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Blog Prompt 9/10 (OUTD-2511): Final Blog

Three things I know for certain about outdoor recreation research:

Ethics: Ethics are important in research because they can help to protect the researcher, the research, and the volunteers/test subjects/interviewees. Ethics can include concerns or conflicts that may arise and ethics helps “to define what is or is not legitimate to do, or what ‘moral’ research procedures involve (Neuman, 2017). Ethics must be considered throughout the entire research process and it is really important to never overlook ethics. In this course, we were taught the extreme importance of ethics, so it is cemented in my brain.

Qualitative and Quantitative research: It was fairly easy to remember quantitative and qualitative research because I learned it in high school during chemistry. I only had to learn out to apply it outside of the science lab. Besides the difference between the two are easy to remember: qualitative data is "information in the form of words, pictures, sounds, visual images, or objects," and quantitative data is "information in the form of numbers," (Neuman, 2017). Qualities vs. quantities.

Invisible Backpacks: An invisible backpack I know the concept of invisible backpacks for sure because I also learned about it in another OPRT course with Craig Paiement. For his course we had to create a 'power flower' which included what privileges we had. The inner petals were the advantages/privileges according to social norms, and the outer petals are your results. The green checks show the privileges you have. This is my power flower:

Three things I am still confused by:

How is this new knowledge significant to my future career?

Throughout this course I have been trying to find things that I can apply to my future career. This has been difficult because I am not going into a career in research. However I may not be able to apply the majority of what I have learned in this course, I think I can still apply the concepts of ethics and invisible backpacks. This is due to the fact that these two things should be taken into consideration in every workplace and in life in general. Every person has their own unique story and they each carry different advantages or disadvantages that has effected their lives. Regardless of an individual's invisible backpack, everyone should be treated with equity.

How do I write a research proposal?

I have no idea how a research proposal is supposed to be formatted. I have tried to look at examples of research proposals made by Lakehead University students, and I have searched the web to try and find the correct formatting, but they are all different. Even for the research proposal for our podcast project our group was just guessing the formatting because we couldn't find a template and we were never taught how to create a research proposal.

All of the new terms.

There are so many terms in the textbook that it is really difficult to remember them all and their meanings. I counted the glossary of the textbook and there are 363 terms and definitions in it (Neuman, 2017). Only in chapter 1 of the textbook there are 32 terms to remember (Neuman, 2017). Due to the fact that there are so many different new terms it is hard to accurately remember most of them.

Things I know for certain about me as an outdoor recreation researcher:

I would not make a good outdoor recreation researcher. I am constantly getting new hobbies and finding new interests that it would be extremely difficult for me to fully complete a research project. It would be very hard for me to stay invested in my research because I can get bored fairly easily, I get easily distracted, and once I feel that I have learned enough of something, I move on to a new challenge.

This is a quote that I often look at:

“None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an afterthought. Eat the delicious food. Walk in the sunshine. Jump in the ocean. Say the truth that you’re carrying in your heart like a hidden treasure. Be silly. Be kind. Be weird. There’s no time for anything else.” - Anthony Hopkins (n.d.)

I don't want to be an outdoor recreation researcher. I haven’t had the resources or the opportunities to experience many outdoor activities or new places besides hunting and camping during my lifetime, so I want to spend my time experiencing things before anything else. I feel that I would not be a good researcher because I haven’t even experienced much of life. Also, I feel that I should focus more on my life and the happiness and new experiences I can get instead of dedicating a large portion of my time to a research project that likely won't matter. I know it sounds rude, but there are so many research papers out there already that it is very hard to think of anything new to research, and a lot of those papers don’t even get read or lead to anything significant. I would rather spend my time out in the field making a difference instead of behind a computer analyzing research that likely won't lead to anything important.

Three areas I need to spend time developing/learning in order to feel more confident in my skills:

Staying Focused: I have a really hard time staying focused on a task for a long period of time. Research projects are especially difficult for me to do because of how long they can take. The parts of research that are in the field or with people I can become very focused and interested in, but the written portions are extremely hard for me to focus on. I'm honestly not too sure how I can improve on this because I have been trying to improve on it for years and it doesn't seem to be getting any better.

Staying Interested in the Research: I can have a very strong passion for something, but that feeling can quickly fizzle out. I struggle with staying interested in something, such as a research project, for the entire duration of time. I get to a certain point where I think I know a lot about the topic and I lose interest because my curiosity has been fulfilled.

Staying motivated to complete the research: Once I lose focus and become uninterested, it is extremely hard for me to stay motivated to complete a task. This can be difficult for completely large projects that require a lot of time because as mentioned before I easily lose focus and can quickly become uninterested. I often have to force myself to complete something that I have no motivation to do, but this can lead to a final product that may not be as good as it should be.

A perfect example of when I have experienced all three of these areas I struggle in is while writing this blog. This blog required sitting at a computer for a long period of time, it required me to write about things I am not interested in writing about, and this led to me having an extremely difficult time staying motivated to write it.

References

Neuman, W. & Robson, K. (2017). Basics of social research (4th edition). Pearson

Quozio. (n.d.). None of us are getting out of here alive . . . Quozio. Retrieved 2022, from https://quozio.com/quote/t2wnxn44v9f4/1133/none-of-us-are-getting-out-of-here-alive-so-please-stop

Blog Prompt 8 (OUTD-2511): Online Quiz Review

16Personalities Personality Test

https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test

The 16Personalities test determines an individual's personality type by providing statements and having the person agree or disagree with those statements. 16Personalities uses "five personality aspects that, when combined, define the personality type," (2022). These aspects are mind, energy, nature, tactics, and identity, and "these aspects should be seen as a two-sided continuum, with the 'neutral' option placed in the middle," (16Personalities, 2022).

The combination of letters you get that relate to the personality aspects determines your personality type. The personality types are:

How well are the questions written?

