The 'outdoor industry' as social and educational phenomena: Gender and outdoor adventure/education

This paper discusses social and cultural theory and tracts the ways in which gender has been conceptualised. It argues that the 'outdoor industry' in its various manifestations constitutes an aspect of society that can not be ignored. It suggests that outdoor adventure/education, like other dimensions of society, can usefully be subjected to critical examination. Having discussed perspectives surrounding the social construction of gender, the paper draws attention to classic work that has explored ideologies of femininity and the implication for women and men. The paper then goes on to argue that the more recent interactionist theories and cultural studies offer less deterministic and more insightful approaches to exploring people's experiences of outdoor adventure/education. The concept of hegemonic masculinity is drawn upon to examine 'the outdoor industry' in light of the current 'crisis of masculinity'. Finally, the paper raises further questions regarding outdoor adventure/education as a site of alternative femininities and masculinities and as counter-culture.     

The role of service in higher education

Alexander Astin gives an update on what the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA is learning about volunteerism and community service on campus. What promotes participation? Who benefits? How does participation affect leadership development?     

The role of higher education institutions in national development

Abstract from the report of the International Conference on Education (33rd Session) of the International Bureau of Education. It deals with (i) the role of higher education institutions in national development, (ii) improving and sustaining the competence of educators and (iii) managing the system of education.     

Motivations of older adults to participate in outdoor adventure experiences

As the number of adventure based programs has increased in the past 40 years, the opportunities for older adults to participate in outdoor adventure experiences has increased steadily. A previous study determined that information was lacking on the reasons why older adults participate in this programming area. The current study (n=782) sought to answer this question using a survey derived from the Recreation Experience Preference (REP) Inventory. Data from the study indicated that the most important motivations were: 1) being in a natural environment; 2) being physically active; 3) learning about outdoor skills and the environment; and 4) being in a group of people with similar interests. The data also indicated that these motivations were more significant for women than for men and for participants younger than 65 years old.     

The role of higher education in national integration in Nigeria

This paper discusses the machinery for higher education policy formulation and implementation in Nigeria with particular reference to the university system. It identifies the goal of national unity and national integration as a new addition to the university's traditional roles of manpower production, research and teaching. An analysis of the implementation of measures aimed at achieving national integration with emphasis on student recruitment is attempted. Two features are apparent, both of which are counter-productive to national integration. First, universities recruit their students mostly from the states and geopolitical regions in which they are located. Secondly, inter-regional migration of students is a one-way traffic - mostly from South to North. Measures to improve the achievement of national integration are also suggested.     

Factors that influence women's technical skill development in outdoor adventure

This article provides a theoretical foundation for understanding women's technical skill development (TSD) in outdoor adventure. An examination of societal and biological factors influencing women's TSD focuses on gender role socialization, sense of competence, technical conditioning, sexism, spatial ability, and risk-taking. The article suggests leadership and instructional strategies for facilitating technical skill competency for women in outdoor education.     

The role of the governing board in higher education institutions

More autonomy to institutions andincreased focus on institutional policiesimplies that institutional governing bodies arebecoming central actors in developingstrategies for universities or colleges. TheBoard of the institution is an important actorin the decision-making process and formallythe most central elected strategic body at theinstitutional level. The governing Board can beviewed as an important arena for institutionalchange and is also responsible for qualityassurance, efficiency and effectiveness. Thisarticle investigates the role of the governingBoards in higher education institutions. Threeperspectives on organisations are used in orderto illuminate the Board's roles. Aninstrumental perspective focuses on roles thatmay be expected according to the mandate of theBoard. The point of departure for this approachis the legal base of the Board.Neo-institutional theory focuses attention onthe possible decoupling between the formalstructure and actual behaviour, and discussesthe circumstances under which this arises. In apolitical model the Board is seen as an arenafor the practice of power and promotion ofinterests where the members have conflictingpreferences which they attempt to advancethrough negotiation and formation ofcoalitions.     

The “Nature” of leadership philosophy in outdoor and adventure education: Partnership or predation

Nature continually impresses humans in its role as an omnipresent, if not ultimate, source of power. One hallmark of outdoor and adventure education (OAE) has been its presumption that humans' interaction with aspects of Nature's “power” promotes the antecedents of leadership: measurable, persistent psychological effects and behavioral modifications including self-awareness, self-reliance, and stewardship. Recently, an unresolved discourse has arisen involving the guiding philosophies and actual outcomes derived from programs assembled under various combinations of the terms outdoor, adventure, environment, recreation, and education. Unifying these five terms is leadership potential mediated through Nature's metaphorical majesty and demonstrable power. However, Nature can be an ally, a medium, or an enemy, and outcomes resulting from OAE programs should be congruent with a consciously examined, coherent philosophy. A theoretical model depicts combinations of society, civilization, and culture placed along a continuum ranging from predation to partnership to demonstrate that the type of leadership emanating from any two or more perspectives may be very different. Nature is a complex system that is both predatory and partnering, and leadership in OAE must purposefully select and design programs that embrace the appropriate philosophy of Nature.     

