Good luck to you as well Ian.

Roger, I think your questioning raised a very important point about the
lack of understanding that exists regarding the relationship between
outdoor education and other school subjects and schooling in general.
Outdoor education research has tended to investigate outdoor education -
and has not really related the findings to all the literature that
exists about schools and the other subjects at schools. Schooling has an
amazing history and a complex politics. Just trumpeting supposed
benefits without a deep understanding of other pressures within
education and schooling is somewhat naive.

A book that I believe all outdoor education teachers should read is Ivor
Goodson's:

School subjects and curriculum change : studies in curriculum history /
Ivor Goodson ; foreword by Peter McLaren.
Published Washington, D.C. : Falmer Press, c1993.

It contains a very insightful account of the historical issues
surrounding the politics of the curriculum and the plight of "rural
studies". There are many analogies that can be made between this and
outdoor education.

Cheers


--
John Quay
PhD Student
Department of Science and Mathematics Education
Faculty of Education, University of Melbourne
Victoria 3010, Australia
Ph: +613 8344 8295
Fax: +613 8344 8739



Roger Greenaway wrote:

> I wish you luck Ian with your search for an institution to study
> for a part-time PhD - and hope you have received some useful
> replies offline to your request.
>
> You mention your preference for outcome studies. I think it is
> debatable whether education managers and politicians will be more
> convinced by outcome studies than by process studies (of Outdoor
> Education in Schools). Apart from the difficulties
> (methodological and financial) of designing and carrying out
> effective and useful outcome studies in this field, I think there
> are special difficulties to do with the changes in how all school
> subjects and teaching methods are continually evolving -
> including Outdoor Education.
>
> Given the pace of change, the case for Outdoor Education in
> schools in 2001 may be very different to the best cases that
> could be made in 1991, 1981, 1971, 1961, etc.. The managers and
> politicians may have a 1981 picture of Outdoor Education, or a
> very patchy one. How about a collection of case studies of the
> latest and best practices that help to demonstrate that OE is
> especially relevant in the 21st century? Could this be a
> collection that illustrates what kinds of
> practices/processes/experiences result in what kinds of outcomes?
>
> Does anyone out there actually know what *kind* of research is
> most persuasive in promoting Outdoor Education in schools?
>
> Can anyone point to a research study that has already been
> influential in promoting Outdoor Education - or even to a
> research study that has been successful in promoting any other
> school subject competing for the support of managers and
> politicians?
>
> Roger Greenaway
> [log in to unmask]
> http://reviewing.co.uk
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Ian Harris" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Friday, August 17, 2001 12:28 PM
> Subject: Starting a PhD
>
> > I am currently working at Southampton Institute as the course
> leader for
> > the BA (Hons) Maritime Leisure Management degree and will also
> be managing
> > the new BA (Hons) Watersports Studies and Management and the BA
> (Hons)
> > Outdoor Adventure Management degrees.
> >
> > I am keen to start work on a PhD, but unfortunately (or maybe
> fortunately)
> > have been unable to set up a supervisory team at my own
> Institute with
> > suitable expertise and experience.  I am therefore looking at
> the
> > possibility of undertaking my studies elsewhere - but logistics
> will limit
> > me to within the UK I suspect!
> >
> > My area of interest is in need of refining, but is broadly in
> the area of
> > measuring the outcomes of secondary school age outdoor
> education
> > programmes, with a political / education management direction.
> Basically I
> > still feel we need to convince the education managers and
> politicians of
> > the benefits to stop the decline in Outdoor Education in
> Schools.  I
> > appreciate that this is not following the trend towards process
> based
> > research, but there you go!    This would follow up work that I
> have
> > undertaken on my BEd, MA Ed and MSc courses.
> >
> > If anybody is working at an Institution that could provide me
> with the
> > opportunity to study for a PhD part time in this or a similar
> area, I would
> > be grateful if they could get in touch either by e.mail or
> snail mail at
> > the address below.
> >
> > Many thanks
> >
> >
> > Ian Harris
> > Course Leader
> > BA (Hons) Maritime Leisure Management
> > BA (Hons) Watersports Studies and Management
> > BA (Hons) Outdoor Adventure Management
> >
> > Southampton Business School
> > Southampton Institute
> > East Park Terrace
> > Southampton
> > SO14 0RH
> >
> > Tel 023 80319750
> >