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School Gardens: Are they Fruitful Harvests or Barren Fields for 21st Century Schools?

Master’s Project

In Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree

Master of Science in Childhood EducationWith Specialization in Math and Science

State University College at Cortland

By:

Lee M. Kaltman

May 12th, 2011

Approved:

_______________________________________________Beth Shiner Klein, Ph.D , First Reader

_______________________________________________ Cynthia J. Benton, Ph.D. , Second Reader

_______________________________________________Andrea Lachance, Ph.D, Department Chair

___________________ Date

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Acknowledgements

This study was made possible because of the instruction of Dr. Benton. She

taught me how to research and organize a thesis. Her structure made the process

possible. This study was also possible because of my advisor Dr. Klein who helped

guide me through my Master’s degree and also in completing my Master’s project. I also

would like to acknowledge Tracy Wixson for being a great Peer reviewer. I also need to

thank Lara Parrilla Kaltman as she always helps me think, process and write. Without

her I wouldn’t have made it passed the first page. Thank you for always pushing me

down the right path.

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Table of Contents

Abstract 4

Introduction 5

Research Questions 7

Literature Review 7

Methods 19

Data Analysis 26

Findings / Discussion 26

Conclusion / Implications 37

References 39

Appendix 43

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Abstract

This study examined the topic of school gardens to discern if school gardens

enhance learning in 21st century schools. The study has an extensive literature review

involving current research about school gardens as well as an in depth history of school

gardens. After the literature review the researcher had three questions: Can school

gardens enhance a student’s ability to utilize skills to solve real world problems? Do

school gardens allow students to appreciate the importance of good nutrition and

healthier eating choices? Do school gardens help students appreciate nature? The

researcher chose to perform action research to gather information to find answers to these

questions. This research was conducted in a middle school in central New York. The

conclusions of this study indicate that school gardens help promote learning by engaging

students to solve real world problems. School gardens also offer students the opportunity

to appreciate nature and help entice them to be outside instead of inside watching

television or playing video games. School gardens also offer students the freedom to

make healthier choices when choosing food in the cafeteria.

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Introduction

"If you want to eat for a year, plant a tree; five years, plant a garden; fifty years, educate the people." Chinese Proverb

Close your eyes and imagine being a middle school student filled with wonder

and curiosity. Do you remember your school? I do. It was a place where I went from

classroom to classroom, sitting behind a desk, passively listening and learning. Now

change that scene and enhance it. What if the school had a magical garden where the

teachers took you outside to learn during Math, Science, Social Studies, and Language

Arts? Doesn’t this scene look brighter?

The bureaucracy of 19th and 20th century schooling was created during the

Industrial Revolution (Gerstner, 1994). Schools were set up so that students could learn

the skills they needed to work in factories. Teachers would teach the class a concept or

skill and the students would sit and listen. Learning would be measured by students

regurgitating facts on a written test (Sizer, 2004).

In the 21st century, factories that were products of the industrial revolution had

been sent overseas or were run by a computer. However, many of our students are still

passively receiving information in the same manner considered effective in the past two

centuries. The United States’ future is not in creating a new Industrial Revolution; the

future of this country is in ingenuity, creative problem solving, and discovery (Gerstner,

2004) How can schools be organized to support this?

Urbanization also played a major role in students’ behavior over the last century.

Students are living in tighter spaces, with limited access to outdoor play and nature.

Technology is their main source of stimulation, and many students are scared of going

outside. Further, many have no concept of where their food comes from; inferring it all

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comes from supermarkets. How can schools address students' increasing disconnection

with nature? How can schools help students learn to appreciate nature?

More than 30 million children eat school food twice a day, five days a week

(USDA, 2010). The school lunch program has dramatically reduced hunger in children

but unfortunately has set the stage for a different social problem, childhood obesity. The

majority of the foods children consume in school lunches are processed and unhealthy

(CDC, 2010). Students often shy away from choosing food that is healthy for them.

According to the Center for Disease Control (2010), childhood obesity has escalated

significantly over the last 30 years. Obesity rates among elementary children have

doubled in the last decade and have tripled for adolescents (Ogden, Curtin, Lamb &

Flegal, 2010). This rate of increase is catastrophic. How can schools help promote

healthier eating choices for students?

School gardens have gained significant attention in the fifteen years as a resource

for educators to enhance student development. However, research on the impact of

school gardens on student development is limited. There must be compelling evidence

that school gardens enhance student development to compel educators to embrace the

value of incorporating school gardens in the curriculum.

This study examined whether school gardens enhance students' abilities to utilize

skills to solve real world problems in 21st century schools. It also investigated whether

schools gardens might help to build safe, communal environments where students grow

and learn to become productive informed citizens. This study also investigated whether

school gardens instill an appreciation for healthier eating choices and a greater

appreciation of nature.

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Research Questions

This study explored several research questions. Can school gardens enhance a

student’s ability to utilize skills to solve real world problems? Do school gardens allow

students to appreciate the importance of good nutrition and healthier eating choices? Do

school gardens help students appreciate nature?

The following review examines the research literature on the role that school

gardens have in enhancing a student’s ability to apply skills to solve real world problems

and allow them to appreciate nature and fruits and vegetables. An extensive literature

review explores research on the impact of school gardens on student development. It is

followed by the results of an action research plan conducted at Middle School in Central

New York to evaluate the impact of its school garden on its students. Finally an analysis

of the action research is presented

Literature Review

Teachers, parents, students and community members start school gardens for a

variety of reasons. For many, school gardens offer a promising strategy for increasing

student exposure to and consumption of fruits and vegetables both within and outside the

school meal program, thereby improving nutrition, reducing hunger, and preventing

obesity and obesity­related diseases (Blair, 2009). Others focus on the potential for

building community and school bonding (Englefried, 2006). Most school gardeners are

working to strengthen children’s and community knowledge of, and attitudes toward,

agriculture, food, nutrition and the environment. A select few recognize that school

gardens offer a unique opportunity to enhance student’s ability to apply skills to solve

real world problems.

