The Effects of an Adventure Education Program on Perceptions of Alienation and Personal Control among At-Risk Adolescents

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether an intervention using adventure education (specifically rock climbing) would effect a change in students': (a) sense of alienation, and, (b) sense of control over their own lives. Perceptions of alienation were measured using the Dean Alienation Scale; and Connell's, the New Multidimensional Measure of Children's Perceptions of Control measured sense of control. Data were analyzed using four separate two-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs). Results indicated that after experiencing the climbing program, the experimental group was less alienated than its control counterparts. In addition, following the treatment the experimental group demonstrated a stronger sense of personal control than did the control group.

Keywords

Alienation adolescence adventure education sense of belonging rock climbing

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