Facilitating Group Cohesion Among Adolescents Through Challenge Course Experiences

In recent years, there has been an increase in the use of challenge course programs and activities, including low-element challenge courses, as interventions in clinical treatment facilities, as well as a treatment approach for adolescents with behavioral and social problems (Johnson, 1992), an approach to encourage personal growth (Herbert, 1996; Nassar McMillan & Cashwell, 1997), and as a method of building teams (Springett, 1987). Although participation in these activities is growing, there has been a paucity of research about the effects and effectiveness of these programs (Johnson). While outdoor challenge course practitioners and participants provide testimony that these experiences effect positive change, research findings to substantiate these claims are rare (Braverman, Brenner, Fretz, & Desmond, 1990; Gillis, Bandoroff, Clapp, Gass, Rudolph & Nadler, 1991; Johnson, 1992). Thus, there is a need for studies to further investigate the uses of challenge course programs and to examine possible outcomes of their implementation (Davis, Ray, & Sayles, 1995).