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What is a school garden?

Depending on the geographic location and physical parameters of a school, school

gardens can be anything from container gardens, to window boxes, to a full­fledged farm.

In urban locations, some schools have put school gardens on their rooftops. Other school

gardens can be created in greenhouses or using hydroponics in the classroom. Some

urban areas identify neighborhood plots to garden that are maintained by a school and the

community. Other schools that have ample arable land set up full fledge farms on their

property, which are also classified as school gardens.

Although school gardens are can be found nationwide, they are most prevalent in

California (California Department of Education, 2010). Many schools with gardens are

also involved with the Farm to School Programs, in which schools purchase produce for

snacks or meals from local farms. Although there are no statistics on the number of

school gardens in the United States, the National Farm to School Network sites that there

is at least one Farm to School Program in every state (2010).

Figure 1 Farm to School across the Nation

Source: National Farm to School Network. NNewtrow.http://www.farmtoschool.org/statesNorg/states.phphttp://www.farmtoschool.org/states.phphttp://www.farmtoschool.org/states.php

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History of School Gardens

When farms and nature were readily accessible to most children, school gardens

served a very practical and standard purpose: to teach through experience, to connect

children with nature, and to influence their moral outlook (Bundschu­Mooney, 2003).

Through the urbanization of America, more and more students were removed from this

pastoral and natural learning environment. In the 1890s, progressive educators such as

John Dewey started a movement that would better integrate schools with society, which

would include creating gardens in schools (Bundschu­Mooney, 2003). According to

Wilbur Jackman, whose Nature Study for the Common Schools textbook was a catalyst

for teaching nature study, “The process of gardening was a way to stimulate children’s

curiosity and enthusiasm” (Kohlstedt, 2008, p.59). During the early movement school

gardens were initially promoted as a way to teach natural sciences. In 1917, during WWI

the United States School Garden Army was created to avert a food crisis in America and

school gardens grew to the hundred thousands (Kohlstedt, 2008).

With school gardens blossoming around the country, there was debate on what

these gardens where good for. Was it to create community, to teach wonder, to help

youths who don’t listen become disciplined, to instill an appreciation of outdoors in the

students, to experience nature, or to teach about where food comes from? Whatever the

reason, the movement gained steam and schools utilized gardens until the 1920s

(Kohlstedt, 2008).

With the advent of vocational programs and resistance to the progressive

movement in the 1920s, enthusiasm for school gardens declined. As quickly as they

sprouted up across the United States, the use of school gardens abruptly ended

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(Kohlstedt, 2008). Schools once again became a place to focus on academic learning.

Learning from nature was reserved for the summer, scouts, and parks (Kohlstedt, 2008).

It wasn’t until the 1990s in California when another movement arose called “A

Garden in Every School” (California Department of Education, 2010). This movement

was later reinforced by legislation that strongly suggested schools set up school gardens.

This legislation awarded $15 million in grants to get programs started. In 1993, it was

estimated that there were 1,000 school gardens in California. In 2003, the number had

grown to 3,100 (Hayden Smith, 2008). Other states quickly followed suit. In 2010, the

USDA was offering $1 million in grants for schools to start gardens (United States

Department of Agriculture, 2010).

Appreciation of Fruits and Vegetables

In the last ten years, obesity rates among children have doubled. Obesity rates

among adolescents have tripled (CDC, 2010). In response to these alarming trends the

majority of the literature on school gardens evaluates their ability to impact students’

appreciation of fruits and vegetables as a promising way to address childhood obesity.

School gardens "give kids exposure to where food comes from and encourages them to

try foods they might not otherwise try” (USA Today, 2010, p.10). Children’s tastes in

food need to expand beyond the fatty, salty, sweet and unnatural (Blair, 1996). Through

their work in the garden, students are exposed to a wider, seasonal variety of fruits and

vegetables in their own school backyard.

Schools that incorporate fresh garden produce into classroom snacks or school

meals give students the opportunity to taste new fruits and vegetables. Exposing students

to fresh produce as it becomes available may lead to changes in dietary habits as students

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gain an awareness of the origins of their food (Morris & Zidenberg­Cherr, 2002). Some

schools with gardens have found that students are more interested in snacking on fruits

and vegetables. Among 592 teachers surveyed in California and Texas elementary

schools with school gardens, the majority reported that their students demonstrated an

increased desire to snack on fruits (Morris & Zidenberg­Cherr, 2002).

One teacher who prepares the garden produce with the students remarked,

“Surprising, even cooked Swiss chard had students begging for second and third

helpings” (Graham & Zidenberg­Cherr, 2002, p. 1798). Another teacher commented,

“Our garden has provided children the experience of fresh veggies versus fast food which

has made a huge difference to diet, nutrition education, and pride in growing food. I wish

the state would offer more sources for teacher training to further integrate gardening and

the opportunity for hands­on learning in all subjects". (Graham & Zidenberg­Cherr, 2002,

p. 1798). It is clear that teachers could benefit from additional resources and professional

development to incorporate food and nutrition activities in the classroom to complement

the garden work and promote healthy eating.

