Navigating landscapes : international student expectations and lived experiences of Canadian outdoor recreation

This thesis / dissertation was completed and submitted at Nipissing University, and is made freely accessible through the University of Toronto’s TSpace repositoryTo attract international students, Canadian universities promote safe and diverse cultural experiences and showcase Canada?s outdoor environment, according to the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (2015). Outdoor recreation may offer international students unique benefits in the adaptation across cultures as they transition to their new study environment. Cross-cultural transitions are associated with physical and mental stress, depression, anxiety, and a lack of sense of belonging (Berry, Kim, Minde & Mok, 1987; Oberg, 1954; Poyrazli & Grahame, 2007), while participation in outdoor recreation is associated with physical and mental health well-being, reduced anxiety, increased social participation, and cultural exchange (Roe & Aspinall, 2011; Stodolska, 2015; Weng & Chiang, 2014). Drawing on interdisciplinary fields including international education, marketing, and sport sociology, and using a sequential qualitative dominant mixed methodology with survey participants (n= 47) and three-stage guided walk participants (n= 7), I address a main question: How do international student expectations of the Canadian outdoors compare to their lived experiences in their first year at a university in Northern Ontario, Canada? Findings suggest that participants had met and unmet expectations leading to positive experiences related to: (a) equipment and access, (b) sense of community, (c) English communication, and (d) learning about Canada; and negative experiences in: (a) finding partners, (b) cold weather, (c) safety, and (d) communicating with domestic students. Participants also had unanticipated experiences in the outdoors related to cultural differences and sense of well-being. In this dissertation, I also offer reflections on the findings situated in the current literature and advice on advancing the guided walk method for future researchers.Ph.D