A Complete Guide to Research the ORPT Way!

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.

[aloutd2511]

Prompt 9 & 10

Three things I know for certain about outdoor recreation research:

Research within the field of outdoor recreation has a wide range!

There are many uses for outdoor recreation research.

Outdoor recreation research uses a variety of methods in order to collect data.

Throughout OUTD 2511 I have learnt many new things! As one of the only non outdoor recreation students I have experienced a whole new program that is very different from my own (social work). While the two programs are different they can be combined, as we attempted with our podcast/research project to understand how outdoor recreation can be used as a therapeutic resource specifically for university students. I did not go into this course thinking I’d be able to combine the outdoors with my passion for well-being but I did! I have learned about the importance of research; contributing new ideas about society and the multiple methods in which that is done by (Neuman et al, 2017). This is important in both everyday living and the academic settings, we need both to improve human understanding as well as keep the information relevant. If research came out a long time ago, and there is now research claiming the opposite is now true does not mean the previous research was wrong, but that it has changed since that last time. I had never really thought about research within the outdoor recreation field, honestly I didn't have much information on outdoor recreation at all prior to this class but I have come to the understanding that it is just another focus of research. Research methods including qualitative and quantitative, case study, survey, interview, random and non-random assignment just to name a few are valid methods and formats of research to take place in any topic of study (Neuman et al, 2017).

Three things I am still confused by:

While not directly covered in our class, I am unaware of the differences between honours thesis, masters, and doctorate level research.

Is research a mandatory part of outdoor recreation?

Can research be more harmful than good?

I took this class as an elective because I wanted to learn about research; specifically because I have been debating if a master's degree was something I want to pursue. For a long time I thought very little of myself and that there was no way I could do that because a master’s degree was for “smart” people. I predict that I used this as an excuse to limit myself and have now started considering if a masters/research is something I want to do rather than if I can do it. What the heck does this have to do with the things I'm confused by; I’ll let you know. I was wondering what the differences are between the levels of research as you move up the scale you might call it. If a master's degree is seen as a step further than your undergraduate honours thesis; what is the actual difference? While this was never something this course set out to answer, it is still a question I have. Moving forward, I understand research is important but is it a mandatory part of outdoor recreation? Can someone be as valuable to the outdoor recreation field without completing research? I want to think yes, but does that then undermine those who do complete research? Lastly, more specifically our most recent guest speaker has me thinking if research can be damaging to one's reputation. This speaker discusses an issue within her own study that didn’t receive criticism but could have. This makes me wonder and worry that research can be taken as something offensive. While we dedicated a large portion of this course to understanding ethics; the process of making sure research is held to a reasonable standard and that damage is not occurring from the process of research (Neuman et al, 2017). Do ethics protect the researcher as well? In this changing society it is difficult to start research knowing what will and will not be socially appropriate at the time of publication/ end of the research process.

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

I am passionate about mental well being no matter what field I am in.

I respect the field of outdoor recreation, but it is not a good fit for me.

I agree with the interpretive approach to social science research.

I think the most I can say about myself as an outdoor recreation researcher is that I am not one and that is okay! For those who don’t know, I am a second year social work student and the first two years of social work are mainly electives. I tried to take a wide range of courses, in case social work wasn't for me. There were many programs I thought I might switch into before taking the course; psychology, gerontology, and now outdoor recreation. I’m glad to have gotten the opportunity to try out different fields and know what is right for me. I think this also provided me a deeper understanding of my passion for social work as even though I was in a different field I still wanted to combine social work into what I am doing. Lastly, I have learnt that I am an interpretive researcher and I would hope others would also look at research from an approach that considers multiple perspectives rather than looking for one correct answer (Neuman et al, 2017). I think this can help new research into light.

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

I struggle to find a balance between too vague and too specific when looking into potential thesis’s.

I would like to further my knowledge of outdoor recreation as therapies and how I would research their success.

I think a big struggle for me is confirmation bias; I want to find research that supports my ideas rather than exploring what is out there.

Throughout this process of informal research I feel as though we learn things such as ethics and bias. I think we lack information on how to actively be aware and complete research without actually doing these things. I recognized the first step to preventing something is to be aware of what it is and why it is an issue. A skill I need to work on is confirmation bias, while it makes sense to have a hypothesis of your research results. I think I took this to an extreme. For example; our research question “Does outdoor recreation work as a therapeutic resource for university students” I was pretty confident going into this research that it would benefit. To be honest, I was thinking how could outdoor recreation cause more stress as a university student? I can see outdoor recreation as maybe less effective than other therapies but I wasn't looking into that. I think working on skills prior could've been beneficial. As well I think practising and working with a professional on thesis could have been helpful. While we had many meetings I would have liked to work on the process of creating a thesis rather than doing it once and getting approval.

References:

Neuman, W. L., & Robson, K. (2017). Basics of Social Research (Canadian Edition) (4th Edition). Pearson Education Canada. Retrieved from: https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9780134649078

[lfoutd2511]

Hey!

Since your blog is one of the first ones posted again, I am going to reblog it again this week!

First of all, I think social work and outdoor recreation go hand in hand really well. I know of many adventure therapy companies that hire social workers for field work. Would you consider yourself a social worker in the field of adventure therapy? Perhaps, you might want to put some more research in here!

I also don't know a lot about the differences between undergraduate and graduate study research. It is also something that I would like to find out more about as I make my way through the ORPT program. I am currently considering doing my Bachelor of Education at Queens after ORPT, followed by a masters in outdoor education at University of Northern British Columbia. I never saw myself as smart or as an engaged learner but over my time in university I have learned that if you put your mind into learning you can become 'smart'. Smart is what you make it.

As a 2nd/3rd year university student I have began to focus on my outdoor recreation university electives. We have a number of electives that focus on therapeutic recreation. Looking at these courses from the lens of a social work degree would provide a deeper understanding to the field of adventure therapy, land-based therapy and other therapeutic platforms. Perhaps something to consider in the future if you still have any electives left.

All the best,

Laura

[troutd2511]

Blog 9&10

Three things I am still confused by

1.Critical Reflexivity 

I know the definition of critical reflexivity on the PowerPoint is “a process of constant, self-conscious scrutiny of the self as a research process” but I’m not really sure what that all means. While reading through what we’ve learnt about critical reflexivity it seems like it means it’s you as the researcher reflecting on your work after you’ve finished. There’s so many parts to this topic that I just don’t really understand how they all fit in together. 

2.Coding 

To me coding seems like a very difficult and confusing way of organizing your notes, research, etc. To me there is no need to use coding themes such as categorizing different conditions, strategies and tactics, and consequences, i feel that if you can have your notes, thoughts, and research organized in a way that makes sense to you then there’s no need to use any sort of deductive coding or inductive coding. After sitting through our lecture(s) on how to code research and reading through notes as well as writing notes, I still don’t fully understand what this means. 

3.Reliability vs Validity 

Reliability is explained to us as dependability or consistency, that the same thing will be repeated or recur under identical or very similar conditions. Validity is explained to us as truthfulness and refers to the match between a concept, or the way a researcher conceptualizes the idea in a conceptual definition, and a measure. Reliability and validity make sense to me but at the same time, they don’t. I’m not really sure what it is that I don’t understand about these concepts, I just can’t wrap my head around it to fully understand. 

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

1.Interviewing 

I fully understand interviews and how they work with open-ended questions as well as close-ended questions, the different types of interviews (structured, semi-structured, unstructured), how to get yourself ready for interviews, and I fully understand how to go about interviewing someone. I do however need more practice doing interviews so that i’ll be able to get the most out of interviewing someone for either a research topic or whatever my future holds. 

2.Focus Groups 

I understand focus groups, how they work, why they work, I understand it all. My next steps to further my understanding of focus groups would be observing one or participating in one to get the full understanding of focus groups. 

3.Analyzing Surveys

The way you analyze surveys is different for everyone, what you do with the information surrounding your topic and how you choose to sort the data varies depending on the person, and what the survey was about. There are many different types of surveys which require different ways to go about organizing the data you’ve collected. My next steps to develop a further understanding on how to organize data collected from surveys would be to create more surveys and analyze the data collected in a way that makes sense to me when looking back on the data that’s been collected. 

Three things I know for certain about outdoor recreation research 

1.Qualitative vs Quantitative Survey Questions 

Survey questions have to be worded in a way that’s easy to understand for the people taking your survey but also have to be worded in a way where you can generate the best answer possible. For me when making surveys, depending on what information I’m looking for, I prefer a close ended question followed by an open ended question which is the same question but asking to explain your reasoning. This gives me a different outlook on the question I’m asking since everyone views things differently. 

2.Ethics 

Ethics are moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity. Ethics are putting people first, respecting people’s privacy, and having respect for human dignity. Ethics in research are important because they promote the aims of research and expanding knowledge, they support the values required for collaborative work, mutual respect and fairness. 

3.Invisible Backpack 

Everyone has their own invisible backpack, it’s what you carry with you personally. It’s your past, what you’ve been through, what you have personally overcome, everyone has their own invisible backpack and what you have in that backpack makes you, you. How you engage in the world, how you dictate conversations, how you make decisions. Invisible backpacks make you the person you are today and how you view the world.

Three things I know for certain about me as an outdoor recreation researcher

1.I prefer close ended survey questions 

As a researcher I personally prefer close-ended questions, I find that with open-ended questions people can interpret your question in different ways which may not be how you planned on it going. With close ended questions you can get an answer that you want without it going any which way. 

