Forest of Research
Photo Credit: (Zelei, 2019)
The Outdoor Recreation Research Forest:
On my adventures in the ‘outdoor recreation research forest’ this semester I have learned that:
1) Outdoor recreation research is multifaceted. It includes a large breadth of research topics including social justice, outdoor education, adventure therapy, reconciliation, experiential education, tourism, national parks, etc. It is important to realize where your interests lie and recognize that it is impossible to cover everything even within one specific area of outdoor recreation research (Davies, 2022).
2) One downfall of current outdoor recreation literature is the lack of clarity with field specific terms such as outdoor education, adventure therapy, experiential education, tourism, land-based learning, etc. (Davies, 2022).
3) It is important for researchers in outdoor recreation to recognize that research differences exist even within Canada. As Canada is an incredibly large country, with many different provinces and landforms, it is important to recognize how these play into who we are as a country. For example, even within the YMCA or Tim Horton’s Children’s Foundation camps, there are different accrediting bodies that these camps must respond to so that they can be recognized, provincially, as a safe and caring environment for children. YMCA Chief Hector in Alberta will need to meet different operational standards than YMCA Camp Elphinstone in British Columbia or YMCA Camp Wanakita in Ontario. These differences will create different camp cultures which can then be highlighted in research differences. Therefore, it is important to either focus your research to one very specific region within outdoor recreation, or to ensure that all regions are heard in your research (Davies, 2022).
My Understandings of Me in the Forest of Research
Three things that I have learned about myself during my time in the ‘forest of outdoor recreation research” are:
1) I have come to understand the role that my own intersectionality has in research that I may choose to undertake. I saw this as a theme in my own blog posts this semester.
Photo: Unpacking my Invisible Backpack - Who Am I?
2) I learned from Davies that it is important to choose a subject that you are passionate about but also one that you can come into not feeling like you have a grounded direction in where the research is going to go. If I am uncomfortable with the notion of my research taking a different lens than what I may have come into with, it is not an appropriate research topic for me (Davies, 2022). For me, a research topic on employees with disabilities in the field would not be appropriate because this subject has had a profound effect in my own life. I would struggle to separate my research from my own experiences and opinions. A topic that I am still passionate about, that would be more appropriate, could be the usage of augmentative alternative communications systems in the field for clients, and what risk management should look like for users of such systems. I understand the restrictions of these alternative communication systems in the outdoors and would like to work to help change the perception of the usage of these systems both by mainstream society, and the outdoor industry so that all can experience outdoor programming.
3) As an undergraduate student, I have learned about the importance of research in the field of outdoor recreation. It has been a bit of a mind-boggling process to recognize the number of different ways that I can contribute to gaps in the outdoor recreation research, as either an undergraduate or graduate student in outdoor recreation programs. I am walking away with many ideas as to what research could look like for me in terms of an Honours Thesis during my time in ORPT, or as I make future goals to take a graduate degree in outdoor education.
Lost in the Forest of Research
Photo Credits: (Xijan, 2018)
I am feeling lost in this forest of research. The level of new information that I have experienced because of Research Design is overwhelming. While I now understand my role as a researcher and some of the basics of research in social sciences, I feel like I still need to work at connecting my understandings of what research is back to real life. I also need to, at the same time, deepen my understandings of theoretical underpinnings of social sciences research.
I am still a bit lost on what a research proposal looks like and how to write one. This is an area that I need to put more time and effort into exploring.
I could also use some more strategies for narrowing and creating better research questions. We spoke a bit about this in class during week #5. I can recognize that there is such a thing as a research question that we simply cannot research, whether that would be for ethical or other reasons. I also know that a good research question is clear, concise, focused, complex, and arguable (Hooykaas, 2022).
I also need to do some exploring into the process of what an Honours Thesis and Honours Project looks like within ORPT. While I know that they exist and the basics of what is involved in doing one, I do not know things such as who can supervise one or who we need to ask to get started in the completion of one. I would also like to explore further the differences between an Honours Project versus an Honours Thesis.
Finally, I cannot currently see all the individual trees in the forest. There are way too many terms (trees) that we have learned this semester for me to have an excellent grasp on all of them. I need to spend some time working on memorizing and understanding these terms to the best of my abilities.
Photo: Mind Map of Terms from the Textbook
I will know that I understand what it means to be an outdoor recreation researcher when I can see and name all the trees in the forest – there sure are a lot more than I imagined!
Photo Credit: (Zelei, 2019)
References:
Davies, R. (2022, March). Rachel Davies Research on Gender During ORPT. Research Design Guest Speaker. Thunder Bay; Zoom.