In addition to serving the garden fresh produce in the classrooms and cafeterias,

schools need to incorporate nutrition education into the curriculum for successful

physical and intellectual growth (Oxenham & King, 2010). School gardens often are

complemented by local foods related curriculum development and additional experiential

learning opportunities through farm tours, farmer in the classroom sessions, chefs in the

classroom, culinary education, educational sessions for parents and community members

and visits to farmers’ markets. Garden­based nutrition education programs give students a

working knowledge of the seasonality of growing food including planting seeds,

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weeding, harvesting, eating, and composting. In other words, school gardens teach “how

a plant goes from seed to plate” (Rahm, 2000, p.175). A study in Idaho found that after a

group of sixth grade students completed a 12­week garden­based learning series, there

was an increase in consumption of fruits and vegetables (Morris and Zidenberg­Cherr,

2002). Teaching young children to love fruits and vegetables may be viewed as vital to

ensuring the health of our population (Reeve, 2010).

Appreciation of Nature

Most children lack experience with natural ecosystem complexity. Eighty­three

percent of the U.S. population lives in metropolitan areas (USDA, 2010). Television,

video games, and organized sports have taken the place of unsupervised wandering and

environmental exploration (Moore, 1995). A study of three generations of children in

New York City neighborhoods shows a decline in natural areas and an increase in

restricted access to the neighborhood and reliance on supervised play (Gaster, 1991).

The average American between eight and 18 years old spends more than 7.5 hours per

day using a phone, computer, television or other electronic device (Rideout & Foehr &

Roberts, 2010). Figure 2: Digital media used by 8 to 18 year olds NNewtrow.http://www.farmtoschool.org/statesNorg/states.phphttp://www.farmtoschool.org/states.phphttp://www.farmtoschool.org/states.php

Source: The Kaiser Family Foundation, 2010 KaiseFoundaFoundaNNewtrow.http://www.farmtoschool.org/statesNorg/states.phphttp://www.farmtoschool.org/states.phphttp://www.farmtoschool.org/states.php

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For healthy human development, children need to develop confidence in the

process of nature. School gardens provide children with close, personal experiences with

the earth, repeated sensory contact, and interaction with a particular intimately known

space (Thorp & Townsend, 2001). School gardens have emerged as outdoor learning

laboratories. Since nature changes rapidly, students are stimulated and their attention is

grabbed.

Not everyone learns the same way. People have different intelligences of which

we have our strengths and weaknesses. Howard Gardner (1998) defines this best in his

Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Of these intelligences, the one best supported by a

school garden is the naturalist intelligence. As stated by Gardner, “Naturalist intelligence

designates the human ability to discriminate among living things (plants, animals) as well

as sensitivity to other features of the natural world (clouds, rock configurations)”

(Gardener 1998, p.15). This ability to recognize and classify numerous species of flora

and fauna in our environment was critical to our survival in our evolutionary past as

hunters, gatherers, and farmers (Gardener, 1998).

Academic Skills

Science achievement of third, fourth, and fifth grade students was studied using a

sample of 647 students in Temple, Texas (Klemmer, Waliczek, & Zajicek, 2005). Of the

two control groups, one combined gardening activities with science instruction; the other

used only science instruction. Results showed the experimental groups scored

significantly higher on the science achievement test compared to the control group. Third,

fourth and fifth grade students who participated in school gardening activities also scored

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significantly higher on science achievement tests than students who did not experience

any garden­based learning activities (Klemmer, Waliczek, & Zajicek, 2005).

Food and nutrition education is tied into violence prevention, critical thinking,

reading, and emotional health amongst other life skills. Many school garden programs

claim success in academics but more well designed studies are needed to report who

benefits and how (Oxenham & King, 2010).

Gardening and nature­based curriculum support children’s development and

learning in academic, social, and health related domains (Ozer, 2007). Both State

Departments of Education and University Extension Programs of California and Texas

encourage school gardening by providing support and evaluative research (Dirks &

Orvis, 2005). A survey examining 592 California fourth grade teachers reported 72% of

teachers responded positively saying school gardens enhance academic instruction

(Graham & Zidenberg­Cherr, 2005). In the same study, it was reported that 68% of

teachers used the school garden for academic instruction in this order: science, nutrition,

environmental studies, language arts, math, agriculture studies (Graham & Zidenberg­

Cherr, 2005).

The majority of teachers stated that without professional development connecting

curriculum and the school garden, lack of teacher interest in gardening, lack of teacher

experience in gardening, and time were factors which hindered them from using the

school garden. The pressure to teach in a standard­based educational system was also

noted as a barrier to using school garden (Morris & Zidenberg­Cherr, 2002).

Klemmer, Waliczek, and Zajicek (2005) state, scientific aptitude can be

quantifiably increased by using gardens instructionally. The key is to give educators the

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resources and training to make their students learning in the school garden meaningful.

Without that, the majority of teachers will have a hard time creating a structured learning

environment for students in the school garden.

Why School Gardens Don’t Work

School gardens don’t work for everybody. Those teachers who are used to the

safety, predictability and organization of their classroom will not feel comfortable with

going outside and getting their hands dirty. According to DeMarco, Relf and McDaniel

(1999) school gardens have many obstacles because of funding, staff support, curricular

materials linked to academic standards, and lack of teacher knowledge, training and

experience in gardening. Teachers may lack interest in gardening and have limited

capabilities and time (Blair, 2009). There are many teachers who just do not feel

comfortable out of the classroom, in which case garden­based learning would not be

feasible.

Professional development to support teachers in this endeavor should be sustained

by the principal (Blair, 2009). Without training, the majority of teachers would have

limited knowledge of how to align their curriculum in the garden. As one teacher noted,

“I wish the state would offer more resources for teacher training to further integrate our

garden and the opportunity for hands on leaning in all subject areas” (Graham &

Zidenberg­Cherr, 2002, pp. 1798­1799).