In this personality test, there are no questions but rather statements that you must agree or disagree with. Your degree of agreement or disagreement can be chosen on a scale. An example of a statement and the response method can be seen below:

16Personalities (2022).

These are all of the “questions”/statements included in the test:

“You regularly make new friends.”

“You spend a lot of your free time exploring various random topics that pique your interest.”

“Seeing other people cry can easily make you feel like you want to cry too.”

“You often make a backup plan for a backup plan.”

“You usually stay calm, even under a lot of pressure.”

“At social events, you rarely try to introduce yourself to new people and mostly talk to the ones you already know.”

“You prefer to completely finish a project before starting another.”

“You are very sentimental.”

“You like to use organizing tools like schedules and lists.”

“Even a small mistake can cause you to doubt your overall abilities and knowledge.”

“You feel comfortable just walking up to someone you find interesting and striking up a conversation.”

“You are not too interested in discussing various interpretations and analyses of creative works.”

“You are more inclined to follow your head than your heart.”

“You usually prefer just doing what you feel like at any given moment instead of planning a particular daily routine.”

“You rarely worry about whether you make a good impression on people you meet.”

“You enjoy participating in group activities.”

“You like books and movies that make you come up with your own interpretation of the ending.”

“Your happiness comes more from helping others accomplish things than your own accomplishments.”

“You are interested in so many things that you find it difficult to choose what to try next.”

“You are prone to worrying that things will take a turn for the worse.”

“You avoid leadership roles in group settings.”

“You are definitely not an artistic type of person.”

“You think the world would be a better place if people relied more on rationality and less on their feelings.”

“You prefer to do your chores before allowing yourself to relax.”

“You enjoy watching people argue.”

“You tend to avoid drawing attention to yourself.”

“Your mood can change very quickly.”

“You lose patience with people who are not as efficient as you.”

“You often end up doing things at the last possible moment.”

“You have always been fascinated by the question of what, if anything, happens after death.”

“You usually prefer to be around others rather than on your own.”

“You become bored or lose interest when the discussion gets highly theoretical.”

“You find it easy to empathize with a person whose experiences are very different from yours.”

“You usually postpone finalizing decisions for as long as possible.”

“You rarely second-guess the choices that you have made.”

“After a long and exhausting week, a lively social event is just what you need.”

“You enjoy going to art museums.”

“You often have a hard time understanding other people’s feelings.”

“You like to have a to-do list for each day.”

“You rarely feel insecure.”

“You avoid making phone calls.”

“You often spend a lot of time trying to understand the views that are very different from your own.”

“In your social circle, you are often the one who contacts your friends and initiates activities.”

“If your plans are interrupted, your top priority is to get back on track as soon as possible.”

“You are still bothered by mistakes that you made a long time ago.”

“You rarely contemplate the reasons for human existence or the meaning of life.”

“Your emotions control you more than you control them.”

“You take great care not to make people look bad, even when it is completely their fault.”

“Your personal style is closer to spontaneous bursts of energy than organized and consistent efforts.”

“When someone thinks highly of you, you wonder how long it will take them to feel disappointed in you.”

“You would love a job that requires you to work alone most of the time.”

“You believe that pondering abstract philosophical questions is a waste of time.”

“You feel more drawn to places with busy, bustling atmospheres than quiet, intimate places.”

“You know at first glance how someone is feeling.”

“You often feel overwhelmed.”

“You complete things methodically without skipping over any steps.”

“You are very intrigued by things labeled as controversial.”

“You would pass along a good opportunity if you thought someone else needed it more.”

“You struggle with deadlines.”

“You feel confident that things will work out for you.”

There are a lot of “questions” in this test, but I think that is important because it means it is trying to be thorough to get the most accurate answers. Additionally, I think the “questions” are well written because they can easily be answered as a yes or no, and the “questions” are not confusing. Also, the “questions” can be applied to a very wide audience. The “questions” are not catered to a specific audience, such as a specific religion, gender, race, etc,.

What are some strengths and weaknesses?

Strengths:

Many “questions”.

Straightforward “questions”.

Easy response method.

Not catered to a specific audience.

Accurate answer for what your personality type is.

Visually appealing.

Provides a very detailed answer for your personality type and includes examples of famous people who have the same personality type.

Weaknesses:

Some may find the test to be too long.

If you do not know yourself well, it can be difficult to answer some of the “questions”.

My Results

This test was actually extremely accurate for identifying my personality type. It identified my personality type as INFP-T (Mediator).

According to 16 Personalities, “although they may seem quiet or unassuming, Mediators (INFPs) have vibrant, passionate inner lives. Creative and imaginative, they happily lose themselves in daydreams, inventing all sorts of stories and conversations in their minds. These personalities are known for their sensitivity - Mediators can have profound emotional responses to music, art, nature, and the people around them. Idealistic and empathetic, Mediators long for deep, soulful relationships, and they feel called to help others. But because this personality type makes up such a small portion of the population, Mediators may sometimes feel lonely or invisible, adrift in a world that doesn’t seem to appreciate the traits that make them unique,” (2022).

This is just the introduction for the Mediator personality type. 16 Personalities goes way further in depth explaining the personality type. They identify strengths and weaknesses, romantic relationships, friendships, parenthood, career paths, and workplace habits. To continue, one of my favorite parts of this test is that it shows you famous people who have the same personality type as you. These are some of the people that I share a personality type with:

References

16Personalities. (2022). Free Personality Test. 16Personalities. Retrieved March 20, 2022, from https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test

Blog Prompt 6 (OUTD 2511): Interview a Key Thinker Who Represents Your Field of Inquiry for the Podcast Project

Podcast Project Research Question: How does rock climbing in Thunder Bay benefit the wellbeing of citizens in the community?

