What Are The Benefits Of Experiential Education?

Benefits of Experiential Education

Experiential Education (EE) engages all senses and neuro-pathways so as to lead into a deeper cognitive awareness or consciousness, a greater applied understanding, and a readier autonomic responsiveness to all situations from physical through environmental to social and emotional.

TEN CATEGORIES

Some of the many EE benefits can be arranged into ten categories. Here are a few examples from a vessel of many:

1. Enjoyment: Experiential (EE) programs tend to be fun. EE activities range from exercise in the great outdoors (hiking, biking, skiing, paddling, etc.), through solving problems (ropes or challenge courses, group or team initiatives, outdoor living, etc.) to nature immersion (restoration, rejuvenation, etc.).
2. Intrapersonal: EE activities can benefit the psychological self by developing character or identity, increasing confidence or skill, and enhancing self-efficacy or resilience.
3. Interpersonal: EE activities can benefit the social self by developing teamwork or trust, boosting prosocial or mediation skills, and improving communication or cooperation.
4. Ecological: EE activities can develop a sense of eco-awareness or understanding of how natural elements are connected in a fragile network of dependence. Environmental stewardship involves the sensible care of natural resources, especially because some activities could not function without these.
5. Protection: EE activities can also develop a sense of eco-consciousness or willingness to value and take action to conserve nature and protect the local environment. Going beyond this, sustainability involves taking action to mitigate and resolve global issues.
6. Spiritual: EE activities can grow an affinity for previously unknown places and expand a kinship for previously unfamiliar people. By gaining a deep and rich understanding of indigenous distinctiveness, diverse cultures, and national heritage, clients or customers can resolve most cross-cultural conflicts and reconcile some past transgressions.
7. Academic: EE can be a direct part of formal education (pre-school, K-12, and college) or can be applied as alternative or informal learning. EE has been shown to improve academic performance (reading, writing, arithmetic, and other subjects), as well as aid in student retention and graduation. EE tends to be transdisciplinary, project-based, and learner-centered while using all senses, domains, intelligences, and learning styles.
8. Health & Wellness: The physically active or kinesthetic element of EE obliges exercise and this leads to better fitness and overall physical, mental, social, and spiritual health.
9. Economic: Many EE activities make financial contributions to the local economy through employment and the purchase of goods and services. They also aid societal prosperity by reducing healthcare costs and increasing productivity of their clients and customers.
10. Skills Learning: along the way to realizing some of the above benefits, other skills are gained, such as how to do the EE activities safely and without damaging the natural environment. Learning new activity skills is not the primary reason for joining in EE, but these activities are the media by which other lasting benefits may be achieved.

Programs ought to know which benefits they impact and which they have no influence over. While this knowledge is useful in marketing, it is also critically important to motivating staff and creating the program mission, vision and values.

FURTHER RESOURCES

ARTICLES

Andre, E. K., Williams, N., Schwartz, F., & Bullard, C. (2017). Benefits of campus outdoor recreation programs: A review of the literature. Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership, 9(1), 15- 25.

Bowers, E. P., Larson, L. R., & Sandoval, A. M. (2019). Urban youth perspectives on the benefits and challenges of outdoor adventure camp. Journal of Youth Development, 14(4), 122-143.

Dickson, T. J., Gray, T., & Mann, K. (2008). Australian outdoor adventure activity benefits catalogue. https://researchdirect.westernsydney.edu.au/islandora/object/uws:24236/datastream/PDF/view

Hornibrook, T., Brinkert, E., Parry, D., Seimens, R., Mitten, D., & Priest, S. (1997). The benefits and motivations of all women outdoor programs. Journal of Experiential Education, 20(3), 152-158.

Mutz, M., & Müller, J. (2016). Mental health benefits of outdoor adventures: Results from two pilot studies. Journal of Adolescence, 49, 105-114.

Whittington, A., Mack, E. N., Budbill, N. W., & McKenney, P. (2011). All-girls adventure programmes: What are the benefits? Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 11(1), 1-14.

BOOKS

Cole, E., Erdman, E. & Rothblum, E. D. (Eds.). (2014). Wilderness Therapy for Women: The Power of Adventure. Taylor & Francis.

Ewert, A. W. & Sibthorp, J. (2014). Outdoor Adventure Education: Foundations, Theory, and Research. Human Kinetics.

Humberstone, B., Prince, H. & Henderson K. (Eds.). (2015). Routledge International Handbook of Outdoor Studies. Taylor & Francis.

Mitten, D. & Gray, T. (Eds.). (2018).The Palgrave International Handbook of Women and Outdoor Learning. Springer International Publishing.

Pike, E.C.J. & Beames, S. (Eds.). (2013). Outdoor Adventure and Social Theory. Taylor & Francis.

This blog was originally published in 2022 by Caril Ridley & Simon Priest as part of the CHIP Project.

The Clearinghouse Information Project (CHIP) is a volunteer-driven effort by educators and practitioners in the Experiential Education (EE) community. Each guest editor contributed a one-page summary and resource list on key EE topics.  

Each one-page summary outlines the topic and presents key evidence, opinion by the volunteer author(s), and sustaining content regarding that topic.  The list of further resources includes recommended items to consult in order to gain a better understanding beyond the summary, such as reading books or articles and looking at websites or videos.

This project does not claim to be a comprehensive, global or complete picture of every aspect of Experiential Education (EE). This project is entirely volunteer-driven, and each one-page summary and the supporting further resources have been written and curated by individuals who have contributed to each topic. 

If you appreciate this free information, then please consider joining us as an AEE member, volunteering on future projects, or donating to the EE community. 

All resources published in 2022.