Flanagan (2010) believes school gardens take time away from teaching students

the essentials of school. Instead of working and maintaining a garden, students should be

spending all their school time doing reading, writing and arithmetic (Flanagan, 2010).

Only sustained academic emphasis will prepare students for advanced studies in college

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(Flanagan, 2010). Further, if a teacher does not have the interest, skills and resources

necessary to incorporate learning into the garden work, students would certainly benefit

more from classroom­based instruction (Flanagan, 2010).

Direct Instruction or Inquiry Learning

Direct instruction is a teacher­focused method where students follow directions

and generally learn from static exchange of information. This model of instruction is

usually followed by drill and practice and is applied regularly in many classrooms. In a

typical science or math classroom, students will be told their expected outcomes and then

will be shown how to get there or perform an experiment or experiments to prove this

outcome.

In contrast, inquiry or experiential learning is where students are guided in their

learning but do not know the outcome ahead of time; they have to discover this though

the experience (Brooks & Brooks, 2001). In this model, students perform experiments or

try to solve problems and then they have to look at their results to figure out their

outcomes. In science, their answers are not right or wrong, but rather students have to

figure out how and why they got their results and which results make better sense than

the others. With this information they can identify and explain the outcomes.

In math inquiry learning students are given a problem and are challenged to figure

out how to solve it (Brooks & Brooks, 2001). There may be more than one way to solve

the problem and through the process students find their answers and share how they

solved the problems. They then decide which methods were easier or harder to use. By

doing this students are constructing their knowledge, and by constructing it, it will be

retained that much better (Brooks & Brooks, 2001).

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A perfect place to have students construct knowledge and gain new experiences in

the natural environment, engage in social interactions, and develop their own knowledge

base is learning in a school garden (Bowker & Tearle, 2006). School gardens have the

potential to create hands on learning opportunities in a natural environment and allow

students to use this shared experience for communication and perhaps about global issues

relating to our shared responsibility of our natural environment (Bowker & Tearle, 2006,

p.98).

Examples of Successful School Gardens

There are many examples of successful school gardens. The following are

descriptions of two different approaches to school gardening that illustrate a national

model and a locally based model.

Rainwater Environmental Alliance for Learning (REAL). REAL school

gardens located all over Texas, “create safe outdoor spaces to engage young children to

use nature to enhance student learning, encourage family and community involvement in

schools, and to create vibrant, sharing networks of educators and partners who commit to

putting school gardens at the heart of urban neighborhoods” (Reeves & Emeagwali, 2010,

p.35). Gardens provide opportunities for students to explore subjects learned in the

classroom in a hands­on way (Reeves & Emeagwali, 2010).

Gardens help students connect, even ones who may find school to be a

disappointment. For example, a fifth grade student who had just repeated the fifth grade

was a bully and disrespectful to teachers. After being empowered with the responsibility

of managing the compost for the school garden, the student became more successful at

school and made friends with other students (Reeves & Emeagwali, 2010). A juvenile

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offenders program that rehabilitates students by offering them learning and exploration in

school gardens has the potential to help troubled children find their purpose and work

toward preventing future delinquency (Reeves & Emeagwali, 2010).

Grove School. The second example is the Grove School’s farm campus (school

garden), which provides food and flowers to the local community (Engelfired, 2006). The

Grove School located in Redlands, California offers seventh through ninth grade students

an integrated curriculum with the farm. In tenth through twelfth grade, students work on

entrepreneurial endeavors for the farm and help younger students with the farm work.

The farm has built a great community at the Grove (Engelfired, 2006).

“These young adults tell us how their years at Grove prepared them in ways that

go well beyond academic requirements. They talked about the importance of being

grounded in community and of the critical thinking skills, the self expression tools and

the moral spiritual direction that many of their college age peers seem to lack”

(Engelfired, 2006, p.336). Many felt that the sense of community offered by the school

garden during their school experience helped them gain this.

Summary

School gardens have an interesting history, starting with the progressive education

movement and the U.S. government’s desire to help feed families during WWI. This

movement abruptly ended because of the rise in vocational schools and administrators’

interpretations that schools were not a place for outdoor curriculum. In the 1990s the

school garden movement once again gained traction. With this increased interest the

question followed, do school gardens enhance a student’s development? The literature

review showed that school gardens allow students to experience nature, which the

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students enjoy. It also clearly stated that school gardens offer elementary school students

the opportunity to create better eating habits and nutrition. There was some evidence that

demonstrated that school gardens increase academic achievement. Based on this

information, I performed my own study to see if school gardens enhance a student’s

development in middle school.

Methods

Participants

Participants for this study included middle school students, teachers, a school

lunch director and graduate education students in a research methods course. The middle

school students were in grades six through eight and ranged in age from ten to fourteen

years old. Students who attend the school lived in either a downtown area, urban

location, suburban setting, or in a rural community. The student population was 60 %

white, 13% black or African American, 19% Asian, 1% Native American, and 7%

Hispanic. There was a significant English Language Learner population with students

from China, Burma, Pakistan, Brazil, Nepal, Germany, Kosovo, Norway, Italy, Egypt,

Tibet, Cuba, Puerto Rico, India, and Iran. The student population came from a diverse

mixture of socioeconomics households with 31% receiving free and reduced lunch.

There are 55 teachers who teach a variety of subjects at the middle school. The

teachers varied from first year teachers to experienced teachers with more than 30 years

of teaching. All teachers offered different teaching approaches and were all certified

appropriately in the subjects that they taught. There were 21 teaching assistants and

teaching aids that assisted with the classroom instruction. The two administrators were

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experienced and encouraged teachers to try progressive approaches to instruction. All the

instructional and administrative staff came from diverse backgrounds.

