Student experiences of an adventure therapy mountain bike program during the COVID-19 pandemic

A mountain bike program was designed and adapted for the school setting with middle school-aged students during 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Two mountain bike groups were offered to facilitate training and development of mountain bike knowledge and skills: one group with integrated Adventure Th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of adventure education and outdoor learning 2022-10, Vol.22 (4), p.313-341
Main Authors: Brown, Cian L., Smarinsky, Evan C., McCarty, Danny L., Christian, David D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic Achievement
Adventure
Adventure Education
Adventure therapy
case study
COVID-19
Early adolescence
Grade 7
Grade 8
Middle School Students
Mountain biking
Outdoor Education
Pandemics
Program Effectiveness
qualitative
Social Isolation
Student Experience
Student Motivation
Therapy
Well Being
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Summary:A mountain bike program was designed and adapted for the school setting with middle school-aged students during 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Two mountain bike groups were offered to facilitate training and development of mountain bike knowledge and skills: one group with integrated Adventure Therapy components to facilitate a therapeutic process and the other group without a therapeutic debriefing process. Forty-one students participated in the program after being randomly assigned to one of two groups. An exploratory qualitative analysis revealed that the pandemic negatively impacted participants' wellbeing and academics, leading to increased isolation and decreased motivation, while the mountain bike program increased their focus, competency, physical and mental wellbeing, and connection to the environment. It appears the mountain bike program served as a protective factor for participants. Implications for professionals and researchers are discussed.
ISSN:1472-9679
1754-0402
DOI:10.1080/14729679.2022.2100430