Using Dynamical Systems Theory in Outdoor Adventure Education Research

Abstract: A challenge of studying outdoor adventure education (OAE) is the multi-faceted nature of these programs. There are multiple components in OAE, such as students, instructors, or the environment that can influence the development of student learning outcomes. When conducting quantitative studies, researchers have limited ability to control these influences because of the natural setting of such programs, hindering many of the most common quantitative research designs. To address these challenges in OAE reserach, this article demonstrates the use of a dynamical systems theory (DST) approach of modeling quantitative data. The foundations, assumptions, and descriptors used to explain DST phenomena are introduced. Methodological considerations and an example analysis are presented.