Abstract
We provide an analysis of refereed papers published in the Australian Journal of Outdoor Education, the Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, and the Journal of Experiential Education over the last decade. We developed a framework to classify the papers in terms of the authors’ affiliations, the type of papers published, the context they address, and the foci of the papers. Authors from the US published most extensively across all three journals followed by authors from Australia, UK, Canada, and New Zealand; the JAEOL had the most balanced mix of author nationalities. All three journals demonstrated a trend towards a higher proportion of research-based papers. Suggestions for the continued development of the emerging research culture are provided. We conclude by offering a table identifying potential areas for future research.
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Glyn Thomas, EdD is the Director (Learning, Teaching, and International) in the Centre for Excellence in Outdoor and Environmental Education at La Trobe University. The primary focus of his research and writing has been the theories and practices of facilitator educators. His teaching is primarily in the areas of outdoor leadership theory, facilitation, and leadership in rock and river environments.
Tom G. Potter, PhD is an Associate Professor in the School of Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. Tom’s teaching and research interests blend to include the pedagogy of outdoor education, outdoor leadership, technology in outdoor education, risk management and nature-based therapy.
Pete Allison, PhD is a lecturer at the Moray House School of Education at The University of Edinburgh. His main interests are in outdoor and experiential learning. His PhD on moral philosophy and educational expeditions is from the University of Strathclyde. He currently teaches courses on professional practice, research methods and supervises MSc and PhD students. Pete continues to lead expeditions with young people to Greenland, the Himalaya and Africa and is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. He is the author of two books Research from the Ground up and Outdoor Experiential Leadership and is currently working on one about Kurt Hahn and the progressive education movement pre-1944.
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Thomas, G., Potter, T.G. & Allison, P. A tale of three journals: A study of papers published in AJOE, JAEOL and JEE between 1998 and 2007. Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education 13, 16–29 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03400876
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03400876