2.Organization of Data Collected 

When doing research for any number of things I know how I like to organize my data. When I first start doing research I write down important information on the topic along with the website I collected the data from. I then sort my information into different categories relating the data that I’ve collected and make subtitles. I do this with every research project that I have done and it works for me and I understand where information that I need is with the website I got it from for if I want to dig deeper. Everyone organizes their research information differently and I have found what works for me. 

3.When I Enjoy what I’m Researching 

When I’m doing a research problem I like to be able to enjoy what I’m learning, if I’m told what I have to research I don’t want to do it and I don’t enjoy the research project. I personally would rather get to choose what I research, I will be more willing to do it as well as the quality of my research will be better since I’m more involved with what I’m learning, 

[lfoutd2511]

Hey!

Great post! I agree that the volume of new terms that we have experienced in class and their application to real life research can be a bit confusing at times.

Something that may help you with reliability versus validity is to think of it like an archery target. If you have ever thought about the differences between accuracy and precision like this, it can be thought of in the same way.

Reliability might be seen as all of the arrows landing in a cluster away from the bullseye. They are in a 'reliable' location. The results are reliable because they are always in the same location even if you were to take a new sample from the same population demographics.

Just because research was completed and the results were reliable does not mean that the research was valid. Something could have gotten in the way of the arrows path, such as wind, creating a different end result. Therefore, although the trajectory of the arrow was not valid due to an issue such as social desirability bias, the results that occurred are reliable.

In an ideal world of research, your results would be reliable and valid. This would be like all of your arrows ending right in the bullseye of the target.

I remember being taught when I first learned archery that it was more important to be precise than it was to be accurate. The precision would create a bottleneck of all of the arrows ending up at the same spot on the target every time but not necessarily on the bullseye. I was told that its easier to work on your accuracy later on. Do you think validity or reliability is more important in research when we think of the archery metaphor?

(Novak, 2018)

References:

Novak, D. A. (2018, January 21). If anyone needs a real world example of the classic low validity / low reliability target on bottom left, I can produce an accurate example of it 100% of the time. . Twitter. Retrieved March 27, 2022, from https://twitter.com/novaksportsci/status/954878495045271552

[lfoutd2511]

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/.

[aloutd2511]

Blog Prompt 8

Would you Survive Backpacking?: https://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/playquiz/?title=mtm2mza1oqq36q

I took a quiz called Would you Survive Backpacking? As it turns out, I would not survive backpacking, as I ended with a 41% on the quiz. That is okay since the whole reason for completing the quiz was to evaluate the quality of the questions asked.

Overall, I think this quiz was designed very poorly as questions with multiple answers were not labeled as multiple answer questions and some questions had joke answers. The quiz was presented completely independently, with no knowledge to obtain prior to the quiz. It puzzles me as to what the point of this quiz is.

When collecting data, we often discuss the format of research, in regards to reactive and non-reactive. Reactive research is where information is gathered of someone that is aware their actions are being recorded; they are reacting to those circumstances (Hooykaas, 2022). Non-reactive research requires the participant being recorded to have no knowledge that they/their actions are being used for a greater understanding (Hooykaas, 2022). The actions completed will be influenced by knowing or not knowing if they are being recorded, even if it is on a subconscious level. Would you Survive Backpacking? is reactive research; there is awareness that there will be a result given and information collected from completing these questions. Did I think about this while completing the quiz? Not actively; it might’ve been something I considered in the back of my mind, but I was also considering that my results of this quiz have no further impact on my life.

Another format I want to discuss for this quiz is random assignment. The saying often associated with random assignment is don’t compare apples and oranges; simply because they are different (Neuman et al, 2017). I feel as though this information being collected with no context to the person's background knowledge or opportunity to learn the correct answers prior, leaves no room for accurate comparison. Had the quiz asked a personal question such as age, gender or geographical location I can see how groups could’ve been divided into the experimental and control group. Within a randomly selected research group (in this case all the people that chose to complete this quiz) are the people randomly selected from society to participate (Neuman et al, 2017). The next step would be randomly assigning people to a choice between two different groups, for example having participants choose between blue or red (Neuman et al, 2017). Lastly, choose which group (in this case blue and red) which will be the group receiving the drug or placebo/experiment or control. This quiz seems to not be assigning anything and observing the information as a whole, which continues to confuse me as to why?

As university students, we face multiple choice questions very regularly. Multiple choice seems as though the correct answer will be very simple to find, however, many times university professors give multiple correct answers and the task is to find the answer that is “most correct”. Throughout Would you Survive Backpacking? There are many answers where one option is to be selected, but a few questions require multiple answers but lack providing test-takers of that information. While not knowing there are multiple correct answers that were expected to be selected, I ended up getting the question wrong; I had only selected one of the correct answers. It can also be a huge barrier to receiving accurate information when ‘joke’ answers are deemed correct.

While completing a quiz, especially one online with very little explanation as to what knowledge is expected of you it can be difficult to understand the context. One specific question comes to mind throughout this quiz; “what is the most dangerous animal to encounter while backpacking?” From my own knowledge I had selected “rattlesnake” as I’ve heard they are very dangerous. You may understand my frustration when I saw my answer was wrong; BUT the correct answer was “the one in your mirror” (referencing yourself as your biggest challenge). I hope this goes without saying; you are in a lot more dangour being with a rattlesnake than your own self.

Overall, this quiz was very random; lack of context clues and direction made up a lot of my false answers. I struggle to understand the purpose of providing this quiz. Let me know if you have any clues to better understand this!

References:

Hooykaas, A. (2022). Secondary Analysis. Research Design. Week 9

Neuman, W. L., & Robson, K. (2017). Basics of Social Research (Canadian Edition) (4th Edition). Pearson Education Canada. Retrieved from: https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9780134649078

[lfoutd2511]

Hey!

I love how you found an ORPT related quiz!

I also found it interesting that you believed that the rattlesnake would be a bigger danger than yourself. We often hear that the risk in outdoor adventure is not what is in the environment but what happens when as humans we add our judgement and decision making to a wicked environment such as the outdoors. Does risk exist if we aren't in the environment to begin with - probably not. I think the most dangerous animal in the wilderness is ourselves for this reason. It's interesting to see how our perceptions on what we define as a dangerous animal in the wilderness can often be perceived as an animal other than ourselves. If this question was to be posed to me verbally without multiple choice selection, I would probably choose a grizzly bear. However, if I was given the opportunity to select an answer that included me in a multiple choice format, I would definitely say myself. The risk does not exist if I am not in the environment to start with. Therefore, I am the most dangerous. Would I have thought of this without the choice prompt, probably not. Therefore, this would be considered a leading question.

I think there are limitations to quizzes that ask things such as would you survive in this situation or do you identify with this characteristic. As humans were are situational individuals that are all unique. Our perceptions of ourselves is biased. I'm sure that if I had been out doing a through hike at sixteen I would not have survived. My response in terms of ability to survive a through hike today is very different. How does the time bound quiz setting effect the way that we answer these questions and in turn the accuracy of a quiz?

Great choice in a quiz!

Laura

[lfoutd2511]

Aspie Test

I choose to complete the Aspie test that is often associated as a tool for self-diagnoses of Asperger’s because of its correlation to my other posts (Ekblad, 2004). I will note that I have a formal diagnosis of level 2 Autism and ADHD. Under the new diagnosis framework Asperger’s has been replaced with a level 1 diagnosis. As a result, my test results were in correlation to a different Autism diagnosis. This could be misleading for those without a formal diagnosis.

One limitation of the test is the combination of both ADHD and Asperger’s characteristics through the usage of leading questions. Leading questions are questions that lead the respondent to choose one response over another due to wording (Neuman, 2018, p.166). It would be incredibly easy to make use of an opposite social desirability bias to indicate that your self-perceptions are not neurotypical. Social desirability bias occurs in survey research questions when a normative response or socially acceptable answer is given rather than giving a truthful answer (Neuman, 2018, p. 169). As many ADHD, OCD, and social phobia characteristics are overlapping with Autism, a fallout of this test is that it does not take into consideration these differences.

The test begins through taking background information including birthdate, pre-existing diagnoses of related disabilities, nationality, ethnicity, and sex (Ekblad, 2004). The test then goes into a matrix question format with 121 questions (Neuman, 2018, p. 179). You are provided a statement that allows you to choose whether you strongly agree, agree, or disagree. There is a quasi-filter question format available (Neuman, 2018, p. 174). The choice of format clearly indicates a wording effect as individuals can look at different phrases and make correlations that they may not have made on their own in terms of common autistic symptoms (Neuman, 2018, p. 176).

Problematic Questions:

I had issues with several questions that were posed due to the ambiguity or usage of jargon. For example:

1) “Do you feel that you are a very special or unusual person?” (Ekblad, 2004).

- What is being defined as special or unusual?

2) “Do you prefer to construct your own set of spiritual beliefs rather than following existing religions/belief systems.” (Ekblad, 2004).

- What do you define as spiritual beliefs? For me, I would consider myself more morally than spiritually entrenched. Does this mean that I have chosen to not follow existing religions or belief systems?

3) “Do you enjoy traditional dating?” (Ekblad, 2004).

- What is defined as traditional dating? What about someone who is LGBTQ2+?

4) “Have you experienced stronger than normal attachments to certain people?” (Ekblad, 2004).

- What is defined as normal attachments? Stronger?

