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Creators/Authors contains: "Taff, B. Derrick"

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  1. Outdoor adventure education (OAE) programming is often referenced as an effective intervention that encourages a wide array of outcomes in participants such as increased confidence, independence, and communication skills. However, as outdoor adventure education continues to increase globally, what does the academic literature say about the outcomes related to these programs? Hattie, Marsh, Neill, and Richards (1997) conducted the last major review of program efficacy in this realm. This updated scoping review, largely following PRISMA guidelines (Tricco et al., 2018), aims to summarize the academic literature on one of the primary outdoor adventure education providers internationally, Outward Bound (OB). Fifty-four studies, published between 1995 and 2019, have been summarized in this review. Utilizing Outward Bound International’s (OBI) framework of “people”, “place”, and “process”, themes and gaps in the literature are explored. Specifically, the OB literature has progressed since 1995 in demonstrating social and emotional outcomes in a variety of settings, a better understanding of the nature of effective programming, and further documenting the role the instructor plays in the learning experience. Recommendations are provided on developing more rigorous methodologies for future research, understanding the role of the physical environment in the learning experience, and utilizing theoretical approaches to integrate outdoor adventure education into broader academic realms. 
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  2. Trujillo, Carlos Andres (Ed.)
    Researchers continue to explore ways to understand and promote pro-environmental behavior (PEB) amongst various populations. Despite this shared goal, much debate exists on the operationalization and the dimensionality of PEB and how it is measured. This piecemeal approach to measurement has limited the ability to draw conclusions across studies. We address limitations associated with previous measures of PEB by developing a multi-dimensional scale that is validated across both a general population of individuals residing in the United States as well as a group of individuals associated with a pro-environmental organization. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and reliability estimation were conducted for the developed measure across these two populations. Measurement invariance testing was also utilized to assess the psychometric stability of the scale across the two groups. Results indicated an 11 item scale was best fitting with two sub-scales: private and public behaviors. Implications for research and practice are discussed. 
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  3. Coastal communities are among the most rapidly changing, institutionally complex, and culturally diverse in the world, and they are among the most vulnerable to anthropogenic change. While being a driver of anthropogenic change, tourism can also provide socio-economic alternatives to declining natural resource-based livelihoods for coastal residents. The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of small-scale cruise tourism on coastal community resiliency in Petersburg, Alaska. Exploring these impacts through resiliency theory’s lens of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity, we employed ethnographic research methods that emphasize emic viewpoints to determine how residents see this form of tourism affecting the resiliency of valued community culture, institutions, and traditional livelihoods. Findings indicate that with purposeful engagement in niche cruise tourism involving boats with 250 passengers or less, and an active rejection of the large cruise ship industry, Petersburg exhibits increased adaptive capacity to promote the resilience of valued community institutions and heritage. This work draws needed recognition to the diversity of activities that fall under the label of cruise tourism, including the distinct implications of smaller-scale, niche cruise tourism for the resilience of coastal communities. It also highlights the need to capture emic perspectives to understand the politics of community resiliency. 
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