新入生オリエンテーションに組み入れた冒険教育の教育効果 --プロジェクトアドベンチャーの実践を通して--

Abstract

本研究の目的は，新入生オリエンテーションに組み入れたプロジェクトアドベンチャーという冒険教育の長期的な教育効果を検証することである．そこで，教育プログラムとワークシートを設計した上で，次の3つの研究を行った．第1に，参与観察，ワークシートの記述の分析，及び，事前・事後の質問紙調査の結果を分析して，取組直後の短期的な教育効果を分析した．第2に，追跡調査（質問紙調査とインタビュー調査）を行い，3年次終了までの長期的な教育効果を確認した．第3に，複数の調査結果を比較・結合しつつ，入学時の冒険教育の体験が，大学での学びや学生生活での体験と相互作用していく過程について検討した．その結果，以下の点が明らかになった．まず，本取組は，学生に一歩を踏み出させる機会を与え，仲間と協力する意味や楽しさを経験から学ばせていた．次に，このような経験を伴っていたがゆえに，本取組で編成したグループの関係性が大学生活の中でも維持され，教員との距離感の接近などもあいまって，仲間意識の継続による学習コミュニティの形成につながっていた．さらに，その素地を背景に，学生は，本取組の経験を新たな課題の挑戦に活かしており，その挑戦の連鎖が，経験の積み重ねを生み，学びの好循環をもたらしていた．これらの研究により，入学時の取組が３年次終了時にいたるまで長期的な教育効果をもっていることが示された．

Many Japanese universities provide various initiatives and assistance in order to facilitate the transition from high school to university with the purpose of promoting adaptation to universities for students. One such initiative is new student orientation, which often takes the form of preparing schedules, providing guidance on course registration, and the introduction to facilities and undergraduate faculties/departments. However, the details of such initiatives differ among universities to match the characteristics of the undergraduate students. This study examines an orientation initiative that incorporates adventure education for new students in the department of engineering at a medium-sized, regional private university. It is similar to the Outdoor Initiative Programs conducted in both the United States and Canada. Programs such as these aim to develop relationships between the faculty members and students as well as among students themselves with the aim to give them a comfortable fresh start as university students. We assessed the long-term educational effects of Project Adventure; an adventure education program incorporated into the new studentʼs orientation. We designed an educational program as well as numerous helpful worksheets, and analyzed the short-term educational effects presented immediately after the program is finished via participant observation, worksheet descriptions, and pre- and post-questionnaire surveys. We then conducted a follow-up survey (in the form of questionnaire surveys and interviews) to confirm the long-term educational effects through the end of the third year. Further, by comparing and combining the results of these multiple surveys, we examined the combination of the experience process of our program, along with the experience of student learning and student life. The results revealed the following points. First, the program gave students the opportunity to take the first step to learning the meaning and pleasure of the cooperation with their peers through direct experience. Second, the relationships formed among the groups during their participation were maintained during the studentsʼ university careers. Along with the proximity of the instructors, this led to the formation of a strong learning community through a continuing sense of camaraderie. Further, the students were able to apply their experience in this program by facing new challenges; the cycle of facing and succeeding these challenges led to experience accumulation, paving the way for a virtuous cycle of learning. This study shows that the educational effects of the adventure education program when students enter university are long-term, extending to the very end of the third year.