Trends in Outdoor Adventure Education

Abstract

Trend analysis is an important source of information for adventure program professionals as trends can provide information for decision-making, encourage the development of new programs, train staff, instigate new policies and procedures, and (re)allocate resources. This article investigates the past, current, and future trends in adventure education by examining Ewert's (1987) trend analysis, which identified a number of trends projected to show growth by the year 2000. The trends presented and discussed herein include participation rates, restrictions on land and water resources, certification and accreditation of programs and leaders, artificial adventure environments, evaluation and accountability, growth in adventure programs and activities and litigation.