Wilderness Leadership for Physical Education Majors: The Current National Status of Wilderness Education.

Outdoor/adventure education is a relatively new content area required by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education for students majoring in physical education. Teacher preparation programs in physical education have yet to adopt a standardized curriculum. A survey was completed by 162 of the 536 physical education programs in U.S. colleges and universities. Only 46 respondents reported being in compliance with the new outdoor eduCation requirements. The most commonly offered outdoor activities were orienteering, hiking, backpacking, ropes courses, and canoeing; each was offered by 50-62 respondents. Respondents also indicated the percentage of class time spent in lecture or field settings, teaching aids used in outdoor instruction, the number of units of outdoor education required for physical education majors, instructors' highest degree attained and area of degree concentration, instructors' teaching experience, titles of textbooks used, perceived need for the development of an outdoor education text, instructors' willingness to contribute to a future text or to adopt such a text, and the didactic and activity content areas that should be included in a new text. An open-ended question completed by 34 respondents elicited three themes: concern that region would affect the content of outdoor education courses, preference for no required outdoor education courses, and desire to review any new text that is developed. (Contains 4 references and 26 recommended readings.) (SV) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Wilderness Leadership for Physical Education Majors: The Current National Status of Wilderness Education Ping Luo, Ed.D John Jewell, Ed.D California State University, Stanislaus Eastern Kentucky University Nigel Davies, Ed.D Sue Fletcher, Ed.D Georgia Southern University California State University, Stanislaus Erin McLaughlin, Ed.D Gayle Workman, Ph.D California State University, Stanislaus University of Akron 1 PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDU ATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy.