The ACA Research Forum is an opportunity for researchers and camp professionals to share and discuss new research related to campers, camp staff, camp programs, and a wide variety of other camp-related topics. Studies are blind, peer-reviewed, and accepted based on their relevance to the camp field and the rigor of their methods, and presented both orally and in a poster session each year at the ACA National Conference.
Submissions from 2026
Developing a Sense of Community in Camp Settings: Insights from Outward Bound Programs, Theresa N. Melton and Sarah Wiley
Creating a Camp Where Everyone Belongs: Counselor-Led Goal Setting to Improve Camper Outcomes, Angela C. Miller and Amy M. Leman
Shared Goals or Mixed Messages? Staff and Camper Views of Targeted Outcomes, Soumya J. Mitra, Jim Sibthorp, and Bryn Spielvogel
Managerial Approaches to Camp Staff Self-Care: Application of the PERMA Model, Megan H. Owens, Alexandra Skrocki, Melissa Van Scoy, Barry A. Garst, and Tracey Gaslin
Summer Staff Burnout, Empathy, and Belongingness in Disease-Specific Camps, James Rujimora, Amanda DeDiego, and Ann Gillard
Tick Incidence Across Midwestern Summer Camps: Associations with Landscape Characteristics in Year 2 of Fight the Bite, Alexandea Skrocki, Barry A. Garst, and Tracey Gaslin
"PRIMED" for Character at Camp: An Evaluation of Character-Supportive Design Principles, Bryn Spielvogel, Jim Sibthorp, Soumya J. Mitra, and Miray D. Seward
Summer Camp Adds Up: The Impact of Stem Camps on Math Self-Efficiency and Achievement in Underrepresented K-12 Campers, Joanna Vance