In the cafeteria, there were three servers and cashiers that processed food and

served food to students and staff. These people offered a very friendly attitude to the

students and tried to encourage the students to try fruits and vegetables on a regular basis.

There was also a lunch director who was in charge of ordering all food, preparing it and

creating a diverse menu. She must make sure that meals served adhere to nutritional

requirements that are stipulated by USDA. The entire cafeteria personal individually had

20 or more years of experience.

The graduate education students in from the research methods course ranged in

age from 22 to 50 years old. There were both male and females in the class and all of

students had completed student teaching and many had substitute teaching experience.

Four of the graduate students were teaching in grades ranging from three through six

during the study.

Setting

This study was conducted at a middle school in Central New York. The school

was located in a college town. The school was one of two middle schools in the district

and was in one big building that occupied all the students. The school was accessible by

many walkers in the nearby community. The school had nice landscaping outside with a

significant field area and trees for students to enjoy.

In the front area of the school there was a school garden. The garden was L

shaped and had an area of about 700 square meters. The garden harvests flowers, herbs,

broccoli, beets, parsnips, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, many different lettuces, kale, swiss

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chard, spinach, potatoes, turnips, zucchini, pumpkins, sweat peas, onions, garlic, acorn

squash, and butternut squash. The garden had a shed that is inside the garden and is

surrounded by a fence.

The school cafeteria was set up in a big room. Students came to the cafeteria

during three different periods to eat their lunch. They could sit at any table they wished

and were able to socialize. Some students brought their lunch from home. The majority

of students ate food from the cafeteria. Every day the cafeteria served a different hot

meal or sandwich, breaded chicken on a roll, bagel, a hot vegetable, salad bar, fruits, and

milk and juices. There were also two vending machines in the cafeteria offering snacks.

As a part of the study, there were two academic lessons presented in the

researcher's classroom in the middle school. The classroom was set up with students

sitting cooperatively in groups of four. Around the room there were posters of Math

puzzles and out the window was a garden.

Another part of the study was a student survey on nature, which was given in a

science teacher's classroom. This classroom was set up cooperatively with students

sitting in groups of four. All around the room there were mounted animals and pictures

of plants for students to see.

Researcher

As the primary investigator of this thesis project I have been teaching Math to 6th

graders for the last six years. I am certified to teach mathematics in New York State as

well as in the state of Florida, and I am completing my Masters Degree in Childhood

Education at SUNY Cortland with a concentration in Math and Science. I started teaching

in southern Florida where the district mandated in­class direct instruction. I then received

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a job opportunity in Central New York where I have taught for the last four years. In this

district, I have more freedom to try alternative teaching approaches.

A co­teacher was instrumental in assisting with this study during two of the

classes. The co­teacher is a special education teacher who has been teaching for three

years. She is very experienced and helped plan the academic lessons that were used in

this study.

There were two teaching aids that also assisted during the academic lessons.

They each had been teaching assistants for two years and assisted with helping the

students stay on task during the activities.

The teacher who built the school garden was also instrumental in assisting with

this study, as it was his class that the primary investigator observed to see the change in

appreciation of nature for students. This teacher had been a certified science teacher in

New York State for 22 years.

Procedure

Instruments. For this study the researcher used specific instruments to create

data in each sub group. These measures are:

Academic Measures. One lesson was created to allow the researcher’s math class

to utilize school garden for learning. The participants of this instrument are all sixth

grade students in the researcher’s math class. The lesson that was presented was finding

perimeter. The worksheet used can be found in Appendix A.

When students entered the researcher’s classroom they were instructed to answer

a pre­assessment question: “Your science teacher told me that he needs to put up a new

fence around the school garden. He would like our math class to figure out how much

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fencing he needs to buy. How would you figure out how much fencing your science

teacher needs to buy? Please describe in detail.” Students were then given five minutes

to answer this question. After that time students were broken up into groups of four or

five students each. The groups were assigned to be heterogeneous. Then students were

given a Group worksheet (Appendix B) and three meter sticks and told to go outside to

solve the problem. Five minutes before the end of the period students were instructed to

come back into class and individually answer the rest of questions on class worksheet.

The following day there was a quiz and one question was on perimeter (Appendix C).

Nutrition surveys. Two instruments were utilized to collect data on students’

appreciation to nutrition and healthy eating. The participants of the survey were a random

sampling of sixth and seventh grade students at the school. The first was a survey

(Appendix D) that asked a series of questions pertaining to student's interest in vegetables

utilizing a Likert scale and as a culminating question asking if they would be more apt to

eat school vegetables if they came from the school garden. This survey was given to all

students who wanted to take it in the cafeteria

The second instrument (Appendix E) used was a questionnaire that was given to

the school cook manager. This questionnaire utilized open­ended format to give her

opinions and findings on how students perceived vegetables and whether she thought

serving food from the school garden had increased student's consumption of vegetables.

Nature survey. A survey was used to determine if school gardens enhanced

students’ appreciation of nature (Appendix F). This survey was constructed with a Likert

structure with two questions at the end asking students to tell their favorite activity in the

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school garden and their least favorite. This survey was given as a warm­up in all of the

science teacher’s classes. Students were given five minutes to complete this survey.

Observations. The researcher kept a journal on all­important incidents during the

research process. These observations were done with the research as a participant

observer, an active participant observer, and a passive observer. When the researcher

was the active participant observer, the co­teacher took notes in the journal for the

researcher. The researcher completed a journal entry of the step­by­step, day/month

accounting of the data gathering.

