The influence of short-term adventure-based experiences on levels of resilience

Abstract

This exploratory study investigated the impact of participation in a three-week adventure education (AE) expedition upon levels of resilience of university students. Resilience is considered to be a dynamic process of positive adaptation to significant threat or adversity and may be an important variable to study as college students often live stressful lives involving academic workloads, relationship building and self-identity that often require the development of coping skills and resilience. Little research, however, has been conducted on the ability to enhance levels of resilience through AE activities within a college or university setting. The specific research questions studied included: (1) Do resilience scores change as a result of a short-term AE experience, and (2) What specific experiences did participants report that were related to the concept of resilience? Using a mixed method, with quantitative responses from the treatment group and the comparison group, paired sample t-tests resulted in a significant increase only in the treatment group. Following semi-structured interviews with 10 graduates two to three years after the expedition, six themes emerged as important aspects in developing a sense of resilience. These themes included perseverance, self-awareness, social support, confidence, responsibility to others, and achievement.

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