Wild Adventure Program in promoting a perceived school well-being among children: A pilot study
Alessandra Basso, Sara Franceschini, Il Miller, Paolo Cornaglia Ferraris
Outdoor education, carried out stimulating outdoor activities, is an effective strategy for increasing the well-being of beneficiaries, for implementing self-esteem, autonomy and social skills. Many outdoor adventure programs incorporate the concept of experiential education, which is based on the theory according to which people learn best from direct contact with their experiences. The pilot study conducted in the mountains with a class of 18 students from a first-grade secondary school is described below. The students were given the QBS-R, a questionnaire that investigates the perceived well-being at school, in two phases: before and after this program in the mountains. The results show an improvement in perceived self-efficacy and interpersonal relationships with teachers. Investigating these mechanisms in a larger trial would allow to gather evidence of effectiveness for these activities. The conceptual framework needs further refinement, through related reviews and reliable tests. This study opens, nevertheless, important reflections for school program in order to include Wild Adventure Program activities in the school curricula to improve proposal and more accurately support for the development of young people.
Keywords
Outdoor Education, school well-being, interpersonal relationships, QBS-R questionnaire.