Psychological Sense of Community and Group Cohesion on Wilderness Trips.

OUTDOOR recreation; RECREATION research; WILDERNESS area users; STUDENTS; LEADERSHIP

The article examines the factors that contribute to the perceived sense of community and group cohesion of wilderness trip participants. The participants consisted of undergraduate students from a department of recreation and leisure program in the U.S. It was suggested that students' perceived sense of community increased as a result of their participation in the wilderness trip. According to the findings, the main contributory factors to students' heightened sense of community and group cohesion were leadership styles, the posttrip experience, group composition, and students' individual contributions.