Showing the Way to Inclusive Outdoor Education:Impact of Hands-On Training in Adapting a Kayak

Abstract

Insufficient training in using adaptations and specialized equipment foroutdoor education practices is a barrier to inclusion in public schools.Providing teachers with hands-on training opportunities in adaptationscould be beneficial. Two training groups, one of pre-service teachers(n=19) and one of in-service teachers (n=18), were given direct exposureto adapting a kayak to make it accessible to users of different abilities.Participants had the opportunity to discuss the kayak adaptations and tointeract with the equipment. Pre-service teachers who did not yet haveformal outdoor education instruction (n=18) served as a control group inthis pre-test, post-test design. Training increased participants’ selfefficacyand their willingness to adapt kayaks in the future. These positiveeffects did not, however, transfer directly to other activities, nor did thetraining impact overall inclusion attitudes. Nonetheless, direct exposure toadaptations is a promising training tool for demonstrating to teachers thatimplementing inclusive outdoor education practices is doable