Contemporary perspectives of social capital building in outdoor education
Abstract
Social capital refers to the interrelated relationships between members of specific communities. These relationships manifest through shared norms, voluntary associations, shared values, reciprocity and mutual trust. In 2008, Beames and Atencio explored the major themes of social capital and outdoor education’s impact on its development. This paper provides a series of contemporary reflections on social capital building in outdoor education by examining it through four different themes: a contemplation on climate change and more-than-human sociality, considering the role of mobile and digital technology, examining ‘beneficial burdens’ in outdoor education and the role that the building of social capital has on the wellbeing of participants. We conclude with some suggestions for practice and future research.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Outdoor and Experiential Education
Adventure Sports and Sensation Seeking
Recreation
Leisure
Wilderness Management
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of Adventure Education & Outdoor Learning
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Volume
- 26
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 430–453
- Publication date
- 1 April 2026
- Language
- EN