5) “Do you have odd hair (for example multiple whorls, standing up when short or other peculiarities.)?” (Ekblad, 2004).

- What does this mean?

Emotional Phrasing

I also experienced some emotional phrasing within the questions. Meltdowns are often a stigmatized word that is commonly misunderstood by mainstream society. An autistic meltdown is not a panic attack or a tantrum. Someone with inadequate knowledge may see this phrasing as a tantrum which creates not only ambiguity but also the opportunity for a social desirability bias to occur.

Self Diagnosis

It is important to not take self-diagnosis tests seriously. Autism has many symptoms that are commonly associated with other medical conditions. Autism is often seen as over-diagnosed because every individual is unique in what may be perceived as neuro-typical. Regardless of the disability test being taken, I would not be okay with a self-diagnosis versus a professional diagnosis. The problem with this is the accessibility that often occurs in receiving formal diagnoses.

References:

Ekblad, L. (2004). Aspie Quiz. Aspie quiz. Retrieved March 19, 2022, from http://rdos.net/eng/Aspie-quiz.php

Neuman, W. L., & Robson, K. (2018). Chapter 8 Survey Research. In Basics of Social Research Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (4th Canadian Edition, pp. 161- 191). essay, Pearson.

[aroutd2511]

Follow the Water, Stand with the Land

For this week I watched “Follow the Water, stand with the Land” by Rita Wong. I thought that this session was very well done. While she is a poet she has a lot of first-hand experiences watching how the destruction of the environment for the expansion of urbanization. She spent many years as a climate change activist and has conducted interviews and discussions with many indigenous individuals and leaders in indigenous communities. In her session, the main topic was the pipeline on Wet’suwet’en land and how the clearcutting of trees to build the pipeline affects the land. 

She has spent much time protesting climate change and has seen how clearcutting creates erosion of soil, changes in soil composition, and changes to the water systems involved in urbanization. 

Her methodology of repeatedly going into the land being urbanized and documenting the differences in the environment and wildlife and interviewing the inhabitants of the area allowed her to mark the changes to the environment which she later translated into her poetry and books. She also uses her personal experiences in her writing and photographs to help demonstrate the changes taking place, which I think helps the reader to understand what is taking place in Wet’suwet’en territory. However, since she is a poet, and chose to express what she was found in that way, there is a lack of scientific evidence in her writings. which, if included, could help her to make a stronger case against the pipeline. 

[lfoutd2511]

Hey Annie,

I also watched this presentation in the hopes to use it for my blog post this week. I found that although she brought up many excellent points, as you mentioned, the qualitative formatting of her own research seemed a bit too creative to enable it to be 'sound'.

It was interesting to hear the question at the end of the presentation on how research can be connected politically and scientifically through the usage of creative formatting. For me, I feel that poetry does not have a place in the establishment of scientific and academic journals.

I also found that the researcher drew on many of her opinions without backing up her own data through the usage of research beyond herself.

To me this creates a question as whether this session spoke about research at all. The research simply was not research through my own lens of what research entails. For this reason, I choose to listen to a recording of one of the graduate school research topics and write about it instead.

Do you believe that the way that she formatted her research affected whether or not it was research or more of a personal opinion piece? Would you consider poetry as academically sound for research presentation formatting?

Curious to hear your thoughts further on this,

Laura

[lfoutd2511]

Circle of Care

For this blog post I attended a research presentation by Michael Lyngstad on the Circle of Care. His research question is “How can education embrace the kinds of critical self-reflection and complex psychological development necessary for cultivating self-acceptance and interconnectivity necessary for providing care for others including the natural world? (Lyngstad, 2022)”

What is Circle of Care?

Lyngstad defines the Circle of Care as a grouping of circles with one circle inside the other. (2022). The circles are labelled in the diagram below. His research argues that we must be stewards of ourselves before we can be stewards of the natural world (Lyngstad, 2022).

Diagram From: Lakehead University Research and Innovation Week. (2022). 3MT - Michael Lyngstad - Taking care of the self before taking care of the planet: Alternative education and expanding circles of care. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://pheedloop.com/lakeheadri2022/virtual/?page=showcase§ion=EXHVSRVAZTR20P0FV.

Research Methodology

Lyngstad’s research was completed at an alternative public school in western Canada primarily working with adolescents transitioning to adulthood (2022). He began by having conversations with participants on their own understandings of William Glasser’s choice theory. Choice Theory states that “every individual only has the power to control themselves and has limited power to control others. (Glasser Institute for Choice Theory, n.d.)”

Later interviews, with the same participants, allowed Lyngstad to draw a connection with where an individual connected within the Circle of Care, based on how they answered specific questions (2022).

Individual case studies allowed Lyngstad to establish, with the use of qualitative research, that participants with a higher sense of self-conception were further outward on the Circle of Care model (2022).

Research Methodology – My Opinion:

Lyngstad places a strong emphasis on the connection of his interview questions and the self-perceptions of research participants to where they place within the Circle of Care. One limitation that I foresee in doing this is that it relies on non-leading and unbiased research questions during the interview process. If the research questions are designed in such a way for a participant to talk about themselves versus their own family versus their own community, a challenge is raised in whether the research accurately depicts an individual’s self-conception, and where they are at in their own personal journeys.

What an individual is going through can also greatly change whether they are more inwardly focused. Given that the demographics of the case study are not directly given beyond an alternative public school in western Canada, we cannot know the limitations to this research being done due to research participants possibly being considered youth-at-risk. Youth at risk are often seen as having a lot going on such as homelessness, teen pregnancies, abusive homes, etc. These challenging situations can then be said to lead to youth that may need to be more inwardly focused. If the case study is limited to this demographic, it is possible that too much focus is put on this population versus looking at both adolescents with and without a lot of baggage. Does the Circle of Care and a person’s sense of self-conception change based on the type of baggage that they are carrying? For us to determine whether there would be an issue from only drawing from an alternative school population, we would need to recognize the limitations of the sampling population and size through information on it first.

Research On, Laura Flett

References:

Glasser Institute for Choice Theory. (n.d.). What is choice theory? GIFCT. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://wglasser.com/what-is-choice-theory/

Lakehead University Research and Innovation Week. (2022). 3MT - Michael Lyngstad - Taking care of the self before taking care of the planet: Alternative education and expanding circles of care. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://pheedloop.com/lakeheadri2022/virtual/?page=showcase§ion=EXHVSRVAZTR20P0FV.

[lfoutd2511]

Interviewing in Recognition of the Pros and Cons of Forest Schools for Autism

This week’s blog post references the blog prompt from week #3 and subsequently my post “Embracing Autism in the Forest School Setting”. Please refer to this for more thorough background information.

Who Am I Interviewing:

I am interviewing a parent whose autistic child attends an inclusive forest school program with neurotypical children. This child attends the program with a respite worker. I have chosen to interview this parent because I believe that caregivers know their children best. As parents spend many hours with their own children, I believe that a parent of an autistic child would be best suited to speaking about changes in behaviours experienced by their child attending forest school.

Interview Questions:

Five interview questions I would use are:

1. Why did you decide to register Robby in forest school?

· This is an introducing question (Neuman, 2018, p. 265). We already understand that Robby is registered in forest school. We do not know the background reasoning for the caregiver’s choice to register Robby in the program. This question helps to us to understand underlying factors and themes that we as researchers may miss by starting with more specific questions.

2. How do you believe that forest school has impacted Robby?

· If the parent interviewee starts by speaking to the goals that she had in registering Robby for the program but does not go into depth as to whether these objectives for enrolment are being reached, we can dive deeper through the usage of a follow up questions (Neuman, 2018, p. 266).

3. Can you tell me more about how Robby’s behaviour has changed at home?

· This question dives deeper into something that the interviewee will likely cover in the follow up question or introducing question. It asks the interviewee to explain what she has noticed more thoroughly. This is referred to as a probing question (Neuman, 2018, p. 266).

4. What elements of forest school do you believe has helped Robby with his self-regulation skills?

· This question is used to help prompt the interviewee to provide more depth in prior questions about behavioural changes noticed at home. It helps the interviewer to gain a full picture of the link to behavioural changes and the elements of forest school having a positive (or negative) effect. This type of interviewing question is called a specifying interview question (Neuman, 2018, p. 267).

5. Would you encourage caregivers of other autistic children to consider forest school?

· This question is a direct question (Neuman, 2018, p. 267). It is used to ensure that if only positive experiences are being outlined, that any negative experiences also have an opportunity to be highlighted and vice versa. It also provides an opportunity for the interviewee to add anything last minute that the prior questions did not ask for.

Adventure On,

Laura Flett

References:

Neuman, W. L., & Robson, K. (2018). Chapter 12 Qualitative Interviewing. In Basics of Social Research Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (4th Canadian Edition, pp. 265–268), Pearson.

[sick-not-tired]

Hi Laura, 

I like the direction you chose to go with your post. It seems like the implementation of forest schools is really important to you.

I see that you mentioned briefly in your last question explanation that you wanted to allow for more negative stories to be shared as well, and I think that is missing a bit from your fourth question. I think in your pursuit of making the question specific, you may have ended up on the side of leading the interviewee. The question implies that the parents agree that their son’s self-regulation skills have not only been impacted, but been impacted in a positive way. I can see how this response could flow from the previous question, and in that case, I think it would be a great question. Out on its own as a primary question it may lead the participants too much in the direction you are hoping to go.

