Charles Maciejewski

Adventure, Self-efficacy, and Students of Color: Applying Adventure Based Counseling Activities in Thebronx with Students Who Have Lost a Parent Charles Maciejewski

An alarming number of students lost a parent in thebeginning years of the Bronx Expeditionary LearningHigh School (BELHS). Losing parents or closed lovedones was not an unusual experience for many of thesestudents who were used to loss having come fromneighborhoods plagued by violence, poverty, andsegregation. The book explores the impact ofAdventure Based Counseling (ABC) methods on theself-efficacies of students of color who have lost aparent at BELHS. Up until now there has been littleresearch in ABC with this particular demographic. TheGeneral Self-Efficacy Scale (Schwarzer & Jerusalem,1995) was used to measure the self-efficacies of thestudents before the group began and four weeks intothe group. Results indicate that all students' scoresincreased during the ABC group but further researchmethods (i.e. interviews) would be needed toattribute the change to the ABC group. This book isuseful for professionals in the Adventure Educationfield, educators working with students of color, andanyone interested in alternative ways of dealing withgrief.