I would interview Aric Fishman because he is the founder of Outdoor Skills and Thrills and he has many years of experience climbing around the world and in Thunder Bay. Aric worked as a wilderness survival instructor and canoe tripping guide in 1999 to 2004, worked as a manager at four different climbing facilities between 2000 and 2013, and graduated from Lakehead University in 2012 with a degree in Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism with a minor in Sociology (Outdoor Skills and Thrills, 2021). In addition, Aric has spent over 20 years honing his skills as a climber, instructor, and professional guide (Outdoor Skills and Thrills, 2021). On average Aric climbs and guides over 250 days per year. Additionally, Aric is the Author of Thunder Bay Climbing: A Guide to Northwestern Ontario’s Best Kept Secret (Outdoor Skills and Thrills, 2021).

Aric Fishman (Outdoor Skills and Thrills, 2021).

List five clear interview questions (and what insight you hope to get out of each):

1. Do you think rock climbing has a positive or negative impact on people’s mental health and wellbeing?

I would like to gain insight from an experienced professional on his opinions of the impact climbing has on a person’s mental health and wellbeing.

2. How has climbing positively or negatively impacted your mental health and wellbeing?

I would like to know if he has seen any impacts on his mental health and wellbeing since he has been climbing for so many years.

What impact will climbing have on mental health and wellbeing if you participate in the activity long term?

3. Do you think the overall environment of climbing is what has an impact on people’s mental health and wellbeing? Or do you think the fact that they are just participating in a physical activity is what impacts their mental health and wellbeing?

Do the other aspects of rock climbing such as adrenaline, fear, sense of accomplishment, communication, relying on others and yourself, etc, have an effect on participants in these areas besides the physical exercise component?

4. How is rock climbing different from other recreational activities in the way it affects its participants mentally, physically, and socially?

Does rock climbing have different things to offer than other sports

What separates rock climbing from the rest of recreational activities?

Are there different mental benefits?

Are there different social benefits?

5. Can you describe what a typical climbing day looks like for those who are new to climbing?

Rock climbing can be seen as a very risky and scary activity, so if a professional climber explains the safety precautions and risk management in place, it can ease a person’s mind and encourage them to participate in the activity.

If a person would like to rock climb for the benefit of their wellbeing, this can provide them with the information on what to expect being new to the activity.

I decided on these questions because they cover different topics and ideas that are important to answering the research question. The first question is straightforward, but it will provide me with the answer of if a professional has seen the impacts that rock climbing has on a person’s mental health and wellbeing. The second question will help to provide me with information on if a long time participant of climbing has seen any impacts the sport has had on them. This is important because with just these two questions we learn the affects climbing can have on new or more frequent climbers. Next, the third and fourth questions will help in the determination of if climbing has different impacts in participants and also this answers if the sport is worth it to partake in rather than more popular activities such as running, hiking, soccer, baseball, etc,. Finally, the last question is to gain insight on a typical day of climbing to help ease the minds of newcomers to the sport of climbing or to just provide a look on what a day can look like. Overall, I chose questions that could get answers to various important topics that could support the research question.

Reference List

Outdoor Skills and Thrills. (n.d.). Aric Fishman. Outdoor Skills And Thrills. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://outdoorskillsandthrills.com/team-osat/aric-fishman

Outdoor Skills and Thrills. (n.d.). Meet the Team. Outdoor Skills And Thrills. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://outdoorskillsandthrills.com/team-osat

Outdoor Skills and Thrills. (n.d.). Thunder Bay Climbing Guide Book. Outdoor Skills And Thrills. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://outdoorskillsandthrills.com/tbay-climbing-guidebook

mrpoutd2511

A Big Bear

I found the prompt for this week incredibly challenging since it led me down rabbit holes of news stories, none of which were that positive or felt like they added anything positive to my life. But without further ado, I present to you Lake Tahoe Is Fighting to Kill Iconic Fat Bear, a VICE article from earlier this week by Samantha Cole.

Key Message

The key message of this article was that a 500-pound bear has been rooming around the Tahoe keys because the residents have made it easy for the bear to find food (1). My favourite part of the article is how the people being interviewed do not blame the bear and instead blame their own irresponsibility and discuss ways to mitigate this damage from happening again.

Their Sources

The primary source for this article is The California Department of Fish and Wildlife, they are referenced in regards to an interview done for KCRA 3. Interviews from The Tahoe Daily Tribune and CBS 13 are also referenced

How The Sources May Have Been Evaluated

VICE may have evaluated their sources by verifying the credibility of both the sources and the people being interviewed (2).

Expectations/Responsibilities the consumer might have in reviewing this article

Consumers reading/reviewing this article should also test its reliability (2) by cross-referencing the various sources and stories. I as a consumer would also try to seek out as many opinions on the topic as possible to be able to make the most well-rounded opinion.

https://twitter.com/kcranews/status/1494066003239583746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1494066003239583746%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vice.com%2Fen%2Farticle%2F4aw77j%2Flake-tahoe-is-fighting-about-whether-to-kill-iconic-fat-bear

References

(1) https://www.vice.com/en/article/4aw77j/lake-tahoe-is-fighting-about-whether-to-kill-iconic-fat-bear

https://apple.news/A1yuBGW_FTgaw1_ccU6c0bQ

(2) OUTD-2511 Research Design course notes

ahoutd2511

This is so sad. According to Samantha Cole, “bears have been unwanted visitors in the neighborhood for years, and wildlife experts believe it’s because of how easy the residents and the Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association have made it for the animals to find food there,” (2022, p. 5). The community members were the problem because they didn’t dispose of food or garbage properly, so they were basically just inviting the bear in to cause damage. Then, when the bear became too destructive the residents wanted to act like the heroes and protest against the bear being killed. However, the bear could have been trapped instead and rehabilitated but “the TKPOA forbids the use of bear boxes, claiming that they’re too expensive and ugly,” (Cole, 2022, p. 5). So, the residents want to protect the bear until the bear interferes with the aesthetic of their neighborhood.

