Developing 'it depends' in the wild: an exploration of outdoor instructors' professional judgement and decision making and its development in the Outward Bound Trust

Abstract

Over the previous 10 years, research has demonstrated that professional judgement and decision making can make a significant contribution to safe, high quality practice in the outdoor sector. Despite its importance, however, the development of professional judgement and decision making skills have yet to be examined. Consequently, the aim of this thesis was first, to understand how the Outward Bound Trust’s instructors make judgements and decisions. Second, to identify how these judgements and decision making processes may be best developed by the Outward Bound Trust. From a pragmatic research stance, the thesis employed mixed, qualitative and quantitative approaches, deploying surveys, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups in pursuit of these aims.

An initial study employed a mixed methods approach and identified adaptive expertise as a characteristic of instructor expertise. This study demonstrated that instructors operated within a spectrum of adaptability. These instructors used a nested approach in which their session-by-session decisions were made within a broader planning framework, however, their overly detailed plans and preoccupation with safety limited their adaptability in-action.

A subsequent study of early-career instructors found that they prioritised safety over learning, which in turn generated high cognitive loads. Their decision making was developed through a social experiential learning process, underpinned by metacognitive skills and challenging formative experiences. Notably, the national governing body qualifications and associated training did not support the development of adaptable decision making in these instructors.

Next, the early career study was replicated with mid-career instructors. Here, decision making was based on pre-identified options, and informed by high levels of situational comprehension. These instructors developed their decision making through an embodiment of Outward Bound’s Hahnian philosophies which value continual progression. They deliberately practiced decision making skills, and reflected on critical experiences, in a process akin to a cognitive apprenticeship.

The final study explored cognitive apprenticeship as an approach to facilitate decision making development. The study found that the Outward Bound Trust were applying a cognitive apprenticeship approach in staff development. However, these approaches were applied inconsistently and thus needed to be applied more effectively. Outward Bound’s Hahnian educational philosophies and a well-established community of practice partially compensated for those short comings. Notably, however, the current approach required refinement for a more significant impact. Recommendations are made for additional training for those in staff development roles and an ‘alpha’ model presented as a primer for future development.