Residential Camping Research
There is a lot of parochial hype amongst camp staff and camp advocates that
residential camping programs provide children and adolescents with
"a world of good". However, it is not uncommon for the general public,
funding organizations, board members, parents, and other community stakeholders
to be more critical, including asking whether there is formal proof that camps positively impact on campers'
lives (Bialeschki, Henderson, & Ewing, 2003).
Camps with
a self-development philosophy boost campers' self-esteem and self-concept
(Marsh, 1999)
The most definitive study to date was a meta-analysis of the effects of camp
programs on
campers' self-constructs, such as self-esteem and self-concept (Marsh (1999).
This study showed that whilst the overall effect of camps on these
outcomes was small, that the outcomes were significantly moderated by the
operating philosophy of the camp. In other words, camps which had an
operating
philosophy which included personal development of campers, achieved moderately positive
enhancements of self-esteem. In contrast, camps which did not have a
philosophy focusing on personal growth tended to have little or not effects on
campers' self-esteem. Thus, camps with a self-development philosophy tend
to have similar effects to outdoor education programs on self-esteem and
self-concept. To learn more about this meta-analysis of camps, read an
ACA newsletter article by Marsh.
American
Camping Association's National Camp Research & Evaluation Project
(2001-2003)
Currently, we are awaiting the findings from a new, major three-year study of
the effects of camps on youth development outcomes. The study has been
initiated by the American Camping Association and funded by the Lily Foundation
(a pharmaceutical company) to the tune of US$640,000. You can read the
initial press release
(2001); however, to date no updates about progress or findings have been made
public.
Other research projects of note
- National Camp
[Disability] Evaluation Project. The three year study focused on
evaluating the effectiveness of summer residential camping experiences for
children, youth and young adults with disabilities (ages primarily 7-21).
- The National Inclusive Camp Practices (NICP) Study-1997-2000. National
Inclusive Camp Practices (NICP) study of youth with and without disabilities
in resident mainstream (i.e., inclusionary) camp and outdoor school programs.
Conducted from 1997-2000, the NICP study results were reported at the 2001
Coalition for the Outdoors Bradford Woods Research symposium. The study
focused on 16 ACA accredited resident camps and outdoor school sites
nationwide, and include parents, administrators, counselors/staff, and
approximately 1,000 youth (50% with and 50 % without disabilities), ages 7-18.
- Randall Grayson (1999/2000) conducted research on a summer camp's ability
to positively impact characteristics of resiliency (future sense of self,
social skills, positive peer influence, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and more)
in at-risk children (poverty, single parent, drugs, etc.).
- Gwynn Powell has been doing a PhD on camping, including a focus on the
definition, history and formulation of camping and examining empirical
evidence supporting the major components of the definition. For more
information, see this
Find Articles search of Powell's articles in the ACA Camping Magazine.
- Randall Grayson (2000) has been working on conducting a comprehensive
literature review of camping research in the 20th century.
- New York state has been doing research on the processes and outcomes of
two-week camp experiences which have a large educational component over the
past 3 years.
Camping research information links
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Youth
development outcomes of the camp experience