Skip to main content

Changing Girls’ Lives: One Programme at a Time

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Palgrave International Handbook of Women and Outdoor Learning

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Gender and Education ((GED))

Abstract

In the past two decades, research conducted on all-female outdoor education/adventure education/experiential education programmes, particularly for adolescent girls, has seen remarkable attention. Many women have focused their careers on creating and offering programmes that promote girls’ development. Researchers and practitioners have documented outcomes of girls’ participation and have shed light on the various benefits that girls may have received. This chapter examines the collective outcomes of girls’ participation in programmes designed for girls, facilitated by women. It examines why all-girls programmes exist, the outcomes and benefits of girls’ participation, and suggests programme-planning strategies for practitioners.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 259.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Barr-Wilson, S. K. (2012). Adolescent girls and body image: Influence of an outdoor adventure program on healthy living. Master’s thesis, San Francisco State University, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barr-Wilson, S. K., & Roberts, N. S. (2016). Adolescent girls and body image: Influence of outdoor adventure on healthy living. Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education and Leadership, 8(2), 148–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bialeschki, M. D., & Henderson, K. A. (1993). Expanding outdoor opportunities for women. Parks & Recreation, 28(8), 36–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Budbill, N. W. (2008). Dirt divas: An examination of an outdoor adventure program’s impact on the development of adolescent girls. Master’s thesis. Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database (304830540).

    Google Scholar 

  • Culp, R. (1998). Adolescent girls and outdoor recreation: A case study examining constraints and effective programming. Journal of Leisure Research, 30(3), 356–379.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeBate, R. D., & Thompson, S. H. (2005). Girls on the run: Improvements in self-esteem, body size satisfaction and eating attitudes/behaviors. Eating Weight Disorders, 10, 25–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edwards-Leeper, L. (2003). Evaluation of girls’ wilderness programs. Unpublished manuscript. Boulder, CO: The Women’s Wilderness Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Galeotti, S. (2015). Empowering pre-adolescent girls: Girls on the run experiential learning exploratory study. Journal of Experiential Education, 38(4), 407–423. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053825915603578

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, K. A. (1991). The contribution of feminism to an understanding of leisure constraints. Journal of Leisure Research, 23(4), 363–377.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, K. A. (1994). Broadening an understanding of women, gender and leisure. Journal of Leisure Research, 26(1), 1–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, K. A. (1996). Feminist perspectives on outdoor leadership. In K. Warren (Ed.), Women’s voices in experiential education (pp. 107–117). Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, K. A., & Bialeschki, M. D. (1986). Outdoor experiential education (for women only). In M. Gass & L. Buell (Eds.), The season of ingenuity: Ethics in experiential education. AEE Conference Proceedings Journal, 35–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, K. A., & Bialeschki, M. D. (1991). A sense of entitlement to leisure as constraint and empowerment for women. Leisure Sciences, 13, 51–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, K. A., Bialeschki, M. D., Shaw, S. M., & Freysinger, V. J. (1996). Both gains and gaps: Feminist perspectives on women’s leisure. State College, PA: Venture Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, K. A., & Grant, A. E. (1998). Recreation programming: Don’t forget the girls. Parks & Recreation, 33(6), 34–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, K. A., & King, K. (1998). Recreation programming for adolescent girls: Rationale and foundations. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 16(2), 1–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hornibrook, T., Brinkert, E., Parry, D., Seimens, R., Mitten, D., & Priest, S. (1997). The benefits and motivations of all women outdoor programs. Journal of Experiential Education, 20, 152–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Humberstone, B. (1990). Gender, change and adventure education. Gender and Education, 2(2), 199–215.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hurtes, K. P. (2002). Social dependency: The impact of adolescent female culture. Leisure Sciences, 24, 109–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, E. L., & Henderson, K. A. (1995). Gender-based analysis of leisure constraints. Leisure Sciences, 17, 31–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jordan, D. J. (1992). Effective leadership for girls and women in outdoor recreation. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 63(2), 61–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loeffler, T. A. (1997). Assisting women in developing a sense of competence in outdoor programs. The Journal of Experiential Education, 20(3), 119–123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Long, A. E. (2001). Learning the ropes: Exploring the meaning and value of experiential education for girls at risk. Journal of Experiential Education, 24(2), 100–108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKenney, P., Budbill, N., & Roberts, N. S. (2008). Girls’ outdoor adventure program: History, theory, & practice. In K. Warren, D. Mitten, & T. A. Loeffler (Eds.), Theory and practice of experiential education (pp. 532–554). Boulder, CO: Association for Experiential Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • McKenney, P. A. (1996). A program evaluation of an all-girls’ outdoor adventure program. Master’s thesis. Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (304349677).

