Allowing students a sense of autonomy has long been considered an important pedagogical tool. This paper synthesizes the current literature on student autonomy from the education, youth development, and outdoor adventure fields and explores its value through an analysis of data from the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). The results supported the two main hypotheses: Developmental outcomes are related to participants' perceptions of autonomy, and autonomous student expeditions (ASE) provide students with authentic and meaningful opportunities to experience autonomy during adventure education programs. A secondary analysis found that injury, evacuation, and near-miss rates were no different during ASEs than when students are accompanied by instructors. Despite these findings, the use of ASEs remains controversial. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
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