Your article is very similar to this one I found: https://www.castanet.net/news/Kamloops/285837/Irresponsible-trash-disposal-leads-to-6-bear-deaths. Near the Lake Okanagan Resort in Kelowna, someone irresponsibly disposed of garbage for a long period of time and this became an attractant to bears. 6 bears were killed because they lost their fear in people and became a public safety concern. People were irresponsible and the animals had to suffer.

Blog Prompt 5 (OUTD 2511): Analysis of “Deforestation in the Amazon hits a record high for the month of January” by Katie Nelson

Chosen Article: “Deforestation in the Amazon hits a record high for the month of January” by Katie Nelson

https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/deforestation-in-the-amazon-hits-a-record-high-for-the-month-of-january/

What was the key message?

The key message of the article “Deforestation in the Amazon hits a record high for the month of January” by Katie Nelson is that deforestation has increased five times higher than that of January 2021. This is concerning because January is typically the month where deforestation is at its lowest due to the rainy season and that deforestation has increased by that much in only a year.

What might their sources have been?

Weather observation system.

Brazil Precipitation Observation System - INPE: Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (National Institute for Space Research [English Translation])

http://clima1.cptec.inpe.br/monitoramentobrasil/pt

Online journal platform.

America’s Quarterly: Brazil’s Amazon is Under Threat from Proposed Land-Use Laws

https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/brazils-amazon-is-under-threat-from-proposed-land-use-laws/

U.S.-based non-profit conservation and environmental science news platform.

Mongabay - News and Inspiration From Nature’s Frontline: Brazil’s ‘land-grabbers law’ threatens Amazonia (commentary)

https://news.mongabay.com/2020/05/brazils-land-grabbers-law-threatens-amazonia-commentary/

Diana Ruiz

Senior Forest Campaigner for Greenpeace USA

Christiane Mazzetti

Spokeswoman for Greenpeace Brazil

How might they have been evaluated?

Brazil Precipitation Observation System - INPE

The location of the weather observation system is designated for Brazil.

America’s Quarterly

Award-winning publication dedicated to politics, business, and culture in the Americas.

Launched in 2007 and based in New York City, AQ is an independent, not-for-profit publication of Americas Society/Council of the Americas.

Readers include CEOs, senior government officials, and thought leaders, as well as a general audience interested in the Americas.

Mongabay

Nonprofit environmental science and conservation new platform that produces original reporting in English, Indonesian, Spanish, French, Hindi, and Portuguese.

Has 800 correspondents in 70 countries.

Dedicated to evidence-driven objective journalism.

Their main focuses are forests, wildlife, oceans, and the conservation sector.

Undertake special reporting projects, which are deep dives on specific topics and geographies.

Articles are syndicated by dozens of local, national, regional, and international outlets such as the National Geographic Indonesia and Smithsonian Magazine.

Mongabay’s readers consist of officials in development agencies, natural resources management ministries, scientists, business leaders, and civil society.

Diana Ruiz

15 years of experience.

Senior Palm Oil Campaigner for Greenpeace USA

Leading to make zero deforestation in Indonesia a reality.

Worked to make change and hold U.S. corporations accountable in countries including Indonesia, India, Peru, and Ecuador.

Diana has focused on a range of issues that draw from industrial chemical systems to pesticide regulations, climate mitigation and adaptation measures.

Communicates with federal, state, and international policy makers across a range of issues from public exposures to toxic chemicals, human health risks of climate change, and natural resource management.

Builds strategic partnerships to position strong dialogue and negotiations across coalitions, corporations, and policy makers.

Conducts needs assessments/survey design and synthesizing complex technical data into language that is accessible and compelling.

Christiane Mazzetti

MSc in Environment and Development at LSE

Chevening Alumni 2018/2019

Senior Forest Campaigner at Greenpeace Brazil

How were they validated/verified?

According to Brown (2006), the five criteria for evaluating the validity of literature are purpose, scope, authority, audience, and format. For the validity of Diana Ruiz and Christiane Mazzetti we will be looking at authority and scope.

Brazil Precipitation Observation System - INPE

Purpose:

To provide the public with information and diagrams regarding Brazil’s precipitation and climate.

Scope:

Brazil’s precipitation, temperature, waves, and climate.

Authority:

Government of Brazil

Audience:

Those who want/need to know the climates of Brazil.

Format:

Maps and diagrams for the different categories.

America’s Quarterly

Purpose:

To share news regarding politics, business, and culture in the Americas.

Scope:

Politics, business, and culture in the Americas.

Authority:

Publication of Americas Society/Council of the Americas.

Audience:

CEOs, senior government officials, and thought leaders, as well as a general audience interested in the Americas.

Format:

Online newsletter, print magazine, and podcast.

Mongabay

Purpose:

Dedicated to evidence-driven objective journalism covering special topics regarding the environment and geographies.

Scope:

Forests, wildlife, oceans, and the conservation sector.

Authority:

Articles are syndicated by dozens of local, national, regional, and international outlets such as National Geographic Indonesia and Smithsonian Magazine.

Audience:

Consists of officials in development agencies, natural resources management ministries, scientists, business leaders, and civil society.

Format:

Online newsletter.

Diana Ruiz

Scope:

Climate change, deforestation, human health risks of climate change, public exposures to toxic chemicals, issues of industrial chemical systems, issues regarding pesticides, and climate mitigation.

Authority:

15 years of experience.

Senior Palm Oil Campaigner for Greenpeace USA

Christiane Mazzetti

Scope:

Deforestation, climate change, and environmental issues/concerns.

Authority:

MSc in Environment and Development at LSE

Chevening Alumni 2018/2019

Senior Forest Campaigner at Greenpeace Brazil

What expectations/responsibilities might the consumer have in reviewing this article?