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitten, D. (1985). A philosophical basis for a women’s outdoor adventure program. The Journal of Experiential Education, 8(2), 20–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitten, D. (1986). Women’s outdoor programs need a different philosophy. Association of College Unions-International, 54(4), 16–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitten, D. (1992). Empowering girls and women in the outdoors. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 63(2), 61–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nolan, T., & Priest, S. (1993). Outdoor programmes for women only? The Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Leadership, 10, 14–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pate, L. J. (1997). Adolescent sex-role stereotyping: Change through wilderness course. Journal of Experiential Education, 20(2), 161–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prince-Embry, S. (2006). Resiliency scales for children and adolescents: Profiles of personal strengths manual. San Antonio, TX: Harcourt Assessments.

    Google Scholar 

  • Porter, T. (1996). Connecting with courage: An Outward Bound program for adolescent girls. In K. Warren (Ed.), Women’s voices in experiential education (p. 2010). Dubuque, IL: Kendall/Hunt.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sammet, K. (2010). Relationships matter: Adolescent girls and relational development in adventure education. Journal of Experiential Education, 33(2), 151–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shaw, S. M. (1994). Gender, leisure, and constraint: Towards a framework for the analysis of women’s leisure. Journal of Leisure Research, 26(1), 271–280.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shaw, S. M. (1999). Gender and leisure. In E. Burton (Ed.), Leisure studies: Prospects for the 21st century (pp. 271–280). State College, PA: Venture Publishing, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsikalas, K., Martin, K. L, & Wright, V. (2015). What keeps us out of the outdoors? Girl Scouts speak out on barriers to outdoor participation. New Orleans, LA: American Camp Association National Research Forum. Retrieved from http://www.acacamps.org/sites/default/files/resource_library/2015-National-Research-Forum-Book-Abstracts.pdf

  • Tyson, L., & Asmus, K. (2008). Deepening the paradigm of choice: Exploring choice and power in experiential education. In K. Warren, D. Mitten, & T. A. Loeffler (Eds.), The theory and practice of experiential education (pp. 262–281). Boulder, CO: Association of Experiential Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warren, K. (1985). Women’s outdoor adventures: Myth and reality. The Journal of Experiential Education, 8(2), 10–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warren, K. (1996). Women’s voices in experiential education. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warren, K., & Loeffler, T. A. (2006). Factors that influence women’s technical skill development in outdoor adventure. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 6(2), 121–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • West-Smith, L. (2000). Body stories: Research and intimate narratives on women transforming body image in outdoor adventure. Edgewood, KY: Adventurehaven Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whittington, A. (2006). Challenging girls’ constructions of femininity in the outdoors. Journal of Experiential Education, 28, 205–221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whittington, A. (2011). Life after the river: Long-term impacts of girls’ participation in an adventure program. Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education and Leadership, 3(1), 40–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whittington, A., Aspelmeier, J. E., & Budbill, N. W. (2015). Promoting resiliency in adolescent girls through adventure programming. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 16(1), 2–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/14729679.2015.1047872

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whittington, A., & Budbill, N. (2013). Breaking the mold: Impacts of adventure education on girls. Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education and Leadership, 5, 37–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whittington, A., & Mack, E. N. (2010). Inspiring courage in girls: An evaluation of practices and outcomes. Journal of Experiential Education, 33, 166–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whittington, A., Mack, E. N., Budbill, N. W., & McKenney, P. (2011). All-girls adventure programmes: What are the benefits? Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 11(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/14729679.2010.505817

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Whittington, A. (2018). Changing Girls’ Lives: One Programme at a Time. In: Gray, T., Mitten, D. (eds) The Palgrave International Handbook of Women and Outdoor Learning. Palgrave Studies in Gender and Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53550-0_45

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53550-0_45

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-53549-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-53550-0

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics