Student Perceptions of Personal Development of the Wilderness Education Association's 18-Point Curriculum After the Successful Completion of a National Standards Program Course

Author

Joseph Dean Tanner, Southern Illinois University CarbondaleFollow

Date of Award

1-1-2009

Degree Name

Master of Science in Education

Department

Recreation

First Advisor

Glover, Regina

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the perceived development of the Wilderness Education Association's (WEA) 18-point curriculum by National Standards Program (NSP) course graduates. Nationally, there are no mandatory requirements to meet to become an outdoor leader or guide. Successful completion of the WEA NSP certifies the graduate as an Outdoor Leader through the WEA. Participants for this study were administered a survey requesting demographic information. The survey also consisted of a Lickert scale asking participants to what degree they perceived development of the WEA 18-point curriculum during the NSP course in which they participated. Results indicate that overall the curriculum was rated between "greatly developed" and "somewhat developed". The results also indicated that course structure might play a significant role in the development of the 18-point curriculum. While females ranked overall development the highest, there was not a statistical significant difference in the development of the WEA 18-point curriculum between males and females in this study.