The expectations/responsibilities might the consumer have in reviewing this article and ensuring its validity is to check its purpose, scope, authority, audience, and format. In addition, they can check if the article contains credible sources, factual information, no spelling or grammar issues, the date the article was published, and who the article was published by.

Reference List

About Mongabay. (2022). Mongabay. Retrieved February 20, 2022, from https://www.mongabay.com/about/

America’s Quarterly (AQ). (2022). America’s Quarterly. Retrieved February 20, 2022, from https://www.americasquarterly.org/about/

Brito, B. (2021, April 8). Brazil’s Amazon is under threat from proposed land-use laws. America’s Quarterly. Retrieved February 20, 2022, from https://www.americasquarterly.org/a

Fearnside, P. M. (2020, May 25). Brazil’s ‘land-grabbers law’ threatens Amazonia (commentary). Mongabay. Retrieved February 20, 2022, from https://news.mongabay.com/2020/05/brazils-land-grabbers-law-threatens-amazonia-commentary/

Diana Ruiz. (2022). Greenpeace USA. Retrieved February 20, 2022, from https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/bios/diana-ruiz/

Diana Ruiz. (2022). Linkedin. Retrieved February 20, 2022, from https://www.linkedin.com/in/dcruiz

Nelson, K. (2022, February 11). Deforestation in the Amazon hits a record high for the month of January. Greenpeace USA. Retrieved February 20, 2022, from https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/deforestation-in-the-amazon-hits-a-record-high-for-the-month-of-january/

Precipitacao Observada. (2022). INPE. Retrieved February 20, 2022, from http://clima1.cptec.inpe.br/monitoramentobrasil/pt

Blog Prompt 4 (OUTD 2511): What Are You Thinking About?

This past week has been a little rough and there has been a lot on my mind. There is so much going on in my mind that I sat here for an hour just trying to think of what specific thing I could share. I have a lot going on with school, my family, and my personal life, but the main thing that has bothered me the most is the fact that I’ve been having issues with my vehicle.

I bought my van last February with the plan of converting it into a camper and live in it during school. My grandpa and I worked very hard on it and we built a bed in it, a counter, put a fridge in it, added a vent, added solar panels, and did electrical work. Shortly after that I began having issues. I had to have new brakes put in and a new steering box put in. During the summer and fall everything was great, but then winter came around and with the snow came a flurry of problems. A loud screaming noise started coming from my van whenever I revved up and I brought my van to a mechanic, but they didn’t know what it was. After hours of searching, the mechanic determined that I needed my exhaust gasket fixed.

Now to the most recent issue. I wanted to drive home to Schreiber for the weekend, but as I was a few minutes outside of Thunder Bay, my van began to shake and lose acceleration. I pulled over and checked everything and thought I would see what would happen if I drove a little further, but I couldn’t get my speed over 5 kilometers per hour. I had to call a tow truck for them to bring my van to my mechanic in Schreiber.

I got a ride home and had my van checked. My catalytic converter is plugged up and I need to get it disassembled and cleaned. I'm hoping I can get my van into the shop tomorrow because I have an in person class on Tuesday. Also, if I can’t have my van fixed in time to go back to Thunder Bay, I will temporarily be homeless since it’s what I'm currently living in . That’s okay though, because my friend will likely let me sleep on their couch for a little while.

This is a portion of the craziness going on in my life, and I'm grateful to be able to share it with all of you. This really helps me to get a little off of my mind. Hopefully all will be well soon! Thank you!

justplainrec

03. Teenage Development and Extreme Sports.

If I was conducting research as a graduated student and had limitless resources, I would choose to research the cognitive and emotional development of teenagers who participate in extreme sports. I’m interested in this topic primarily because it reflects my own teenage years – I did not participate in team sports but did I participate in mountain bike racing and alpine skiing. I’m very curious as to how this choice affected my development and how my background has affected my adult life, not only in my lifestyle choices, but in my emotional regulation and sense of self.

The sports I would focus on are rock-climbing, cross-country mountain biking, alpine skiing, and snowboarding. I think there is a lot of benefit that can be gained from participation in extreme sport and a study on how participation in these sports affects teenagers would help the sports to further join the mainstream and become more normalized. Finances are often a barrier for teens when it comes to participation in extreme sports, so I would specifically hope to see high school students in Thunder Bay benefit from this sport by an increased access to opportunities to try extreme sports. Ideally, more schools would adopt more extreme sports as electives and extracurriculars. Currently, some schools have the option to take skiing or snowboarding as an elective, and most have the option to mountain bike race as an extracurricular. I would want to see snowboarding and skiing be offered as an elective across the board and for mountain biking and climbing to be offered as extracurriculars at minimum.

My reason for focusing on extreme sport is that even at a glance, there is some contrast between extreme sports and team sports. Extreme sports usually involve individual goals rather than teamwork. Extreme sports involve flow states, high competency, and an aspect of danger. Due to their intense nature, extreme sports can be a way of striving for self-actualization and promoting positive personal change. Their uncertain nature provides opportunity for intense cognitive development and emotional dimension (Cohen et. Al, 2018). Teens are known for risk taking behaviours, and channeling those impulses into extreme sports would have positive outcomes.

I would love to study how participating in extreme sport affects a teenager’s sense of self-efficacy, confidence, emotional regulation, and independence, and how these aspects are carried into their adult lives. This tracking would have to take place over a 10-year period, from age 15 -25. This period spans from adolescence until the frontal lobe has fully developed (Arain et. al, 2013), giving a considerable window to see how participation affects the participants as teenagers and the benefits they carry into their adult lives.

My research method would be qualitative and quantitative – I would want to survey the participants twice a year for 10 years. The frequency is due to most extreme sports being weather dependent and therefore having an on and off-season. I want to collect qualitative opinions from the participants themselves, as well as concrete quantitative measures of cognitive development. Having such a long period would require renewed consent as the study continued.

