Influence of a challenge course experience on learned resourcefulness and cohesion within a subgroup of a student learning community

Abstract

Scope and Method of Study: The Purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a challenge course experience on the development of learned remorsefulness skills and cohesion with in a college student learning community. The study describes weather or not a challenge course program for CASNER FIT on the Oklahoma state University campus changed levels of learned resourcefulness of cohesion in participants. Participants in the study included 40 self-selected CASNER FIT students. Half of the students chose to participate in the experimental group and the other 20 students participated in the control group. Participants in both groups completed the Self Control Scale (SCS), the Group Climate Questionnaire Short form (GCQ-S), and a participant information form. After completion of a challenge course program, the experimental group again completed the SCS and the GCQ-S. The Control group completed the posttest questionnaires (SCS and GCQ-S) two weeks later during a CARNER FIT meeting.

Findings and Conclusions: Simple Linier Regression was used to analyses the data in this study which produces an F test assessing the significance of change during the testing period, as well as correlations, a Standard Multiple Correlation and a regression line. The findings for this study for the SCS suggested that there was no difference between pretest and posttest scores indicating that the challenge course experience did not change resiliency skills. The regression line produced for this comparison indicated a positive relationship between observed scores and predicted scores which gives reason for further research of the effect of a challenge program on learned resourcefulness. Analysis of the pretest and posttest scores for the GCQ-S yielded a significant F test score. The results suggested that the challenge course experience did have an effect on increasing cohesion on the experimental group. These findings can assist Institutions of higher education develop student learning communities.