One other area I had questions about was the question about behavior at home. As a neurodivergent person, I find that I act very differently at home compared to at school, unless the school environment is so extremely good that I carry home excitement or so incredibly bad that I carry home the burnout. Not knowing much about forest schools, I wonder if the focus on behavior at home might not get the kind of answers that will help legitimize or give perspective on the student experience.

All that said, I think your questions are well thought out and interesting. Great job!

Morgan

[lfoutd2511]

Hey Morgan,

Thanks for your insight! You are totally right, my questions may be a bit leading in terms of saying that it would have a positive impact. That definitely was not my intent.

It is also interesting to note your comment on how the parent may or may not be the best individual to be receptive to changes due to a different environment. I'm specifically looking to focus on neurodiversity from an autism perspective versus including all of the types of neurodiversity (ADHD, dyspraxia, torettes, autism, ODD, dyslexia, etc).

It is can be said that when you know one person with autism you know one person with autism. However, there is quite a bit of evidence out there that states that autistic children often unleash the school day back at home through autistic meltdowns, withdrawal, etc. A parent may be able to see if there are improvements in this regard if the school environment changed in such a way where the severity (both quality and quantity) of autistic meltdowns decreased after school. School avoidance can also often be found in individuals with higher functioning autism such as what was formerly called Aspbergers (now referred to as level 1). Perhaps noting the change in avoidance a child has in school could play into this? What are your thoughts on this? Who do you think would be the best person to interview?

Adventure on, Laura

[sick-not-tired]

Expert Interview

As a part of group 5, my field of inquiry is the role and influences of identity, specifically in the field of outdoor recreation within Thunder Bay. In this field, someone I would value interviewing would be Dr. Mirella Stroink, a professor right here at Lakehead University. Dr. Stroink teaches courses in cultural psychology, community psychology, and social cognition, as well as conducting frequent research into human behaviour within linked social and ecological systems (Lakehead, 2021). More specifically, I want to talk to Dr. Stroink because she has published several studies and papers on identity and self-construal, as well as one study working with ORPT students in 2011 (Lakehead, 2021). Clearly, Stroink has extensive knowledge on human identity that would prove very useful; she also has an existing relationship with the ORPT program that might make it easier to connect with her to ask her some questions.

To start off the interview, I would ask the primary question: “I see that the environment is an aspect of much of your research, would you consider yourself a part of the Outdoor Recreational community in Thunder Bay?” From this question I would be hoping to ascertain if Dr. Stroink is a casual, habitual, or non-user of outdoor recreation opportunities in Thunder Bay. This information is helpful because, from Stroink’s staff profile, I already know her level of expertise on the topic of identity and social and cultural influence, but I cannot tell if she is an outside observer or an active participant in outdoor recreation (Lakehead, 2021). Figuring that out will help contextualize Dr. Stroink’s responses going forward.

Shifting more toward our podcast question, I would ask Dr. Stroink how representation in advertising affects a person’s feelings of belonging in a certain community or activity. This will tie in with our marketing and advertisement research and give more context into how the lack or abundance of similar people in a space, shapes how someone feels in that space. I would follow that up with a more subjective question of: “In your opinion, would this make it harder for people in marginalized groups to feel welcome in the Outdoor Recreation Community?”. This question allows Dr. Stroink to examine how well (or poorly) members of different communities are represented in specifically the outdoor space; it also allows her to apply that examination to our podcast concept of identity and belonging, and I hope she would provide insight into how that lack of perceived belonging could affect someone long term.

My final two questions would center around social media. We did social media research for this project, and I would like to see if her expectations matched the realities of the data we collected. I would ask: “What group of people do you think was the most highly represented in our research?”, then I would share our findings. I would ask how, if at all, the findings surprised her. Many questions could branch off of this primary one for me, because I was the member of our group doing the social media research. I found a few elements of the results so far were surprising to me, and I wondered if an expert in social psychology would also have the same initial biases that I did.

Question List:

1.       “Would you consider yourself a part of the Outdoor Recreational community in Thunder Bay?”

2.       “How does representation in advertising affect a person’s feelings of belonging in a certain community or activity?”

a)       “In your opinion, would this make it harder for people in marginalized groups to feel welcome in the Outdoor Recreation Community specifically?”

3.       “What group of people do you think was the most highly represented in our social media research?”

a)       “How, if at all, did the findings of our research surprise you?”

Reference List:

Neuman, W. L., & Robson, K. (2018). Basics of Social Research: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Pearson Canada Inc.

University, L. (2021). Publications. Lakehead University. Retrieved March 4, 2022, from https://www.lakeheadu.ca/users/S/mstroink/publications

University, L. (2021). Stroink, Mirella. Lakehead University. Retrieved March 4, 2022, from https://www.lakeheadu.ca/users/S/mstroink

[lfoutd2511]

Hey,

Thanks for sharing.

I'm curious as to how you would link the questions together, specifically question #1 and #2, in such a way that the interview would flow smoothly? You start with a very open-ended introducing question that could take on many different answers. How would you ensure that the interview is focusing on what you are looking for within your research given the switch between how one considers themselves a part of the outdoor recreation community of Thunder Bay and then goes into advertising within different communities?

Furthermore, how do you feel that you yourself answer these questions? Do you believe that your own ideologies and epistemology can naturally influence the direction that you take the interview even if you attempt to be objective? How would you ensure that the lens that you are looking through is representative of Dr. Mirella Stroink? Would you somehow ask for clarification on some things that she says? If so, how?

Curious to hear your thoughts on these matters.

Laura

[lfoutd2511]

Interviewing in Recognition of the Pros and Cons of Forest Schools for Autism

This week’s blog post references the blog prompt from week #3 and subsequently my post “Embracing Autism in the Forest School Setting”. Please refer to this for more thorough background information.

Who Am I Interviewing:

I am interviewing a parent whose autistic child attends an inclusive forest school program with neurotypical children. This child attends the program with a respite worker. I have chosen to interview this parent because I believe that caregivers know their children best. As parents spend many hours with their own children, I believe that a parent of an autistic child would be best suited to speaking about changes in behaviours experienced by their child attending forest school.

Interview Questions:

Five interview questions I would use are:

1. Why did you decide to register Robby in forest school?

· This is an introducing question (Neuman, 2018, p. 265). We already understand that Robby is registered in forest school. We do not know the background reasoning for the caregiver’s choice to register Robby in the program. This question helps to us to understand underlying factors and themes that we as researchers may miss by starting with more specific questions.

2. How do you believe that forest school has impacted Robby?

· If the parent interviewee starts by speaking to the goals that she had in registering Robby for the program but does not go into depth as to whether these objectives for enrolment are being reached, we can dive deeper through the usage of a follow up questions (Neuman, 2018, p. 266).

3. Can you tell me more about how Robby’s behaviour has changed at home?

· This question dives deeper into something that the interviewee will likely cover in the follow up question or introducing question. It asks the interviewee to explain what she has noticed more thoroughly. This is referred to as a probing question (Neuman, 2018, p. 266).

4. What elements of forest school do you believe has helped Robby with his self-regulation skills?

· This question is used to help prompt the interviewee to provide more depth in prior questions about behavioural changes noticed at home. It helps the interviewer to gain a full picture of the link to behavioural changes and the elements of forest school having a positive (or negative) effect. This type of interviewing question is called a specifying interview question (Neuman, 2018, p. 267).

5. Would you encourage caregivers of other autistic children to consider forest school?

· This question is a direct question (Neuman, 2018, p. 267). It is used to ensure that if only positive experiences are being outlined, that any negative experiences also have an opportunity to be highlighted and vice versa. It also provides an opportunity for the interviewee to add anything last minute that the prior questions did not ask for.

Adventure On,

Laura Flett

References:

Neuman, W. L., & Robson, K. (2018). Chapter 12 Qualitative Interviewing. In Basics of Social Research Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (4th Canadian Edition, pp. 265–268), Pearson.

[okoutd2511]

Tourism during and after COVID-19: An Expert-Informed Agenda for Future Research; a Critical Evaluation by Owen Keeler

A. George Assaf, Florian Kock, Mike Tsionas

Introduction / Key Message

The article I am critically reviewing is called “Tourism during and after COVID-19: An Expert-Informed Agenda for Future Research” by A. George Assaf, Florian Kock, and Mike Tsionas. I chose this article to review because I feel it is relevant to the course and the current global situation. The articles goal is to address the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global tourism industry by surveying 3 distinct questions to the industries academic experts;

1. What potential future topics are needed to address the impact of COVID-19 on tourism?

2. What existing research areas/topics will become more relevant?

3. What changes are recommended for better data collection?

The key message of this article was an agenda they formed for tourism research post-COVID-19. The agenda can be summarized into 6 different considerations when conducting research on tourism; consumer behaviour, demand and performance modelings, forecasting, destination and facility management, informational technology, and quality of life and sustainability. They then provide steps on how you can apply this agenda to your research. The authors then attempt to back up their informational suggestions with bold claims but hardly any references to original/primary research.

This I will touch on later.

Research Methods and Resources

The 3 sources listed under the article are other research articles conducted by the same authors. The 3 articles are related to the Coronavirus, tourism paradigm, and developing research Ideas. When you look at the sources for those articles, they are all secondary resources posted from credible peer review articles such as Google Scholar or Wiley Online Library.

We can tell by the order the information is presented in the article that they took a nonlinear path of conducting research. It begins by presenting indisputable information and a couple of posing questions. They present no theory, instead it is an observation of the impacts of COVID-19 on tourism industries.