References

Arain, M., Haque, M., Johal, L., Mathur, P., Nel, W., Rais, A., Sandhu, R., & Sharma, S. (2013). Maturation of the adolescent brain. Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment, 9, 449–461. https://doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S39776

Cohen, R., Baluch, B., Duffy, L. (2018). Defining Extreme Sport : Conceptions and Misconceptions. Frontiers in Psychology, 9. https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01974

Photo: Powder Day. Taken By Jill Girardin, December 2021.

ahoutd2511

This would be a very interesting study especially since it has to do with the development of children’s brains and the possibility of improving their mental and physical well-being. However, there are many aspects to do with the research that I am curious on how you would deal with them.

1. How would you choose the participants?: Will the children be coerced into participating in an extreme sport or would you find children willing to try something new? Or, will the candidate be a child who is already familiar with the extreme sport? I’m just concerned with the ethics to do with the study. Also, I think finding enough participants would be fairly difficult due to where they would live, if their parents allow their participation, and if they are willing themselves. If the study was conducted in Thunder Bay there would be no issues with having access to rock climbing, skiing, or snow boarding, but what if you wanted the research to expand to places such as southern Ontario? I know that there are very limited rock climbing places there and also skiing/snowboarding can be rare because of the little amount of snow southern Ontario typically gets.

2. What if a participants wants to drop out of the extreme sport?: Individuals during the age of 15 and 25 have many different interests during those years as they explore who they are. What would you do if a participant wants to drop out of the study? Also, what if the majority of the participants want to quit?

3. What will be your controlled variable? While you are studying the participants in the extreme sports, will you also have a separate group of participants in team sports for comparison?

4. How will you ensure that each willing participant receives the proper equipment they need? Finances is a major factor contributing to the little amount of participation in extreme sports at a young age. If a willing participant does not have the finances to pursue in the study, will you provide them with the equipment they need?

5. How will risk management take place? Extreme sports can be very risky and injuries can be severe. If a participant is injured, how will that be dealt with? Would you pay for medical treatment/equipment? Will the participant be financially compensated? Also, will you ensure that the participant is informed of safe practices prior to participating in the extreme sport?

Of course I know that all of this is hypothetical, but it does help when we must learn to take into consideration many factors of research.

Also, I think this would be an extremely cool study if all of the kinks were worked out. I hope one day an experiment like this can be done so that it can show extreme sports aren’t as scary as they are made out to be. Also, it would be amazing to provide more children with the opportunity to be involved in these types of activities.

Blog Prompt 3 (OUTD 2511): The Influence Your Relationship With The Environment Has On Your Personality

If I were to conduct research as a graduated student with limitless resources, I would research the influence that your relationship with the environment has on your personality traits. I have been interested in this topic for a while now because I have noticed that those who have a strong, healthy relationship with nature typically are more compassionate and very aware people. In addition, those who are more disconnected from the environment are more close-minded. This is entirely from my own experience and I know that this does not account for all people, it is just what I have noticed. Therefore, it would be interesting to know more about this and if it does have an effect on the majority of people.

To conduct this experiment, I would gather a large group of participants who have different backgrounds and varying relationships with the environment. For example, some participants could be farmers, politicians, environmentalists, chefs, students, hunters, maintenance workers, teachers, etc. Next, I would have each participant describe their relationship with the environment and their views of it. Some of the questions I could ask are:

How often do you spend time in nature?

Did you grow up with a strong connection to nature?

Do you think that the environment is important?

Do you currently have any practices to help protect the environment (ex. Biking instead of driving, zero-waste packaging, etc.)?

What is your opinion on sustainable energy?

During this questioning phase, a psychologist will be present to analyze the participants and assess them using the Big Five Model of personality traits. The Big Five Model is the most accepted by psychologists today and it theorizes “that personality can be boiled down to five core factors,” (Lim, 2020, p. 1). The five core factors are:

Conscientiousness: impulsive, disorganized vs. disciplined, careful.

Agreeableness: suspicious, uncooperative vs. trusting, helpful.

Neuroticism: calm, confident vs. anxious, pessimistic.

Openness to Experience: prefers routine, practical vs. imaginative, spontaneous.

Extraversion: reserved, thoughtful vs. sociable, fun-loving.

The Big Five Model states “that each personality trait is a spectrum,” so for each core factor, the “individuals are ranked on a scale between the two extreme ends,” (Lim, 2020, p. 2).

After each individual is assessed using the Big Five Model, I would review each participants’ response to their relationship with the environment and their personality results. I would then see if there are any correlations between an individual’s relationship with the environment and their personality. If the research is successful, there should be patterns between those with strong connections to the environment and their personalities and vice versa.

This research would be beneficial because it will help us to have a better understanding on how the environment affects our personalities. Additionally, it will “determine if there [is] a correlation between the Big Five personality traits and pro environmental behavior,” (Wuertz, 2015, p. 13). This information can help environmental psychologists and other researchers to better understand how to change individuals’ attitudes and behaviors towards the environment by understanding their personalities and which personality types have a greater influence on pro environmental behavior. According to Thomas (2014), “personality informs people’s beliefs, values, and attitudes, and scientists have found that personality factors can influence our likelihood to engage in environmentally sensitive practices,” (p. 1). Therefore, if environmental psychologists, scientists, and policymakers have a better understanding of the relationship between the environment and people’s personalities, they can have a better idea of how to tailor environmental proposals and design messages for different types of people.