Validity, Reliability and Bias

In determining whether school gardens enhance a student’s ability to utilize skills

to solve real world problems and allowed them to appreciate nutrition and nature, the

researcher had to record many observations for data purposes. While recording this data

he noted all favorable as well as unfavorable outcomes as without that the research would

be invalid.

Students in a research methods class at SUNY Cortland critiqued all surveys and

pre and post assessments of academic lessons. Also the science teacher, who gave the

survey, reviewed it for accuracy of data collection. The researcher’s colleagues in the

school’s math department reviewed the math pre and post assessment and lesson design.

These qualitative instruments coupled with his observations and interviews justified a

triangulation that presents solid data (see following triangulation matrix).

25

Figure 3. Triangulation Matrix

Do school gardens enhance student development:

Food Sampling

Survey Observation Problem Based Learning Exercise

Interviews

Pertaining to developing appreciation to good nutrition

Compare school garden veggies with school lunch veggies

X with Likert scale

XWalk around cafeteria asking students what they are eating and why

School Cook Manager

Pertaining to students learning to appreciate nature

Retrospective Pre and Post Survey

XX

Pertaining to utilizing skills to solve real world problems

On lesson ask students what they thought of activity.

X while students are working constantly document in journal what they are doing

Do at least two lessons with problem based components and discovery. Assess students’ net day and see how they did.

There are

biases that are

present in this

study coming

from both the

participants and

the researcher

himself. As the

community in

which the

research was

done is in an

area with many

parks and farms,

students have

the opportunity

to experience and enjoy nature. As this is the case, their bias might lean toward enjoying

nature, as that is what they have enjoyed all their lives. There are also biases in regards

to healthy eating and nutrition, as health and wellness plays an important role for many

people in the community that the school is in. Lastly there are biases from the

researcher’s point of view, as the researcher may be more excited and enthusiastic during

26

a lesson in the garden as he would be in a direct instruction classroom lesson and this

may affect students’ outcomes.

Data Analysis

All data were accumulated during the school day. I expected to see that students

enjoyed learning outside in the school garden and this enjoyment might lead to better

problem solving for real­life situations. I also believed I would find students more

appreciative of nature in the science class as they had learned to enjoy being outside. I

also anticipated that data from the student cafeteria survey would show an increase in

appreciation for vegetables that were grown in the school garden.

After compiling the data, I created bar graphs and circle graphs showing the

results of each individual question and assessment score and analyzed the results. I

compiled this data into Microsoft Excel. I followed the same process with the Nature

survey and also the Nutrition survey. Finally I made notes of the major comments

provided by students and staff and stressed these in my findings.

Findings and Discussion

Academics

Perimeter Lessons in the Garden. The first lesson on perimeter was done on

October 18th, 2010. The students worked silently to figure out how much fence the

garden would need and write in on their paper (Appendix A). The researcher noticed that

many students were interested in whether the science teacher had in fact asked them to

figure out the amount of fencing he needed to buy. The researcher asked the students why

they needed to know this, and they said it made them feel important if they were helping

out with something “real” at school.

27

After five minutes the co­teacher, assistant teachers and the researcher broke

students into heterogeneous groups. He gave the students the worksheet (Appendix B)

and three rulers to expedite the measuring process. He told them to go figure out how

much new fence was required for the garden. When they went outside it was very

interesting to watch the students pause for a moment as if to say, “How are we going to

do this?” After some time, one group would start and then other groups would get the

hang of it. By the time the exercise was over and the students were instructed to go

inside all the groups had completed the task.

When they got back to the classroom they were instructed to complete the rest of

the worksheet (Appendix A) and turn in the following day. The next day the students

came into class and had an assessment (Appendix C). Eighty­four percent of the students

got the right answer (Figure 4).

Figure 4 ­ Perimeter Assessment

Discussion

For the most part, students seemed to enjoy the activity. The observations were

that they liked working in the groups and running around outside. Students learned

28

quickly that they needed to work together to solve the problem as the garden was about

700 feet of perimeter and unless they developed a system to work together the task would

have taken all day. It was also very interesting to see how other groups chose a strategy

to do the measuring and then saw how another group was doing it and thought that way

was better and decided use that strategy. Thus allowing discovery and show and tell

helped them complete their activity faster.

It was interesting to see how many students complained about going outside since

it was a cold and rainy day (see Figure 5).

Figure 5 ­ Did you enjoy being outside even though it was raining?

Did you Enjoy Act ivity

Yes 51%

No39%

No answer10%

Other complaints were that their shoes and clothes got dirty. This was good information

as it is very important to make students understand that although the outside wasn’t the

nicest weather, farmers need to go outside all year round during all types of weather.

Once they heard this they were more able to relate to farmers.

Looking at the next day’s assessment, 84% of the students got a correct answer.

The researcher believed that a greater percentage of students got the correct answer due

29

to the previous day’s hands­on learning. However, he recognized that perimeter was a

concept that students learned in previous grades and might have been taught another way

that was the precursor to their success on the assessment.

Findings: Appreciation of Nature

A nine­question survey (see appendix I) was administered by the science teacher

on January 16, 2011 as a warm up activity. Fifty surveys were returned completed and

the results were compiled in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

Figure 6 – Nature survey question 1.

Figure 6 shows that the majority of students surveyed strongly agree that they

enjoy spending more time outside than inside. participants. No students strongly

disagreed with this statement.

Figure 7: Nature survey question 3.

30

Figure 7 shows that the majority of students agree that it is more important to

spend time outside in nature than inside playing video games or watching television.

There were 12 students who were undecided and two who strongly disagreed.

Figure 8­ Nature survey question 2.