The role of transnational networking for higher education academics

Amidst rapid socio-economic change, higher education (HE) academics across the world face major challenges to its organisation, finance and management. This paper discusses the role of transnational networking in higher education. Data from 40 interviews with geographically distributed academics engaged in learning and teaching transnational networks (TNNs) were analysed. The findings show that in an increasingly globalised higher education system, transnational networking goes beyond conference attendance to entail multiple combinations of offline and online activities. We do not think that current concepts of communities of practice or networks of practice accurately describe these phenomena. Instead, we suggest that these activities entail different and varying levels of tangibility, more accurately defined by us as TNNs. Moreover, we argue that the term ‘network’ in this context facilitates the individualistic pursuit of a career increasingly essential in a pressurised higher education environment.     

The role of the student in the higher education production function

Increasing concern with productivity and efficiency in service industries such as higher education has created interest in cost analysis techniques, implicit in which must be some notion of the production function, that is, the technology by which inputs are combined to produce outputs. In order to clarify the existing confusion in higher education between inputs and outputs, and to offer aid in understanding the complex issues of productivity and efficiency, this paper offers a paradigm of the student as an economic entity analogous to the profit-maximizing firm in microeconomic theory. The paper concludes by suggesting an extension of the model to include the faculty member as an individual economic agent.     

Qualitative research and making meaning from adventure: A case study of boys' experiences of outdoor education at school

This article details the process and analysis of a case study, conducted over a six week period, involving an outdoor education class in an all-boys Catholic, New Zealand secondary school. The questions explored by the case study were the subjective meanings of adventure experiences in outdoor education and the benefits of qualitative research for assessing the value of outdoor education. The methodological techniques used were observation, involving some researcher participation, and in-depth interviewing. Subsequent data analysis was based upon theories of experiential education and adventure education, and concepts of leisure and human agency. The results of the study suggest that the meanings participants make of their experiences, and the value they derive from them, exceed those that may conventionally be sought and measured as an improvement in self-concept. These findings suggest that learning through adventure is potentially valuable as a holistic and life-long form of activity that enhances the capacity to enjoy and engage in living. This is an important extension beyond its often limited and compartmentalised applications, which are rationalised by specific outcome based objectives. A qualitative methodology was indispensable to an inquiry of this kind and warrants further attention in the process of understanding the meanings of adventure and learning.     

Entering the Fray: The role of outdoor education in providing nature-based experiences that matter

Abstract

This article draws on different bodies of knowledge in order to review the potential role of outdoor education in providing nature-based experiences that might contribute to sustainable living A pragmatic perspective is adopted to critique what outdoor education is,and then what it might be. Phenomenology is used to challenge the belief that there is a causal relationship between activities and learning outcomes but foremost to consider what it is to be in nature in the first place. Aspects of both realism and social constructionism are presented as essential to environmental philosophy and the concomitant, but contested, relationship between people and planet. Through these multiple realities the moral significance of nature emerges not only as a theoretical consideration but as a practical one too. In this way I challenge dualisms that provide stumbling blocks to practice and celebrate instead pluralistic thinking where starting points are based on real-life work settings where theory and practice can emerge together through place-specific solutions.     

论高等教育在和谐文化建设中的引领作用

高等教育肩负着培养人才、发展科学技术文化、服务社会和促进国际合作的重要任务。要从强化职能出发,通过传承文化思想、引导文化方向、传播文化理念、整合文化冲突等途径,在社会主义和谐文化建设中发挥重要的引领作用。     

高等教育研究与高等教育期刊的作用

本文旨在阐明高等教育期刊在传播高等教育研究成果中所起的作用。首先 ,简要介绍了高等教育研究的现状 ,主要是欧美国家有关高等教育研究的定义、性质的各种观点 ,以及欧美高等教育研究的差异。其次 ,重点介绍了欧洲主要的高等教育期刊以及其他高等教育研究出版物的情况及各自的特点。最后 ,从作者、编者、读者三个不同的角度剖析了高等教育期刊对于传播高等教育研究成果所发挥的作用     

The questionable role of higher education as an occupational screening device

Employers optimally pursue activities which facilitate the coordinating of employee characteristics and the requirements of the job. One allegedly important employee characteristic is the level of education. Employees with higher levels of education are rewarded with higher wages than employees with lower levels. This may occur if higher levels of education make an employee truly more productive or if because of an employer's beliefs only those individuals with higher levels of education are allowed to enter the higher paying positions (occupational screening).The above propositions are testable, depending crucially upon the theoretical model employed for determining occupational choices. We shall compare the implications of two possible occupation choice models: (1) enter the job which offers the highest lifetime income, (2) enter the job which offers the highest level of overall satisfaction. We estimate these two models using the NBER-TH data sample. By distributing our estimated results and the actual distribution of occupations over the education levels of high school, some college and BA we can see if more or less people are expected to enter specific occupations at each education level. Support for screening exists if more people are expected in high status occupations at low education levels than are actually in those occupations.When comparing the estimated results for each model we see different outcomes emerge. The latter indicates that screening does not exist while the former does. We present arguments as to why we feel that the second model is the more correct and appropriate and, consequently, why we feel that education is not an effective screening device.