Re-Examining the Relationship between Indicators of Program Quality and Learning Leadership at NOLS

Creating high-quality programming is essential for fostering learning and development among youth. Outdoor adventure education programs have long been associated with the development of important transferable skills, such as leadership. This study used multi-level modeling to examine the association between six program quality indicators--reflection, sense of empowerment, sense of belonging, instructor-student relationships, group safety, and group functioning--and perceived leadership learning among NOLS students using the revised NOLS Outcome Instrument (NOI 2.0) which built upon the original NOI (see Sibthorp et al., 2007) and assesses more recent NOLS leadership outcomes. Results, from the 891 youth who participated in one of 105 multi-week NOLS courses, indicated that all of the modeled program quality indicators predicted leadership learning. Specifically, providing opportunities for reflection, facilitating a sense of empowerment, promoting a sense of belonging, cultivating positive instructor-student relationships, fostering group safety, and aiding group functioning remain desirable qualities of OAE programs.