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Does Pushing Comfort Zones Produce Peak Learning Experiences?

Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education volume 7, pages 10–19 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

This article presents findings from two Outward Bound studies, one for international participants in the Czech Republic and one for female offenders in New Zealand. Open-ended questions asked participants which activities took them out of their comfort zones and from which activities they had learnt the most. The experiential learning literature advocates that by moving people out of their comfort zones learning takes place. However, the findings indicate that the activities, which participants identified pushed them out of their comfort zones, may not necessarily be the activities that result in peak learning experiences. Whilst it was mainly the physical activities that pushed participants out of their comfort zones, a range of social, creative and reflection activities produced the most learning. This finding suggests that facilitators need to recognize that individual participants’ perceptions of risk are different and remain responsive to participant’s needs throughout the program. The findings also indicate that facilitators need to be aware that learning may come from activities that do not necessarily create the most perception of risk for the participants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management, Massey University, Palmerston North, Private Bag, 11222, New Zealand

    Sarah I. Leberman PhD (senior lecturer) & Andrew J. Martin PhD (senior lecturer)

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  1. Sarah I. Leberman PhD
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  2. Andrew J. Martin PhD
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Correspondence to Sarah I. Leberman PhD.

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Leberman, S.I., Martin, A.J. Does Pushing Comfort Zones Produce Peak Learning Experiences?. Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education 7, 10–19 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03400765

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03400765