Towards an understanding of flow and other positive experience phenomena within outdoor and adventurous activities

In considering what draws people to become involved in adventurous activities, studies on flow suggest that people are motivated to participate because of the intrinsic feelings of enjoyment, well-being and personal competence that they experience. This paper explores the positive experience phenomena termed peak experience, peak performance and flow. Similar and distinctive characteristics are identified, and factors influencing the ability to experience such peak moments are considered. A state of flow, which appears to hold the most relevance for adventurous activities, is explored in greater detail and considered in the light of The Adventure Experience Paradigm. Csikszentmihalyi's flow models are outlined and examined with particular reference to perceived levels of challenge and skill. It is suggested that an insight into the nature and characteristics of such optimal experiences can contribute to our understanding of why adventurous activities are intrinsically motivating. Such an understanding can assist practitioners in enhancing the learning experiences and opportunities for development of each individual participant.     

Motivational predictors of young adolescents' participation in an outdoor adventure course: A self-determination theory approach

Abstract

Outdoor education is emerging as a compulsory component of the school curriculum in Singapore. As more and more young people are involved in outdoor education programmes, the motivational factors that influence students' participation in outdoor activities is an important area of study. The purpose of this study was to use the self-determination theory framework to examine post course satisfaction level among young adolescents. A total of 314 secondary school students aged from 12 to 16 years took part in the survey. Results showed that external regulation negatively predicted self-reported satisfaction whereas intrinsic motivation positively predicted participants' satisfaction levels of the course. It is highlighted that young adolescents should not be coerced into outdoor education programmes. They should be provided with a meaningful rationale for participation, given some autonomy for decision-making and to have a positive and enjoyable experience during the programme.     

Learning within the worlds of reifications, selves, and phenomena: expanding on the thinking of Vygotsky and Popper

A framework, termed the RSP, is proposed. It is mainly for analyzing and explaining how learning occurs. This framework is grounded in the social-cultural perspective, in particular, in the thinking of both Vygotsky and Popper. Although the thinking of Popper is generally not referred to as having a social-cultural orientation, mostly due to misunderstanding, he and Vygotsky are defensibly complementary. In a nutshell, Vygotsky’s social-cultural (inter-psychological) plane is enriched by Popper’s distinction between physical and conceptual-abstract worlds, while Popper’s mental world is enhanced by Vygotskian and post-Vygotskian work emphasizing personality, that is, the whole self. Integrating and expanding on both Vygotsky and Popper, the RSP framework further unpacks how learning occurs as dialectical interactions between the Worlds of reifications (R), selves (S), and phenomena (P). The World of Reifications (R) extends Popper’s World 3 by emphasizing the developmental nature of conjectures to theories. The World of Selves (S) now extends Popper’s World 2 from cognitive dimensions to the whole individual. And the World of Phenomena (P) extends Popper’s World 1 to include the relationships between objects forming phenomena, including the physical, social, and spiritual dimensions. The interactions among the three Worlds result in five learning outcomes: cognition, metacognition, action, reflective action, and epistemic cognition. It is contended that these five outcomes are necessary criteria for holistic learning. The framework is then applied to analyzing various issues such as resolving lethal mutations, identity, and learning as becoming.     

Implications from self-efficacy and attribution theories for an understanding of undergraduates’ motivation in a foreign language course

Although studies on self-efficacy and attribution have independently contributed to the motivation literature, these two constructs have rarely been considered together in the domain of foreign language learning. Here, 500 undergraduates in Spanish, German, and French courses were asked to report whether test scores represented a successful or unsuccessful outcome and to provide attribution and self-efficacy ratings upon receiving their grades. Representing an innovation over previous studies, attributions were measured in two ways, using dimensions of attributions and asking about actual reasons for a real outcome. In regressions predicting achievement, self-efficacy was the strongest predictor, supplemented by ability attributions. Students who attributed failure to lack of effort had higher self-efficacy than students not making effort attributions.     

Dangerous activities within an invisible playground: a study of emergent male football play and teachers’ perspectives of outdoor free play in the early years of primary school

This research was carried out during a study which focused upon the rough and tumble play of children in the early years department of a suburban primary school in northern England. The child sample’s playtime activities were ethnographically observed over a period of 18 calendar months, during which time interviews were also carried out with the children’s class teachers and several other adults taking part in the children’s daily school routines. It was found that the narratives created by a cohort of four‐and‐a‐half‐ to six‐and‐a‐half‐year‐old boys around their football (soccer) play were socially and symbolically complex, providing evidence that such play is a highly valuable developmental activity. However, the interview data indicated that owing principally to very low adult:child ratios in playground supervision, the focus of the adults was strongly directed towards negative aspects of outdoor free play.