Hooykaas, A. (2022, February). February 7th, 2022. Research Design Lectures. Thunder Bay; Zoom.
Neuman, W. L., & Robson, K. (2018). Chapter 1 Doing Social Research. In Basics of Social Research Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (4th Canadian Edition, pp. 1-21). essay, Pearson.
Neuman, W. L., & Robson, K. (2018). Chapter 2 Theory and Social Research. In Basics of Social Research Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (4th Canadian Edition, pp. 21 - 40). essay, Pearson.
Neuman, W. L., & Robson, K. (2018). Chapter 3 Ethics in Social Research. In Basics of Social Research Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (4th Canadian Edition, pp. 40 - 62). essay, Pearson.
Neuman, W. L., & Robson, K. (2018). Chapter 4 Reviewing the Scholarly Literature and Planning a Study. In Basics of Social Research Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (4th Canadian Edition, pp. 62 - 79). essay, Pearson.
Neuman, W. L., & Robson, K. (2018). Chapter 5 Designing a Study. In Basics of Social Research Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (4th Canadian Edition, pp. 79 – 102). essay, Pearson.
Neuman, W. L., & Robson, K. (2018). Chapter 6 Qualitative and Quantitative Measurement. In Basics of Social Research Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (4th Canadian Edition, pp. 102 - 131). essay, Pearson.
Neuman, W. L., & Robson, K. (2018). Chapter 7 Qualitative and Quantitative Sampling. In Basics of Social Research Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (4th Canadian Edition, pp. 131 – 160). essay, Pearson.
Neuman, W. L., & Robson, K. (2018). Chapter 8 Survey Research. In Basics of Social Research Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (4th Canadian Edition, pp. 160 - 192). essay, Pearson.
Neuman, W. L., & Robson, K. (2018). Chapter 9 Experimental Research. In Basics of Social Research Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (4th Canadian Edition, pp. 192 - 214). essay, Pearson.
Neuman, W. L., & Robson, K. (2018). Chapter 10 Nonreactive Quantitative Research and Secondary Analysis. In Basics of Social Research Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (4th Canadian Edition, pp. 214 - 234). essay, Pearson.
Neuman, W. L., & Robson, K. (2018). Chapter 11 Analysis of Quantitative Data. In Basics of Social Research Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (4th Canadian Edition, pp. 234 - 261). essay, Pearson.
Neuman, W. L., & Robson, K. (2018). Chapter 12 Qualitative Interviewing. In Basics of Social Research Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (4th Canadian Edition, pp. 261 - 278). essay, Pearson.
Neuman, W. L., & Robson, K. (2018). Chapter 14 Nonreactive Qualitative Research. In Basics of Social Research Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (4th Canadian Edition, pp. 305 - 327). essay, Pearson.
Salisbury. (n.d.). The Benefits of Big Trees. Salisbury. Retrieved from https://salisburygreenhouse.com/the-benefits-of-big-trees/.
Xijan. (2018). Man Lost in Woods. I Stock Photos. Retrieved from https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/man-travel-alone-on-foggy-forest-gm1070523650-286423467
Zelei, P. (2019). Fantastic Forests. Time for Kids. Time for Kids. Retrieved March 27, 2022, from https://www.timeforkids.com/k1/fantastic-forests/.
Hey Laura!
Your post is super well done! I like that you used the analogy of research being a forest and that you used lots of imagery to go along with it. Seeing terms as trees and mentioning that you currently cannot see all the individual trees in the forest of research is relatable for me. It’s far too complex and layered. I personally feel like I’m not even in the forest yet - I still feel like someone standing on the edge, shining a headlamp in trying to make out the details of a thick, dark forest.
I agree that outdoor recreation research is multifaceted; there certainly is a large breadth of research topics. Realizing where your interests lie and accepting that it is impossible to cover everything seems to be the first step in choosing a research topic. I also relate to not being too close to your subject. It is easy to let your bias influence your research if you are super passionate about a subject and it impacts you directly. There seems to be a right level of interest where the work is intriguing and enjoyable, yet you can maintain impartiality.
It’s cool to hear that you’re considering a thesis - any ideas on the topic? I feel like there’s some lack of instruction in ORPT on how to start or who to talk to - I’m not even sure if it’s mandatory anymore, but maybe I’m just not paying enough attention yet since I’m not really at the point of considering one yet.
In terms of writing a research proposal and good research questions, I have also stayed confused. Here’s a helpful resource I found on writing research questions: https://writingcenter.gmu.edu/guides/how-to-write-a-research-question
Cheers,
Jill
References
How to Write a Research Question. (2022). Retrieved 29 March 2022, from https://writingcenter.gmu.edu/guides/how-to-write-a-research-question

















