Deb Matlock

"The act of thru-hiking a long-distance trail immerses hikers in the natural world for an extended time; as such, it represents a compelling system to study the relationships between a specific appreciative activity--thru-hiking--and environmental attitudes regarding sustainability. This thesis critically explored the primary research question: How do thru-hikes change or inspire environmental attitudes in thru-hikers on long-distance trails in the...

"This autoethnographic narrative offers a personal and unique perspective of the study of ecopsychology and somatic psychology by examining the author's experience with nature-based ceremony, life threatening illness, and vision quest rites of passage as holistic healing and recovery practices. The paper emphasizes integration and self-discovery through a case study of the author's reconnection to a greater vision of self, nature, and spirit. The...

"Understanding contemporary African Indigenous people necessitates an approach that incorporates ways of knowing congruent with Indigenous relationships to knowledge production. Balancing between two worlds of knowledge of production, this study provides an emic autoethnography of shamanic experiential learning with the context of an Indigenous research paradigm. The relationships between African Divination Systems, shamanic learning, emergent Indigenous...

"When children can understand their surrounding environments (whether it be the natural environment or their built environment) it is said that they can connect more deeply and have a heightened awareness of their surroundings (Kelly, 2013). This connection and heightened awareness can open their eyes to prevalent environmental issues, increasing their sense of social responsibility. The research on this type of learning generally occurs in formal...

"The transformative benefits of cross-cultural interaction and the 'disruption' caused by the confrontation with injustice, poverty and culture shock for students through immersion experiences are well-documented. In contrast, however, there is very little research that documents the experience of host communities - those into whom the traveler is immersed. What is the experience of individuals from these host communities? What is the value or significance...

"While it is important to evaluate student-centered learning and outcomes, study abroad involves many more humans than just students. Many of the life-changing, perspective-broadening experiences marketed and delivered to study abroad participants depend on the participation of host families, community members, and local schools and educators. Living with someone from a different culture; exposure to other ways of knowing, being, experiencing, and...