Abstract - The development of group connectedness and sense of community during a twelve-day winter journey on snowshoes: non-formal education through the Czech Outward Bound course
Background and study aims. This paper deals with the perception of group connectedness and a sense of community among participants from the Czech Republic in an Outward Bound course, consisting of a twelve-day winter journey on snowshoes.
Methods. For the purpose of this study we chose a mixed research design combining sociometric techniques (three measurements recorded in frequency charts), analysis of the essays of participants, information from a feedback questionnaire and mind maps.
Results. The analysis of the quantitative data points to a marked increase in the number of people included in the inner circle of specific respondents as well as an increasing total number of calculated relational points. Respondents’ verbal expressions then show a change in their experience from the individual towards society, characterized moreover by terms such as fellowship or community, which indicate aspects of sharing, cooperation, harmony and assistance.
Conclusions. Courses involving over-night stays, hiking and camping in a winter landscape clearly have the potential to bring meaning to social issues and interpersonal relations with prosocial attitudes as a significant feature of non-formal education guided by tools of experiential education.