The effect of adventure-based experiential learning on personal effectiveness of adolescents

The purpose of the study was to determine the effectiveness of Adventure-based Experiential Learning (AEL) in developing the personal effectiveness of adolescents. Twenty three adolescents, currently enrolled in a post-matriculation development centre were studied. The study consisted of an experimental (n=12) and control group (n=11). The experimental group participated in a five day low risk AEL programme in an urban setting. The Review of Personal Effectiveness with Locus of Control (ROPELOC) instrument developed and piloted by Richards, Ellis and Neill (2002) was used to measure 14 constructs related to personal effectiveness. The ROPELOC was administered in the form of pre and post-tests for both groups. Pre-posttest effect sizes showed that the experimental group experienced high significant (d.0.80) development in four areas and medium (d.0.50) development in nine areas of personal development, compared to one medium effect size for the control group. The results from this study compare favourably with the benchmark effect size for AEL of 0.40 as suggested by Neill (2003) with an average effect size of 0.61. Based on these results it is concluded that AEL programme could be used to effectively improve personal effectiveness among adolescents