Browsing by Author "Davidson, Lee"

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Qualitative Research and Making Meaning of Adventure: a Case Study of Boys' Experiences of Outdoor Education at School
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2001) Davidson, Lee
This article details the process and analysis of a case study, conducted over a six-week period, involving an outdoor education class in an all-boys Catholic, New Zealand secondary school. The questions explored by the case study were the subjective meanings of adventure experiences in outdoor education and the benefits of qualitative research for assessing the value of outdoor education. The methodological techniques used were observation, involving some researcher participation, and in-depth interviewing. Subsequent data analysis was based upon theories of experiential education and adventure education, and concepts of leisure and human agency. The results of the study suggest that the meanings participants make of their experiences, and the value they derive from them, exceed those that may conventionally be sought and measured as an improvement in self-concept. These findings suggest that learning through adventure is potentially valuable as a holistic and life-long form of activity that enhances the capacity to enjoy and engage in living. This is an important extension beyond its often limited and compartmentalised applications, which are rationalised by specific outcome based objectives. A qualitative methodology was indispensable to an inquiry of this kind and warrants further attention in the process of understanding the meanings of adventure and learning.
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The 'Spirit of the Hills': Mountaineering in Northwest Otago, New Zealand, 1882-1940.
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2002) Davidson, Lee
A defined geographical region and time period is used to examine the growing popularity of mountaineering in relation to its social and cultural context. The study draws on oral histories, diaries, autobiographies, articles and archival material from mountaineers, and blends them with insights from geography, sociology, art history, literary criticism and cultural history. The findings of the study demonstrate that early mountaineering in New Zealand reflected the legacy of Victorian values in relation to the landscape, in combination with a 'pioneering' spirit and a growing sense of a distinctive colonial character. The First World War marked a watershed, followed by an inter-war 'boom' in mountaineering. This growing enthusiasm can be interpreted as a reaction against the dislocation and devastation of the war and the growing rationalization of modern society. It was also part of the development of a sense of belonging to the landscape, and an exploration of what it meant to be a New Zealander. The study concludes that mountaineering is expressive of a relationship between people and landscapes, and that within this context, its historical development reflects wider social and cultural forces.
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What does it mean to manage tourism sustainably on New Zealand's conservation estate?
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 1997) Davidson, Lee
The potential for symbiosis between tourism and conservation is commonly advanced as a rationale for developing protected areas as tourism resources. Tourism is seen as a means of providing economic incentives and encouraging community support for conservation. Discussions of the sustainability of tourism in protected areas tend to focus on management techniques for the mitigation of adverse physical and social impacts, and the maximisation of economic benefits. Meanwhile, critics maintain that financial gains are overstated and social, cultural and environmental impacts underestimated. In New Zealand, a rapid growth in numbers of international tourists is placing pressure upon the physical and social capacity of the conservation estate, and the limited funds of the Department of Conservation. In pursuing a central question - what does it mean to manage tourism sustainably on New Zealand's conservation estate? - this study analyses the values and assumptions involved in the debate surrounding the relationship between tourism and conservation by examining the ways in which humans value the natural environment; exploring the concept of sustainability; and discussing tourism from the perspective of the commodification of experiences and relationships. This theoretical overview provides the foundation upon which a rationale for a 'strongly' sustainable and ecologically-centred tourism is proposed, along with the 'plurality of values' which it must encompass. The implications of these are discussed in relation to current tourism and conservation policy issues in New Zealand. Primary among the findings is the conclusion that New Zealand's tourism policy should be tied to the objective of sustainable development rather than economic growth, and that adequate funding for conservation should come from government and not be linked to revenue generation through tourism. Guidelines by which tourism is allowed on the conservation estate should include, in addition to ecological constraints and the mitigation of environmental impacts, the extent to which it integrates development and conservation by contributing to the economic self-sufficiency of local communities and Iwi; providing a transformative experience for tourists by increasing their awareness of the ecological, intrinsic and cultural values of natural areas; and demonstrating a commitment to conservation through assistance with conservation management, education and advocacy, and encouraging tourists to support conservation projects, financially and in kind.