Figure 8 shows that the majority of students are split between agreeing and being

undecided about whether it is more enjoyable working in a garden than playing video

31

games or watching television. 10% of students strongly agree with the statement and

14% strongly disagree.

Figure 9– Nature survey question 4.

Figure 9 shows that the majority of students agree or strongly agree that they

know where there food comes from. Only 6% disagree or strongly disagree with this

statement.

Figure 10 – Nature survey questions 5. Figure 11 – Nature survey question 6

32

Figures 10 and 11 show a side­by­side comparison of appreciation of the work

involved with growing food and where food comes from. More students indicated that

they appreciate the work involved with growing food than where their food comes from.

Discussion: Appreciation of Nature

These findings demonstrate that 68% of students surveyed enjoyed being outside

more than being inside. Seventy­two percent of students surveyed believed that it is more

important to be outside rather than playing video games and watching television.

However, only 38% of students surveyed enjoyed working outside in a garden more than

playing video games or watching television inside. Despite enjoying the outdoors and

believing it is important to spend time outdoors, most students preferred television and

video games to working outside in a garden.

The majority of students indicated that they knew where their food came from

(74%) and appreciated where their food came from (60%). This presents the opportunity

to influence students eating behaviors based on an appreciation of the source of their

food.

Seventy­two percent of students said they appreciated the work involved with

growing food which demonstrated that working in a garden may have taught these

students a valuable lesson on the hard work it takes to grow food.

In addition to the likert scale questions, students were asked to indicate what they

enjoyed most about working in the garden. Responses included: making compost bins,

picking fruits and vegetables, planting, working/collaborating with friends, raking leaves

and fresh air. A few students indicated that they enjoyed the hands on work more than

being in the classroom. Students were also asked to indicate what they disliked about

33

working in the garden. Responses included: working on wet days, hard work, digging

holes, and getting dirty. It would be interesting to see how these responses may change

over time, with either the same group or different groups who have seen their older peers

working outdoors and growing to appreciate the work.

Findings: Healthier Eating Choices

A survey on school cafeteria food choices (see appendix D) was piloted with 24

students in the cafeteria during lunch on March 16, 2011. Many students took the survey

to their seat and did not fill it out. Those who did fill it out discussed the questions with

their friends. This dialogue may have caused students to give answers that they otherwise

may not have chosen. One student was overhead remarking, “Who wants to eat fruits

and vegetables when we can have these cookies?” To reduce peer influence on responses,

the survey was administered using an online survey tool called www.surveymonkey.com.

The Vegetable survey was given via survey monkey on April 25th, 2011. Forty­

eight students participated in the survey. In figure 12 the results show students

consumption of vegetables at school. The results show 42% of students never eat

vegetables at school and 38% eat vegetables almost every day or every day at school. In

figure 12 the question was asked whether a student would be more apt to eat vegetables if

they came from the school garden. Sixty­five percent of the students said they would be

more likely and 35% of the students said they would not be more likely.

34

Figure 12: Survey cafeteria question 3 Figure 13: Survey cafeteria question 4

In Figure 14 students are asked how often they eat vegetables at home. Seventy­

seven percent of students said that they eat vegetables at home every day or almost every

day. Two percent of students said they never eat vegetables at home. In Figure 15

students are asked if they know the can tell the difference between fresh produce and

canned produce. 90% can tell the difference between canned vegetables and fresh

vegetables and 10% of those responded said they could not.

Figure 14: Survey cafeteria question 2 Figure 15: Survey cafeteria question 1

35

Student’s favorite vegetable choices were: corn, sugar snap peas, carrots,

potatoes, cucumbers, and broccoli. Students didn’t have a strong preference to dislike

any particular vegetables.

Discussion: School Cafeteria Food Choices

It was very interesting to see that only 38% of students eat vegetables at school

almost every day or every day. More interesting was the fact, 42% of students said they

never eat vegetables at school. If the cafeteria at the school served produce from the

school garden, 65% of students said they would be more likely to eat vegetables at

school. This would most likely encourage students to eat healthier at school. That is a

good case for implementing school gardens into school, as they would promote healthier

eating choices. School gardens should make sure they grow the vegetables that students

would be most apt to eat. The best way to do this would be to survey the school before

hand to see what vegetables the students would like to have served in the cafeteria that

was grown in the school garden.

Another interesting statistic was the fact that 77% of the students surveyed eat

vegetables at home every day or almost every day. This proves that students are being

exposed to good choices at home but when given the choice at school they choose not to

eat the vegetables. Is it because the vegetables are canned and not fresh, that could be?

Ninety percent of students surveyed know the difference between fresh fruits and

vegetables and the canned produce. Getting food from the school garden will encourage

students to make healthier eating choices at school.

Findings: School Cafeteria Interview

A four­question interview on students’ eating behavior in the school cafeteria (see

36

Appendix E) was given to the school cook manager on April 15, 2011. In response to

which vegetables student ate most, the cook manager indicated that most of the students

were eating fresh roasted vegetables. In response to which vegetables students eat least,

the cook manager indicated “all canned vegetables, with the exception of canned corn”.

The cook manager also noted that students were eating less canned and frozen vegetables

in the past year and a half. In response to whether she thought serving fresh vegetables

from the school garden made a difference, and why or why not, the cook manager wrote,

I saw a big difference with the garden. The students were excited to see their

vegetables and produce on the serving lines. The flavor and texture of a fresh

vegetable is so different from canned and frozen and I feel the students like this

better.

