«The Role of the Camping Participation for the Development of Social Skills. Investigating Differences between Typical Camps and Camps with Outdoor Activity Programs.»

The purpose of the present study was to explore the role of camp participation in developing social skills. In particular, to examine changes in feelings towards group and individual work, as well as in dimensions of social behaviour before and after the participation in different type of camps. Participants were 142 children (56 boys and 86 girls) aged 11 to 15 years (M = 13.46 ± 1.29). Among participants 62 were participating in outdoor activities camps, whereas 80 were participating in typical camps. Participants completed the Feelings Towards Group Work Questionnaire and the Social Competences Scale on the first and the last day of the camp period. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed that participants in outdoor activities camps increased their preference for groups work compared to children participating in typical camps, who increased their preference to individual work. In addition, it was found that scores on empathy increased for the total sample. In sum, the present study shows that participating in camps can contribute to the development of social skills; however, the different type of camps and organizing effectively the structures of group activities may facilitate the achievement of such social goals.