Through these observations, they achieved 19 responses from different experts on the topic. This information formed an idea of necessary actions required to recover the global tourism industry and increase sustainability for future pandemics/viruses.

Concerns About the Research

For a research article that claims to get it’s conclusions from experts, it does not references who those experts are specifically. There are very limited amounts of in-text citations for claims that are being made by the proposed primary research method. It is also concerning that the sources mentioned only lead to other written articles, this means there is no validation for who they conducted their surveys to and what they are experts in.

I believe the research questions could have been given some more consideration. I don’t feel that they met the criteria of clear, focused, or concise. The questions also weren’t very complex, nor did the spark any possible argument to be made or point to be proven. It was a survey that was conducted with no clear desired outcome.

Conclusion

The research topic was really intriguing and the information provided was interesting (it would have been more interesting with better backing). There were a lot of ideas that were unique and deserve some consideration, however there are a lot of flaws in the presentation of their information that impact the seriousness of this article. There are many limitations on the research proposal (because of limited information on COVID-19), there are hardly any outside sources or in-text citation, and the lack of specifics takes away from the professionalism of the writing.

Citation

Assaf, Kock, F., & Tsionas, M. (2022). Tourism during and after COVID-19: An Expert-Informed Agenda for Future Research. Journal of Travel Research, 61(2), 454–457. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472875211017237

[lfoutd2511]

Great post Owen!

I found your approach to this week's blog prompt intriguing. I like how you did not directly connect back to the different types of validity from Chapter #6 of the textbook but instead focused on drawing upon other areas of course content that can impact the validity of the research.

You mention that there was a lack of cross-referencing from other research besides their own. How do you feel that this impacted the validity of their argument? Do you think its important for all researchers to draw upon not only their own work but also the work of others? If so, what would you see as a solution for research, when research by other researchers is not readily available that relates back to your area of study?

Furthermore, do you feel that certain sources of information receive a high pressure to turn out articles that in turn leads to incomplete or poorly done research? Do you believe that the researchers in your article were not only constrained to the pandemic for ensuring the validity of their results but also things like an editor wanting to publish by x date? How would you deal with this? Would it change based on the type of research that was being completed or the news source?

Research on, Laura

[lfoutd2511]

Zwaigenbaum - The Good Report

*unable to provide url to newsletter, see snapshot

Intro:

I recently received a newsletter discussing the research efforts of Zwaigenbaum in advancing our understandings of autism diagnoses (University of Alberta, 2022). Zwaigenbaum is the director of the University of Alberta’s Autism Research Center and the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation Chair in Autism (University of Alberta, 2022).

His work currently focuses on establishing autism diagnosis frameworks that utilize women and children versus only full-grown males (University of Alberta, 2022). The key message of the newsletter is to encourage donors to donate money to University of Alberta’s Women’s and Children’s Health Research Institute (University of Alberta, 2022).

Sources:

The main source of information is primary research through the usage of case studies by Zwaigenbaum and subsequent hyperlinked articles.

For example, the newsletter mentions the Autism Observation Scale for Infants. This was developed in Canada by Autism researchers including Zwaigenbaum (Rutherford, 2021). The research for the development of this scale was quantitative case studies that looked at the usage of statistical probabilities of early indicators and their causations in autism diagnoses in young children.

Another source that is mentioned within the newsletter is the Socials ABCs program, a parent intervention training program, that Zwaigenbaum helped to create (Social ABCs, n.d.).

A CBC article states the relevance of Zwaigenbaum’s research using the statistic that 1 in 66 Canadian children are diagnosed with Autism (The Canadian Press, 2018). This number is based off research that was conducted by the Public Health Agency of Canada (The Canadian Press, 2018).

Evaluation:

There is no cross-analysis of whether the work of Zwaigenbaum is more prestigious than other Canadian autism researchers. This leaves a question as to whether funding to this specific researcher is worthwhile. The lack of evidence of where the money goes is likely the difficulty in ranking researchers’ efforts, and a desire to create a bias that Zwaigenbaum’s research is indeed worthwhile without having readers dive into scrutinizing it. This may also create issues in triangulation of the research as triangulation requires multiple methods, researchers, theories, and data sets (Hooykaas, 2022). A lack of meta-analysis leads to a lack of triangulation.

Statistical validity “is achieved when an appropriate statistical procedure is selected, and the assumptions of the procedure are fully met (Neuman & Robson, 2018).” Zwaigenbaum’s research makes use of statistical validity as it backs up early signs used in the Autism Observable Scale for Infants to later childhood Autism diagnoses. For example, “The researchers found elevated AOSI scores at 12 months accurately identified 52 per cent of the children who were subsequently diagnosed with autism by age three. At six months, the only behaviour associated with a later autism diagnosis was reduced motor control. (Rutherford, 2021)”

External validity “is the ability to generalize from experimental research to settings or people that differ from the specific conditions of the study (Neuman & Robson, 2018).” Zwaigenbaum recognizes the importance of external validity through stating that “children aren’t tiny adults” and that the DSM of Autism is problematic in this way (University of Alberta, 2022).

By analyzing the diagnostic methods of the Autism Observable Scale for Infants against North American statistics regarding age at diagnosis and diagnosis rates of Autism, concurrent validity is utilized (Rutherford, 2021). Concurrent validity is the “measurement validity that relies on pre-existing and already accepted measures to verify the indicator of a construct. (Neuman & Robson, 2018)”

Readership Implications:

It is important to recognize the implications of the information provided within the constraints of the newsletter before donating money to the university. Readers need to recognize that a sponsored newsletter gathering money for their program is limited to the perceptions of that institution. I would suggest that readers wanting to donate do so after completing further research.

Research on,

Laura

References:

Hooykaas, A. (2022, January). Research Design Lecture. Lecture, Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Neuman, W. L., & Robson, K. (2018). 6.3 Reliability and Validity. In Basics of social research: Qualitative and quantitative approaches (4th Canadian Edition). essay, Pearson Canada.

Rutherford, G. (2021, January 5). Researchers detect early signs of autism in at-risk infants. Folio. Retrieved February 19, 2022, from https://www.ualberta.ca/folio/2021/01/researchers-detect-early-signs-of-autism-in-at-risk-infants.html

Social ABCs. (n.d.). Social ABCS. Social ABCs. Retrieved February 19, 2022, from ` https://socialabcs.ca/

The Canadian Press. (2018, March 31). 1 in 66 Canadian children diagnosed with autism, report reveals | CBC News. CBCnews. Retrieved February 19, 2022, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/autism-spectrum-disorder-public-health-agency-of-canada-1.4598859

University of Alberta. (2022, February 9). The Good Report.

[lfoutd2511]

Do You Have a Peacock?

Do you have your woof-er?

Caption: Picture of dog "woofing".

Okay…. I know what you are thinking. Why am I choosing to write about dogs barking and peacocks this week? What does this have to do with research design in outdoor recreation?

Outdoor professionals are so notorious for acronyms and jargon that to an outsider, or even someone who does not teach certain outdoor skills, it can quickly become a puzzling mess. For those interested in researching outdoor recreation it is important to be able to understand the common phrases that are used within the field so that you can then apply and define them within your research.

Here are five ‘catch phrases’ that outdoor recreation researchers need to know:

1) PCOC – Pleasure Craft Operators Card: Often pronounced ‘peacock’ in the field. It’s a boating license that is required by Transport Canada to drive any motorized watercraft.

2) WFR/WAFA/WFA – Wilderness First Responder/Wilderness Advanced First Aid/Wilderness First Aid:These are the acronyms used to state the level of wilderness first aid that a person has. Wilderness first aid is a practice that includes wilderness protocols that allow individuals to be set up to give first aid in the backcountry that takes into consideration special specifics of the environment such as risk to first aider, evacuation, and distance from emergency services. The first level of wilderness first aid is WFA, pronounced W-F-A. It is equivalent to Standard First Aid. Then you have WAFA, pronounced wa-fa, that is an advanced first aid typically 40 hours in certification length. WFR is pronounced woof-er and is an 80-hour first aid certification.

3) Challenge By Choice: Most ORPT students should already know this phrase. This is a common phrase used in outdoor education that encompasses the ideal learning environment for participants. I like to think of the Challenge by Choice framework as a set of three circles inside of each other. The inner most circle is your comfort zone; the middle circle is your growth zone, and the outermost circle is your panic zone. Ideal learning occurs when participants are in disequilibrium but still in a healthy environment for their physical and mental health. This is known as your growth zone.

4) ACCT – Association for Challenge Course Technology: This is the certification body for any type of challenge course in Canada. Instructors can obtain their level 1, level 2, or Challenge Course Manager certification through accrediting bodies. The accreditation companies in Canada are Challenges Unlimited (CUI) and Adventureworks!. Pronounced using each of the individual letters: A-C-C-T.

5) CANSI - Canadian Association for Nordic Ski Instructors: This is one of two certification pathways for cross country ski certification in Canada. The acronym is pronounced can-si.

What phrases do you use as an outdoor professional that not everyone will recognize?

References:

Chill Foundation. (n.d.). What is Chill? Chill Foundation. Retrieved February 4, 2022, from https://www.chill.org/programbreakdown

Horwitz, D. (n.d.). Barking in Dogs: VCA Animal Hospitals. VCA Animal Hospitals. Retrieved February 4, 2022, from https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/barking-in-dogs

Staughton, J. (2022, January 6). Can Peacocks Fly? Science ABC. Retrieved February 4, 2022, from https://www.scienceabc.com/nature/animals/can-peacocks-fly.html

[demoutd2511]

Hey Laura!

