions about the benefits of and barriers to their child attending a residential summer camp. Researchers conducted a survey of 370 parents of summer camp attendees and 198 parents of camp-aged children who have never attended camp. Findings show that parents value different camp benefits depending on the...

The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of participation in an outdoor orientation program on first-year college students’ relationships with the natural world. The theory of biophilia was used as a lens through which to understand human-nature relationships. Eighty-five first-year college students on a 21-day outdoor orientation progra...

This study explored the contribution of outdoor orientation experiences to student thriving. Participants included 295 first-year college students from three institutions across North America. A thriving model was tested using structural equation modeling and included the following variables: outdoor orientation, thriving, involvement, spirituality...

The purpose of this study was to better understand the lessons that students intended to transfer home from an Outward Bound wilderness course and what actual learning they had used 2 years postcourse. Participants had completed an open-enrollment course during the 2009 summer at the North Carolina Outward Bound School. The primarily qualitative da...

The purpose of this mixed-method study was to understand participants’ perceptions of their Outward Bound Final Expedition experience and more specifically the relationship between the instructor supervisory position and participant’s perception of learning. A sample of 331 students consented to participate and completed a survey at the conclusion...

This article explores the current state of knowledge regarding the use of autonomous student experiences (ASE) in outdoor and adventure education (OAE) programs. ASE are defined as components (e.g., solo, final expedition) in which participants have a greater measure of choice and control over the planning, execution, and outcomes of their learning...

The study was conducted to establish an understanding of what is meant when someone describes a backcountry adventure as being a spiritual experience and to better understand the relationships between the attributes, consequences, and values (ACV) of these spiritual experiences. Interviews were conducted with 63 backcountry users in the region of T...

Controversial Issues in Adventure Programming offers an engaging approach to the consideration of enduring, current, and emerging issues in the field. Written primarily for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students, the text presents 20 issues in a debate format, challenging students to participate in critical discourse concerning these issue...

Research on wilderness experience programs indicates there is much to learn about specific components of the overall experience. The solo, where students are intentionally separated from their expedition group for an extended time for reflection, has long had an anecdotal reputation for enhancing the quality of participants' experiences. The purpos...

This paper explores trends and issues in outdoor and adventure-based programming in the United States. Many of the trends and issues hold valuable lessons for practitioners and scholars worldwide. The trends and issues included were gathered through interviews with a panel of professionals, checked throughout multiple regional, national and interna...

Abstract The purpose of this study was to understand what students from the North Carolina Outward Bound School learned during their Solo that they intended to transfer back home. The Solo is a time during which participants are placed alone for the purpose of rest and reflection. The sample consisted of 335 participants who completed a questionnai...

Higher education often supports new student transition through various orientation programs. Recently a greater focus on student spiritual growth has emerged as an important aspect. The wilderness orientation program in this study is unique because of its length (12–14 days) and its focus on students’ spiritual development. The purpose of this stud...

Higher education often supports new student transition through various orientation programs. Recently a greater focus on student spiritual growth has emerged as an important aspect. The wilderness orientation program in this study is unique because of its length (12–14 days) and its focus on students' spiritual development. The purpose of this stud...

The purpose of this study was to investigate participants' perceptions of an organized solo within a wilderness experience program and the influence that the instructors have on their perception of the solo. More specifically, this research project focused on the role of the instructor in the solo as perceived by the participants while still on sol...

Researchers conducted a qualitative study of students' in- and out-of-class experiences in a residential learning community at a mid-sized public institution. Focus group interviews were conducted to explore (a) the outcomes of learning community membership from participants' point of view and (b) the connections between participants' reported perc...

The intent of this research project was to assess the impact of the out-of-class experiential components in a residential Learning Community Program. More specifically, the purpose of the study was to gain information from the students' perceptions of the impact that participation in an adventure education program (high or low ropes course) had on...

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Minnesota, 2004. Major: Education - Recreation, park, and leisure studies. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 137-144).