Reference List

Lim, A. G. Y. (2020). The big five personality traits. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/big-five-personality.html

Thomas, L. (2014). How personality traits are associated with environmental engagement. Yale Environment Review. https://environment-review.yale.edu/how-personality-traits-are-associated-environmental-engagement-0

Wuertz, T. R. (2015). Personality traits associated with environmental concern. Walden University. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1307&context=dissertations

demoutd2511

Ethics in the Siberia Wilderness

This case study focuses on Agafia Lykov, an old woman who is one of the last Old Believers left in Russia. She lives alone at her family’s homestead in Taiga, Siberia, Russia. Agafia’s father, Karp, decided to leave the city fearing oppression from Stalin, because of his religion, in 1936. The family lived peacefully and alone with nature till 1978, when after ~40 years of isolation, a team of Russian geologists spotted their home from a helicopter and made the trek in to visit them a few days later. The three oldest children died from pneumonia, likely brought by the geologists, and after her father died in 1988, Agafia was the last Lykov alive (VICE, 2013). In 1997, Yerofei Sedov, a retired Russian geologist, moved into a cabin down a hill from Agafia, and they both have been living there since then, alone minus the visits from researchers, park officials, and videographers, like VICE.

This video is created and directed by the American branch of VICE, with support from North Face. The cameraman and their friend are likely from New York, or around there as that is where their journey to Agafia starts. In Moscow, they meet Gleb Lisicakin, the editor for VICE Russia, who acts as their translator and is one of the main people, along with Agafia, to appear in this video. The American filmmakers seem to know very little about Russia; we see them explore Abakan, well they wait for the call about the helicopter and their flight, but we don’t see anywhere in Moscow, minus Gleb talking to the desk attendant at the airport. The invisible backpack of the filmmakers is not directly identified or noted clearly in the video.

Many different research techniques are being employed in the making of this video. The research conducted is qualitative. It is qualitative research as the filmmakers are there to learn more about Agafia and her life, and they don’t have an end goal of what they want to learn or find out an exact result as quantitative research does.

A key ethical consideration that was a part of the production of this film was Agafia possibly not fully understanding that the video and what she was saying would be available to tons of people after it was made and put on YouTube. Agafia has only been to the city five times, and even if she did learn a lot about the technology available the last time she visited, it has likely changed and improved a lot since then, as technology has undergone multiple changes and improvements over the last decade. Along with her limited knowledge of technology and how many people use it, the language barrier between the filmmakers and her could have also affected her understanding of what they were doing even more. Yes, Gleb was there as a translator, but Agafia could have not known or understood all of what he was saying.

If I was given the same opportunity, I would likely also make a video like they did, as with Agafia’s permission you can show her home, along with pictures of her family just as the filmmakers did. Something different I would do is learn more about her daily life and her religion, if she was willing to tell me about it. Agafia also made it very clear she did not want to live in the city, but the filmmakers asked her a lot about if she would move, even after she explained about how she almost died there, which could make living in the city very traumatic for her. I might ask her once just to find out her thoughts on it, but would definitely not ask her again after, and instead focus on different parts of her life. After editing the footage, I would meet with Agafia again to show her the final video and get her opinion on it if she would like anything to not be included, along with asking again if she is still okay with the video being made and published so others can see it.

Reference:

VICE. (2013, April 9). Surviving in the siberian wilderness for 70 years (full length). YouTube. Retrieved January 20, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt2AYafET68

ahoutd2511

Hey Drew! You made a lot of great observations and ones that I didn’t even think about. For example, you mention that the researchers didn’t have a specific goal for their research. It did seem that the filmmakers only wanted to show certain aspects of Agafia’s life to make viewers see her as elusive or rare. It would have been interesting if they did have a goal other than just sharing small fragments of her life, such as the goal of inspiring viewers, or providing viewers with information that could help them in a wilderness setting.

Additionally, your comments on technology made me more aware of Agafia’s disconnection to the technological advancements of today. She grew up with more primitive tools and completely unaware of the ways of modern society. Also, she likely doesn’t realize how strong the relationship people have with technology and social media today. She likely wasn’t aware how easily accessible her story would be and that it would be shared with millions of people around the world.

Also, I agree with the point you made about how Agafia told the filmmakers she did not want to live in a city, but they continued to ask about if she would. The filmmakers almost seem ignorant to the fact that Agafia has spiritual reasons for living in the wild and that it is all she has ever known. It is as though they are not understanding that her family lived there and died there and she wants to do the same. How would the researchers feel if someone continued to ask them why they are living in their home? Asked them why are you continuing to live in the only place you have ever known? Why are you staying where you are most connected to?

Great job Drew! I enjoyed reading!

Blog Prompt 2 (OUTD 2511): “Surviving in the Siberian Wilderness for 70 Years”

Born in 1944, Agafia Lykov has survived in the Russian taiga for over 70 years, and a significant portion of that alone. Her father led his family into the Russian wilderness in 1937 to escape persecution for being some of Russia’s Old Believers (an ultra-orthodox sect of Christianity). Agafia commented that “the Old Believers were being killed because of their beliefs . . . that’s when we removed ourselves from materialistic society and stopped any contact with it.” (Lykov, 2013). Agafia’s father built their home 160 miles away from civilization in the Sayan Mountains. Unfortunately, Agafia’s mother died of starvation to provide her children with food, and the rest of her family passed due to sickness that a group of geologists that visited her family caused. Her home can only be accessed by helicopter in the winter or by a 7-day canoe trip in the summer. Even at the age of 70, Agafia continues to maintain her home, garden, fish, forage, and cut and stack wood. Agafia cherishes her life in the wild and has no desire to go to the city. Her life consists of hard work, but it is simple and pure. In recent years, researchers and university students travel to Agafia’s home to bring her supplies, help her with her chores, and learn about her lifestyle.

In 2013, a crew from VICE traveled to Agafia Lykov’s home in the Siberian taiga to study her lifestyle and document it. You can watch their findings at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt2AYafET68

This study can be considered microsocial theory because it focuses on an individual (Agafia) and studies a “concrete, small-scale, and narrow level of reality, such as face-to-face interaction in small groups,” (Neuman, 2017). Additionally, this research is qualitative because it involves field research. In field research, the researcher “becomes directly involved with the people being studied and personally experiences the process of daily social life in the field setting” and “acquires an insider’s point of view while maintaining the analytic perspective or distance of an outsider,” (Neuman, 2017). The VICE researchers are immersing themselves in Agafia’s usual everyday life and analyzing her lifestyle from an outsider’s perspective.