I like how you chose to still relate your post for this week to the course! Also, I think starting your post with pictures of animals and then connecting them was a great idea, plus it also adds a fun aspect to your post!

You are very correct in your point about outdoor professionals having many acronyms and other jargon for things in this field, and that being confusing for people; I am one of those confused people! I have my PCOC because a job required me to, but I didn’t know it was also called 'peacock', which is much easier to say the Pleasure Craft Operator Card. Where did you learn that?

As I said earlier in this reply, I like your post’s topic, and how you shared some very helpful information, like common phrases, and great tips on which certifications are helpful in the outdoors!

As I was reading your section about Challenge by Choice and the 3 zones, I was reminded about OSAT 1 and that fun activity Alexa did! You explained it very well, and you also picked a great picture to show the zones! The design inside the comfort zone reminds me of sand dunes or mountains, which is really cool!

What counts as a challenge course for ACCT? Also, how many of the certifications that you mentioned do you have?

Another great post, Laura!

- Drew

[lfoutd2511]

Hey Drew,

I learned the pronunciation of PCOC as peacock while working with the YMCA in 2019.

ACCT is fairly broad. All camps in Canada that are accredited must work with ACCT regulations and typically have their infrastructure also built through an ACCT accredited company such as Challenges Unlimited! or Adventureworks!. You will also find ACCT in canopy tour programs and some indoor climbing locations. Its dependent on where you are located and what pathway you decide to take as an operator.

In terms of personal certifications that I have above, I have my PCOC and WFR. took the NCCP stream for cross country skiing but would love to get my CANSI one day. Right now, my technical skills could use some work before that can happen. I have also previously held ACCT certifications but they have since expired.

I found the jargon can be super confusing sometimes. I was thinking about this the day I wrote this post. Have there been any terms you have struggled with?

Adventure on, Laura

[lfoutd2511]

Do You Have a Peacock?

Do you have your woof-er?

Caption: Picture of dog "woofing".

Okay…. I know what you are thinking. Why am I choosing to write about dogs barking and peacocks this week? What does this have to do with research design in outdoor recreation?

Outdoor professionals are so notorious for acronyms and jargon that to an outsider, or even someone who does not teach certain outdoor skills, it can quickly become a puzzling mess. For those interested in researching outdoor recreation it is important to be able to understand the common phrases that are used within the field so that you can then apply and define them within your research.

Here are five ‘catch phrases’ that outdoor recreation researchers need to know:

1) PCOC – Pleasure Craft Operators Card: Often pronounced ‘peacock’ in the field. It’s a boating license that is required by Transport Canada to drive any motorized watercraft.

2) WFR/WAFA/WFA – Wilderness First Responder/Wilderness Advanced First Aid/Wilderness First Aid:These are the acronyms used to state the level of wilderness first aid that a person has. Wilderness first aid is a practice that includes wilderness protocols that allow individuals to be set up to give first aid in the backcountry that takes into consideration special specifics of the environment such as risk to first aider, evacuation, and distance from emergency services. The first level of wilderness first aid is WFA, pronounced W-F-A. It is equivalent to Standard First Aid. Then you have WAFA, pronounced wa-fa, that is an advanced first aid typically 40 hours in certification length. WFR is pronounced woof-er and is an 80-hour first aid certification.

3) Challenge By Choice: Most ORPT students should already know this phrase. This is a common phrase used in outdoor education that encompasses the ideal learning environment for participants. I like to think of the Challenge by Choice framework as a set of three circles inside of each other. The inner most circle is your comfort zone; the middle circle is your growth zone, and the outermost circle is your panic zone. Ideal learning occurs when participants are in disequilibrium but still in a healthy environment for their physical and mental health. This is known as your growth zone.

4) ACCT – Association for Challenge Course Technology: This is the certification body for any type of challenge course in Canada. Instructors can obtain their level 1, level 2, or Challenge Course Manager certification through accrediting bodies. The accreditation companies in Canada are Challenges Unlimited (CUI) and Adventureworks!. Pronounced using each of the individual letters: A-C-C-T.

5) CANSI - Canadian Association for Nordic Ski Instructors: This is one of two certification pathways for cross country ski certification in Canada. The acronym is pronounced can-si.

What phrases do you use as an outdoor professional that not everyone will recognize?

References:

Chill Foundation. (n.d.). What is Chill? Chill Foundation. Retrieved February 4, 2022, from https://www.chill.org/programbreakdown

Horwitz, D. (n.d.). Barking in Dogs: VCA Animal Hospitals. VCA Animal Hospitals. Retrieved February 4, 2022, from https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/barking-in-dogs

Staughton, J. (2022, January 6). Can Peacocks Fly? Science ABC. Retrieved February 4, 2022, from https://www.scienceabc.com/nature/animals/can-peacocks-fly.html

[tcoutd2511]

How Thunder Bay Changed My Life.

For this week’s prompt we are supposed to write about anything of our choosing. Something that’s been on my mind recently is how grateful I am to be in Thunder Bay. I honestly can’t express how much going to school here and leaving Orangeville has changed my life. Before I moved up here my mental state was not good and it hasn’t been since grade 7. This made for 6.5 years of silence where I didn’t talk to anyone, yes I had friends in high school and elementary, I was invited to go out etc but I never took the offers making my life very uneventful and staring at my bedroom wall for hours every Friday night. There’s a lot more I could get into but I don’t see the point because I’ve moved past that and I’m not in that mental state anymore. Right now I am in love with my life and have been since I moved up here and into residence in January 2021. Within the past year I have grown so much and have become excited about life again. Since living up here I can’t say that there has been a day where I wake up in a bad mood. 

I have been able to establish routines, wake up earlier, get things done earlier in the day and be able to buy the great amount of carrots and broccoli I want which is pretty exciting to me! Also the fact that there is so much nature around me is crazy and I feel like there is still so much that I haven’t gotten to see around here! I look forward to everyday ahead of me which is a huge change in mindset for me because a year ago I didn’t have the motivation to do anything except sit in my room and be mad at the world. That is insane for me to think about because now I see myself as a pretty chill and happy person and I feel like most people who know me up here would agree with that. The 2 different ways people perceive me are so weird because up here I am a very laid back person, down for anything (text me and I’ll be there!, unless im working), enjoy talking to people and I need some sort of social activity in my life to keep me going. Back in Orangeville everyone saw me as a miserable person and who doesn’t enjoy talking to people, is lazy and enjoys being on my own which is far from the truth. 

A trend that I have noticed since being here is that I’m actually appreciated and people have vocally expressed that to me. I am very much a person who cares deeply for others, I check in on others frequently and I always have their backs and I know others have my back. In residence last year there were a couple rumours spread about me which were one hundred percent false and I was getting harassed in my own res building. I don’t know where the rumours originated from but many people stuck up for me, wanted to hear my side of the story and always supported me. Throughout the year I have come to appreciate people so much and I know that I am appreciated. I have been a person that people come to, people I am barely friends with have opened up to me so much. I’ve received comments from people saying I give off a positive vibe and have gotten texts from people expressing that they feel that they can come to me for anything. I have a very non judgemental attitude, anything anyone tells me stays with me and I feel that it’s so important to be there for others and give people an outlet to get things off their mind. I strive to be a good person and overall that’s all I want in my life, is to be a good and happy person and see that others are happy. One of my favourite lyrics of all time is “cause if we don’t leave this town, we might never make it out”. I can’t imagine what my life would have been like if I hadn’t left my hometown and I don’t care to know what it would have been.

[lfoutd2511]

Hey Taylor,

This is really deep. Thanks for being willing to share this with everyone. It can be tough to be open-minded to different opportunities and where life takes us sometimes. I think you definitely show within your post that although you have had mental health setbacks, you do not want that to define who you are and what you do with your life. I think its amazing that you have come to that conclusion.

I know when I started spending more time away from home in 2018, I definitely had a bit of an identity change. From what I was told back then its pretty normal, especially if you have grown up in the same community your entire life, to see independence as a way to craft the person that you want to be. For many its a first separation from your bloodline, a time to make meaning in your life that is not influenced by your upbringing or your family.

I know for me being able to take the time to reflect after a couple of years away from home really helped me recognize my past and my own struggles with mental health. Do you know what your triggers were that made you the person you did not like at home? How you have ensured that these habits, etc do not reenter your life? In reverse, are there things that you just have naturally done since moving to Thunder Bay that have helped?

I don't necessarily want you to answer these questions on Tumblr but I know that its so easy to step back into the past 'you' habitually when things get tough. What are you going to ensure that you stick with this 'you' that you love and that everyone around you likes too?

Always willing to talk,

Laura

[lfoutd2511]

Embracing Autism in the Forest School Setting

Topic of Inquiry

     Ensuring the success of students with disabilities in the mainstream classroom is important to me. I have noticed that the hands-on and therapeutic features of outdoor settings provide many benefits to those with developmental and cognitive disabilities. As someone that believes that “the greatest classrooms and richest cupboards are those that are roofed only by the sky (McMillian)”, it is my goal to use the forest school environment to help students that struggle in the regular classroom setting.

     As the usage of forest schools for autistic individuals is under-utilized, research in this area would provide opportunities to advance the supports for students living with Autism. Therefore, if I had the opportunity to complete a research study as a PhD candidate, I would want to focus on the benefits of the usage of forest schools for Autistic youth. This topic does require further narrowing and specification.