In response to whether she thought some kids did not know the difference between fresh

vegetables and canned vegetables, she wrote,

I absolutely think the students know the difference, they ask questions about the

vegetables being served, where they come from and did we make them at the

school. Did we season them? I have seen a big change in the habits of the

students eating vegetables this past year. I do have some students that come back

in for seconds. The sixth grade students are the hardest to convince that the

vegetables we serve do have flavor and are good, not just good for them. The

school garden was more labor, but the reward at the end, seeing the students enjoy

eating what they grew was priceless!!!

37

Discussion: School Cafeteria Interview

The school’s cook manager provided valuable input on increased student

vegetable consumption over the past year since the school garden began producing

vegetables to serve in the cafeteria. She noted that although it takes more work to grow

the food, students demonstrate an interest in the vegetables served and enjoyed what they

were eating. She also noted that they were consuming less canned and frozen vegetables

over the past year, which may be related to the increased consumption and appreciation

of the fresh vegetables that they grew in their garden.

Implications and Conclusion

The original questions of this study were: can school gardens enhance a student’s

ability to utilize skills to solve real world problems, do school gardens allow students to

appreciate the importance of good nutrition and healthier eating choices and do school

gardens help students appreciate nature?

The perimeter lesson showed that students were actively engaged in a learning

experience in the garden using problem solving skills to solve a real world problem.

Further studies can be done to show engagement with solving real world problems in the

school garden utilizing other math skills. Some ideas that can be explored are: students

could make garden beds utilizing area and measurement. Students could also figure out

optimum plantings of crops in the field utilizing greatest common factor. These other

lessons will provide further research to see if school gardens assist student learning.

The nature survey showed that students were well aware that being outside in

school gardens is better for them then playing inside watching television or playing video

games. The problem was the majority of students would rather be inside playing video

38

games and watching television then being outside. Further studies allowing more

opportunity in multi subjects for students to go outside in the garden and have learning

experiences would be able to see if these experiences could change student behavior. As

they know the benefits of being outside, the more time students are outside in nature the

more opportunity they will have to appreciate it and make their own choice to be outside

rather than inside in their free time.

In the district that the action research was done a significant majority could tell

the difference between canned vegetables and fresh vegetables. Further studies at other

schools should be done to clarify this question and see if it is an isolated incident.

Students just need more opportunities to eat fresh vegetables. As the school cook

manager clearly explained the school garden vegetables take much more work but

students want to eat them, which in turn promotes healthier eating habits. Further studies

can be done at multiple schools starting in elementary schools to provide students with

fresh vegetables and see if it gets students to choose healthier eating choices.

For school gardens to enhance student development, teachers and schools need

the appropriate support from professional development, community member volunteers,

school food service and local and state agricultural agencies. Without this support and

collaboration, school gardens can result in frustrated teachers, and disengaged students.

With the proper framework school gardens can assist students with academic work and

help them appreciate nature. Most importantly the school garden can assist students in

learning to appreciate fruits and vegetables and where their food comes from. More

schools can benefit from establishing gardens and may be encouraged by further

participatory action research that demonstrates the diversity of benefits for students.

39

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Appendix A

Name: Date:

Period:

The science teacher told me that he needs to put up a new fence around the school garden. He would like our Math class to figure out how much fencing he needs to buy.

How would you figure out how much fencing the science teacher needs to buy? Please describe in detail.

Now let’s go outside.

Please describe in detail how you figured out how much fencing to buy.

Did you find this activity enjoyable? Why or why not?

What new Math skills did you use today?Lee KaltmanTHESIS PROJECTNovember 2010

44

Appendix B

Measuring the school garden

Group members:

Draw a diagram of the school garden

What is the perimeter of the school garden in meters?You may use a calculator for this activity.

Did every student contribute to this activity?Lee KaltmanTHESIS PROJECTNovember 2010

45

Appendix C

46

Appendix D

Survey of students in cafeteria

What vegetables do you enjoy most?

What vegetable do you enjoy least?

Please circle your choices.

1. Can you taste the difference between fresh vegetables and canned vegetables?

Yes No

2. Do you eat vegetables at home?

1 2 3 4 5Never every other day every day

3. Do you eat vegetables at school?

1 2 3 4 5Never every other day every day

4. Would you be more apt to eat vegetables at school if they were grown in our school garden?

Yes No

Lee KaltmanThesis Project

47

Appendix E

Interview with School Cafeteria Lady?

What vegetables do children eat most?

What vegetables do they eat least?

Do you think serving fresh vegetables from the school garden have made a difference? Why or why not?

Do you think some kids do not know the difference between fresh vegetables and canned vegetables?

Lee KaltmanTHESIS PROJECT

November 2010

48

Appendix F

Compared to before you started taking this science class, rate how strongly you agree or disagree with each of these statements (circle):

7. I enjoy spending more time outside than inside.

Strongly Agree __Agree __Undecided __Disagree __Strongly Disagree

8. I enjoy working outside in a garden more than inside playing video games or watching television.

Strongly Agree __Agree __Undecided __Disagree __Strongly Disagree

9. I think it is more important to spend time outside in nature than inside playing video games or watching television.

Strongly Agree __Agree __Undecided __Disagree __Strongly Disagree

4. I know where my food comes from

Strongly Agree __Agree __Undecided __Disagree __Strongly Disagree

5. I appreciate where my food comes from.

Strongly Agree __Agree __Undecided __Disagree __Strongly Disagree

6. I appreciate the work involved with growing food.

Strongly Agree __Agree __Undecided __Disagree __Strongly Disagree

7. What is the one thing you have enjoyed most about working in the school garden?

_______________________________________________________________________

8. What is the one thing that you have enjoyed least about working in the school garden?

________________________________________________________________________

9. Do you think you learn better in the classroom or outside while in the school garden?

_______________________________________________________________________

Lee KaltmanTHESIS PROJECTNovember 2010