It is pretty obvious that the filmmakers of the documentary carry fairly substantial invisible backpacks. Firstly, they come from very populated and busy civilizations and throughout the documentary it is implied that the filmmakers do not understand the purpose or appeal of living remotely in the Siberian taiga. They have views that have been heavily impacted by modern society and it seems that they maintain these views throughout their stay with Agafia. Additionally, the film is sponsored by The North Face and you can see that the VICE crew is adorned with brand new, expensive outdoor supplies to make their stay in the wilderness easier and more comfortable. It seems that the filmmakers want to learn about Agafia, but without fully immersing themselves into her ways of life and learning her traditional techniques on how to survive.

It is difficult to know the full span of ethical considerations in place since we do not know what happens behind the scenes. We do not know what consent was given, if the filmmakers properly explained what they were doing during the research process to Agafia, or what information Agafia wanted or allowed the filmmakers to share with the public. However, the ethical consideration we do see being addressed in the film is the language barrier. A translator was brought with the crew to help the English-speaking researchers and the Russian-speaking individuals communicate.

I feel like the filmmakers view Agafia as if she is an animal in a zoo. They are curious about how she lives and are interested in her because she is unique, but they do not seem to care about her true reasoning on why she lives that way. Agafia mentions in the film that she does not like cities and does not want a materialistic lifestyle, however, no further information is provided in the film why she feels this way. There is a lot to learn from Agafia and I feel like she could be a true inspiration to many people if the filmmakers asked the right questions and shared more information about her, such as what drives her to have this lifestyle, what tools and techniques does she use, and how has she stayed so positive when she has had so many traumatic events occur in her life? I would have entered this study more open minded and not only with the mission to learn about Agafia, but to learn how her teachings could help others in their lives. In addition, I would have stayed with Agafia for a longer period of time to gain a greater understanding of her way of life and her views. Also, I would want to learn more about her being one of the last Old Believers and what the religion is about so that it can be better understood and its ideas can be preserved for history.

Some ethical considerations I would have is to make sure Agafia is fully on board with her personal information being available to the public and more specifically what information she is okay with sharing. I would present her the film before its release for her to confirm it is okay to share or if there are any parts of it she would like to change. Additionally, I would ask her if there is anything in particular she would like to share with me or the world, so that she feels more involved in the research process.

Reference List

VICE. (2013, April 9). Surviving in the siberian wilderness for 70 years (full length) [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt2AYafET68

Neuman, W. & Robson, K. (2017). Basics of social research (4th edition). Pearson

Blog Prompt 1 (OUTD-2511)

What has drawn you to this academic program?

I was drawn to Outdoor Recreation, Parks, and Tourism because I need a degree related to an outdoor field as a prerequisite. After I finish my schooling at Lakehead University, I will apply to Sault College for their Natural Resource/Environmental Law - Inspection and Enforcement program because I wish to become a conservation officer. I have a great love and appreciation for the environment and being able to find a program at Lakehead University that allows me to learn in an outdoor environment is amazing. The main selling point of the program was when I learned about the OSAT courses and the Field Explorations courses. Growing up I wasn’t able to do outdoor activities besides hunting and camping due to money, so when I found out that I could do things such as ice climbing or dog sledding for school I was ecstatic. Additionally, I figured that these types of courses in ORPT would give me necessary skills that would help me in my career as a conservation officer. To continue, the fact that Lakehead University is two hours away from my home was a plus. I didn’t want to move away from North-Western Ontario because I love the environment here so much. I lived in Southern Ontario when I was young and I have no desire to go back permanently or even semi-permanently for school.

As a consumer of knowledge, who do you rely upon for information?

When searching for new facts, skills, techniques, or information, I rely upon credible websites, peer-reviewed sources, books, blogs, and experienced and knowledgeable people. For academic purposes, I tend to rely on:

Books

Peer-reviewed sources

Lakehead University’s Library

For my own personal research, I look for knowledge anywhere and everywhere that I deem reliable. I especially love to learn from others and their experiences. Here is a list of some of my favourite books and websites that I frequently learn from:

Beyond The Tent. This website was created by Ryan Cunningham who wishes to show people that the outdoors doesn’t need to be complicated, but rather easy and fun. He wishes to give back to the outdoor community in the form of knowledge and wants to inspire others. This website can help those new to the outdoors or provide experienced adventurers some new ideas.

The Big Outside. This website was created by Michael Lanza who previously worked as a Northwest Editor and as a gear reviewer for Backpacker magazine. Lanza has the “simple mission: to offer stories, images, and expert trip planning and gear advice on America’s and the world’s best hiking, backpacking and other outdoor adventures” (Lanza, 2021). Also, when you subscribe you receive a complete packing list for hiking or camping!

Coyote’s Guide to Connecting With Nature. Those in ORPT may have already read this book, but it is a great source of information! This book is designed for teachers, parents, counsellors, mentors, and guides to help you grow as a person, helps to give you leadership advice, and of course helps you to better connect with nature.

How do you ensure this information is reliable?

To ensure if information is reliable I check many things. I will:

See if the author has cited their sources of information and cited them correctly.

Check for proper spelling and grammar.

See if the author or writer is reputable.

Read comments! Usually people in the comments will share if there is misinformation in the article or they will provide better sources of information.

Ask fellow students or teachers what their opinions are on the information.

Peace and love,

Ashley

Disclaimer

This blog was created for OUTD-2511, Lakehead University.

The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of Lakehead University.

Lakehead University is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by this blog.

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