Photo Description: This is my absolute favourite quote. It highlights the importance of using the outdoors as a classroom for learning.

Qualitative or Quantitative?

           I think it would be hard to decide as to whether my research would be a better fit for qualitative or quantitative methods.

     Qualitative methods would allow me to focus on individual testimonies to highlight successes of forest school programs for Autistics. Qualitative research would also allow me to shine a light on problems and solutions that could then be implemented by educators to support their own work.

   One limit of qualitative methods would be the ability to look for depth of impact of forest school programs due to the limited amount of case studies that could be utilized for the study. This is important because the quantitative method of statistics may be vital in gaining funding for supporting forest school programs for Autistic youth.

      In recognizing the limitations of qualitative and quantitative methods in this study, I would want to examine the pros and cons of different research frameworks more deeply with a focus on choosing a research framework that reflects the importance of equitable opportunities for Autistic individuals.

Why Autism?

           Autism has become known as a disability that faces chronic unemployment and a lack of educational institutional successes. Features such as social and communication deficits, sensory integration problems, and chronic anxiety are common features of autism. Forest school practices provide a safe outlet to practice weak skills that are often not associated as well with traditional classroom learning. As forest schools are outdoors, opportunities are provided for students to engage their body in sensory based needs while considering that loud and bright indoor spaces can often be triggers for dysregulation. Flexibility in forest school programming also allows for differentiated learning. It can be easily seen that there are many benefits of forest school teaching pedagogy that are not otherwise available in the traditional classroom setting. The increasing prevalence of autism in the public school system creates a need for programs that provide supports to students that enable them to learn in ways that work for them.

     Meaningful programs that embrace autism’s opportunities versus creating interventions for challenges are rare. There are many examples out there of autistics benefiting from forest school practices because of the teaching methodologies used. By showcasing these stories and their successes, I would be able to create a world in which there is less stigma about autism and instead initiate a celebration of the successes of programs that focus on individuality.

    Research can be used to create a better world. My hope in researching this would be to show that autistic individuals need to have access to meaningful schooling opportunities that work for them. Forest school is one area where more research is needed to be able to advocate for its approach to educating autistics. Research provides the opportunity to show where change is needed. This is especially pertinent to finding solutions to educating students with disabilities – autism or otherwise.

Photo Description: Austin Riley is one of my heroes. He is a young adult race car driver from Ontario that is raising awareness about what it means to live with autism “one step at a time”.

References: 

Instagram. (n.d.). Margaret McMillian Photo. Forest School Education. photograph. Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://www.instagram.com/p/BMoHtJNBsah/.

Riley, A. (2020, October 26). Racing with Autism Facebook Page. Retrieved January 27, 2022, from https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=196808425226613&set=a.196808408559948

[sick-not-tired]

Hi Laura, this is a really enlightening post. I really enjoy how you addressed the pros and cons for each method (qualitative vs. quantitative) and stated the necessity for further deliberation on that before research could begin. I also agree that outdoor education is a criminally underexplored avenue in the betterment of education for those with cognitive and social disabilities. Your emphasis on this kind of learning playing to strengths rather than “band-aiding” perceived setbacks was really eye opening to me. One thing I would be interested to hear your take on, is the possibility of sensory issues resulting from a shift outdoors. Especially in autistic children that have become used to a traditional classroom setting, the shift to being outdoors could cause dysregulation or perhaps a transitory period of getting used to the new surroundings and accompanying stimulus. I think further research into the pros and cons of shifting children to nature-based classroom settings would be a very interesting addition to your dream research project. Lastly, I enjoyed your use of quotations that mean a lot to you in this post. Especially the Margaret McMillan post was very topical to your desired message. I really liked your post and I hope you one day get to take on this research project, as I think it is only going to become more prevalent in the coming years.

[lfoutd2511]

Hi,

Thanks for the reblog and your thoughts on my post.

One thing that I would want to really underline in my research would be risk management. My initial thought was in regards to the flight risk that is common in Autism. How do you deal with the risk of the outdoor environment, and a child who if lost in the woods on their own, would not be able to take care of themselves? I never thought much about risk management with sensory intergration but it would be an interesting area to further research.

Sensory integration testing is done through a Pearson Sensory Profile. The Pearson Sensory Profile tests six processing domains - taste/smell, movement, visual, touch, activity level, and auditory processing. For each processing domain a person can score as low registration, sensation seeking, sensory sensitivity, or sensation avoiding. Sensation seeking means that the individual does not recieve enough sensory input in this domain and seeks out certain activities to achieve the needed level. Low registration is the upper threshold of sensation seeking closer to normal sensation. Sensation avoiding is the opposite of sensation seeking. These individuals receive too much input from their natural environments in a processing domain and attempt to avoid a certain degree of input. The less severe version is sensation sensitivity (Pearson, 2014).

What is interesting to note is that an individual who scores off of the normal threshold in either direction does not only exhibit behavioural changes but also developmental and medical complications. For certain individuals, this can be quite severe. There is currently research underway that is looking at how the brain of an Autistic is overly ‘busy’ and that autism may be linked to dysfunctional GABA receptors (Zeliadt, 2018 & Grünebaum, 2019). Transmission of information within the brain may be complicated due to these physiological differences.

Autistics with sensory integration challenges may have a sensory diet. This diet is not a diet in the sense of food but rather one that may include a toolkit of strategies that helps the brain to integrate information properly. For instance movement breaks, crunchy snacks, sunglasses and wide brimmed hats worn indoors, pressure based activities, weighted blankets and vests, noise cancelling or blocking headphones, etc can all be a part of this diet.

The connection to all of this is that the outdoors does not have the same level of sensory input that is artificial in comparison to the traditional classroom. For children who are hypersensitive to noise this environment with the lack of a confined place for noise to bounce around in, may actually be healthier and easier for them to cope in. The same can be said for light. Increased opportunities for tactile, pressure, and movement within the forest school classroom allows for natural integration of sensory diets. By naturally incorporating and increasing the level of a sensory diet through the forest school environment, a classroom is created in which there is less need for sensory integration strategies. Furthermore, occupational therapy that works on sensory integration often focuses on using tools that practice sensory integration versus removal of sensory stimulus. This further supports the need for forest school programs for youth with autism. For an Autistic child, playing with mud in their hands may be incredibly difficult but it can be an opportunity to help their body connect neuron pathways that allow them to integrate information appropriately in the brain. Through repeated exposure to these activities the child will adapt to the sensory input through the creation of neuron pathways that allow for the sensory integration to occur naturally (Unlimited Potential, n.d.).

What is important to recognize here is that a) not every autistic has sensory integration problems and b) if you have met one person with autism you have met one person with autism.

References:

Grünebaum, A. (2019, March 25). Autistic Brains Never Stop, Stay Busy Even During Sleep. Baby Med . Retrieved February 4, 2022, from https://www.babymed.com/health-news/autistic-brains-never-stop-stay-busy-even-during-seep#

Pearson. (2014). Sensory Profile 2. Pearson Assessments. Retrieved February 4, 2022, from https://www.pearsonassessments.com/store/usassessments/en/Store/Professional-Assessments/Motor-Sensory/Sensory-Profile-2/p/100000822.html

Unlimited Potential (n.d.). Unlimited Potential Community Services. UP. Retrieved February 4, 2022, from https://upcs.org/

Zeliadt, N. (2018, October 29). Study Calls into Question Chemical Messenger's Role in Autism. Spectrum News. Retrieved February 4, 2022, from https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/study-calls-question-chemical-messengers-role-autism/

[mloutd2511]

Blog Post #1 -- Meg Lastoria

*DISCLAIMER: THIS BLOG WAS CREATED FOR OUTD 2511, LAKEHEAD UNIVERSITY. THE OPTIONS EXPRESSED HERE ARE MY OWN IDEAS AND NOT THOSE OF LAKEHEAD UNIVERSITY. LAKEHEAD UNIVERSITY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ACCURACY OF ANY INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY THIS BLOG.*

Prompt: “Firstly, what has drawn you to this academic program? Secondly, as a consumer of knowledge, who do you rely upon for information? Consider perhaps three or more “sources”. How do you ensure this information is reliable? How does this relate to this program?” Prompt Provided by Dr. Amanda Hooykaas.

Answer:

When I was younger, the idea of anything to do with Outdoor Recreation, Parks & Tourism had never crossed my mind, but I knew that I loved being outside. I believe that throughout my life, the journey I’ve been on – whether it’s through summer camp or maybe even just hiking with my Aunt and her dogs – has led me to this program. Honestly, before this I thought I wanted to be a novelist, but the second I read what Outdoor Rec, specifically this program, was about, my first thought was “that’s me!”. So everything I did from then on was to get into this program and any other school I got into didn’t matter anymore, Lakehead was the number one prospect. I think I’ve always craved being a part of this world, especially in the deeper sense that this program has to offer. Therefore, to me the only answer that I can provide as to “why?” is that I’m in love with recreation and everything the outdoors has to offer, except for cross-country skiing, I hate it! 

As a consumer of knowledge in today’s society, I rely on social media, media (ie. the news), and the internet for my information. How I make sure this information is reliable is that I go to the most recent news possible, as well as the most recent experiments conducted by doctors (MD or PhD) to ensure that I can trust it because it’s from a person who has done extensive research into the topic. If it’s from social media, I generally only believe it if it’s a person of colour, another woman, a member of the LGBTQ2+ community talking about their experiences as a minority, or an expert in their field. The news will only provide you so little because, especially in the US, the news is typically run by white cis-gender people so it’s not the most diverse perspective given. As humans I feel it is our duty to diversify our knowledge and it directly relates back to this program because Outdoor Recreation doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to inclusivity. Now we have the JEDI principles, which are Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. These principles were put into place to rectify the amount of injustice there is in Outdoor Recreation. I say “is” because as much as these principles are put into place, I as a woman will still face discrimination from a man who is believed to be “better” than me. I’m speaking from experience because there was a point where I was on a trip and this other group member who was male wouldn’t take my advice on his canoeing skills even though I’ve been canoeing my whole life and this was his first time. So to relate this back to what I’m saying about sources of information is that you should listen to those who have more experience with something than you do, regardless of gender, race, or sexuality, that’s how you know it’s reliable because it’s someone with years of experience and knowledge. Someone who has taken it upon themselves to change their perspectives and grow from those perspectives. So I, as a consumer of knowledge, am constantly looking for ways that I can be a better guide in the Outdoor Recreation world, especially since I am a white woman.

[lfoutd2511]

Hey Meg,

          I find this post very interesting. Your post brings about the important point of how intersectionality influences the ways that others are recognized. Yet, in other ways it challenges the way that I see my responsibility as someone that is non cis-gendered and that often faces discrimination based off other areas of my intersectionality.

        For me, breaking down systemic barriers is about ensuring that everyone has an equal opportunity to have their voice heard, regardless of their background. Perhaps the best way to explain this is to do a ‘blind’ read where you do not know the background of the author. Being able to take into consideration research on the basis of quality of content versus the demographics of those that wrote it should be a key consideration.

       For example, I have a disability that typically is not seen in the university setting. The statistics for my specific disability are that 20% graduate post-secondary in comparison to 80% of people with permanent disabilities and 89% without disabilities. My expectation for university education is that I will not be treated differently because of this, but that certain tools such as Student Accessibility Services will be available to me to help break down barriers that stand in my way. I feel the same way in outdoor education - if you do the work to get yourself from point A to point B you should be allowed to be successful. Certain services can be provided to break down barriers, such as employment services, but those should not take away the ability for someone who does not have the same intersectionality as you to have a voice as well.


      What are your thoughts on this?

Adventure on,

Laura

[lfoutd2511]

Hi Meg,

Thanks for your response. I kind of see where you are coming from a bit better now. I apologize that this is a bit long-winded and controversial. I have tried to explain my viewpoint as best as possible, but please seek clarification if needed.

On Gender:

I think that intersectionality is an interesting topic that needs a hard look at. For instance, in theory, 50% of the human population is of female sexuality. Commonwealth countries have really pushed away from the male versus female perception of gender roles within society. I do think that in some ways we still see systemic sexism within society. However, I also believe that we are starting to get to the point where sometimes by being feminist, we are unintentionally doing the opposite of what we set out to do through discriminating against males. Finding a means to juggle when those of female sexuality are not being treated with dignity and when that should be systemically broken down, versus overriding a males equal opportunity is one that I am often sitting on the fence about.

It is difficult to find a really good example of this within the literature but the most contentious may be the Boys Scouts of America. When Scouting was invented in 1907, by Robert Baden Powell, it was a male only organization. Robert Baden Powell saw the need for separate organizations which led to the organization of Girl Guides (USA - Girl Scouts) by Lady Baden Powell. The organizations are essentially a branch off a philosophy of providing programming that allowed for youth to gain the skills necessary to lead successful lives based on their sexuality (Brittanica, 2020). In Canada, Scouting has being co-ed since 1998 (Scouts Canada, 2021). When Boys Scouts of America decided to allow girls into their senior sections recently, there was a massive heated debate as to whether or not this should be allowed given that Girl Scouts is a program that only accepts girls (Domonoske, 2018). I grew up in Guiding and recently switched to only Scouting for various reasons. I'm on the fence about this issue because in some ways it can be argued that while at one point Scouting may have discriminated against girls, it may be discriminatory that Girl Guides does not allow boys. Should girls be allowed to have their own place to shine if the boys are no longer being given theirs? Yes, you can argue that their benefits to girls for having a girls only organization but I think the same can hold true for boys. What are your thoughts on this?

On Neurodevelopmental Disabilities: A similar note can be seen in the world of neuro-diversity right now. With the change in the DSM framework the ability to get an ADHD diagnosis or Autism diagnosis is much easier.

There are arguments out there that in Canada these two disabilities are over diagnosed. Laurent Motton, a research psychiatrist, stated that "Autistic people we test now are less and less different than typical people - really less and less, to the point where if the trend continues, we won't be able to find the least difference within five or 10 years." He worries that a diagnosis could become meaningless in a few years time (Legualt, 2019). Similar research is being shown at a much higher porportion for ADHD (Dresden, 2018).

One of the things that has happened with ASD diagnoses in the last twelve years or so is that they have removed the sub-labels that are Aspergers, Rhetts, Autism, PDD, etc. These sub-labels were switched out for a level based system with the majority landing in level 1. Since early diagnosis leads to early intervention, a critical success factor, diagnosis is also being pushed earlier in a child's life. Many diagnoses of ADHD and Autism may be other things such as non-developmental mental health problems or unsupportive or unhealthy home lives (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

While, I agree that all individuals need support, regardless of their label or level of need, it is costing us as a society to not be targeting those that are higher need on the spectrum or ADHD by creating accessibility issues for those that are in more dire need of interventional services. This can be seen with the waitlists for the Autism Program in Ontario for children and the Passport program for adults (Turner, 2021). There is also from a community viewpoint, difficulty distinguishing between a high functioning individual that is diagnosed as a level one versus a level two that has receive(s/d) significant interventional supports to be able to live self-sustainably. Unless the levels are included specifically on a health form or the severity of ADHD, the level of support for such diagnoses means absolutely nothing. For autism we can be talking about multi-millionaires that are socially awkward to individuals cannot even dress themselves, being given the same diagnosis.

Concluding Thoughts:

It is clear to me the role that intersectionality plays in society is multifaceted and controversial.

I know that for me I often feel like my disabilities and medical background is not taken seriously because I have come so far and have decided to "take the harder route" when the options for my life were laid out for me. Its frustrating when the assumption becomes that I am capable of doing something that I am not or when I have to fight for my accessibility through Human Rights Tribunals and use the AODA to back myself up. I have really felt the pressure of this during the last couple of years as I have become more self-sufficient, while at the same time having an increased level of need due to the pandemic and ongoing medical issues. For me a health form has come to mean nothing, due to the fact that it does not give enough ability to give the information that tells someone my functional limitations. I definitely see neuro-diversity from this light, especially in the academic and professional settings. It is hard to know what you do not know or to recognize the legitimacy of what another goes through without being them, and that creates challenges and limitations to both diagnosis procedures and supports that are given to any disability. I do think that Autism and ADHD are disabilities, but that not everyone that has been diagnosed actually has them. I also think that until we figure out the actual causes of neurodevelopmental disabilities physiologically it will be impossible to ethically create a world in which the principles of JEDI are appropriately underlined (and there is proper diagnosis). Proper support comes with proper diagnosis, and I think this what we are missing by the breadth of Autism and ADHD functional diagnoses that we are seeing within North American society.

Gender for me has also always been a highly controversial issue. Growing up in my home community, gender expression, other than that of sex at birth, made one a target for many negative connotations. A few years ago there was a discussion on my community Facebook page about the fact that the local junior high had health unit posters advertising LGBTIQA+ support groups. Many parents thought these posters were inappropriate. The issues raised in the Facebook community page, were the same reasons that I did not identify as asexual until I moved away from my home community. As I have come to terms with my own gender identity, it is now very hard for me to be at home even for the holidays. The role that intersectionality has played in not allowing me to be safe in my hometown, is something that I am hoping I can one day find courage to speak up about.

It is through these life experiences that I speak up for the fact that JEDI is so complex and that there needs to be a middle ground somewhere. How do you choose as a human what is right versus what is too much in equity and accommodation? When do you choose to stand up to someone that has discriminated against you or another person? At what point, do you just try to hide who you are? What if you cannot choose to hide who you are?

- Laura

References:

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 5th ed. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association; 2013.

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2020, February 18). Boy. Scouts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Boy-Scouts

Domonoske, C. (2018, May 2). Boy Scouts Changing Name to 'Scouts BSA,' As Girls Welcomed into Program. NPR. Retrieved February 4, 2022, from https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/02/607678097/boy-scouts-changing-name-to-scouts-bsa-as-girls-welcomed-into-program

Dresden, D. (2018, September 21). ADHD: Is it Overdiagnosed and Overtreated? Medical News Today. Retrieved February 4, 2022, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/is-adhd-overdiagnosed-and-overtreated#is-adhd-overdiagnosed

Legault, J.-B. (2019, August 23). Autism Might be Overdiagnosed, Canadian Research Suggests. Global News. Retrieved February 4, 2022, from https://globalnews.ca/news/5798140/autism-misdiagnosis/

Scouts Canada. (2021, September 1). FAQ. Retrieved February 4, 2022, from https://www.scouts.ca/about/faq.html

Turner, L. (2021, November 16). Parents Losing Trust in Ontario government as Autism Program Waiting List Grows. CBC News. Retrieved February 4, 2022, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/autism-waiting-list-growing-1.6250069