Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Keywords
School gardens--Iowa--Janesville; Children's gardens; School gardens; Academic theses;
Abstract
How do we best capture the interest of our students? Are there environments that would better serve the needs of our students and the objectives of our schools? Reflection on these questions led to the planning and development of the Leaming Garden. This research was a case study of the use of the Leaming Garden. Proposed and actual uses were identified using teacher questionnaires, student and teacher interviews and researcher field notes. Teachers and students were asked about their use of the Leaming Garden both in conjunction with classes and for activities during off-school hours. This study was conducted in a small rural Midwestern K-12 school district and takes an in-depth look at the use of the Leaming Garden environment on the school campus. Pre-use questionnaires were administered to teachers to determine proposed uses. Personal interviews with teachers were conducted after one and three years of use to determine dominant impacts and impediments to use. Student interviews were conducted after one year of use. Researcher field notes were triangulated with interview and questionnaire data. Data analysis resulted in six clearly emergent themes related to the Learning Garden environment.
These were:
1. academic benefits
2. aesthetic value/public relations
3. responsible citizenry/connectedness/ownership
4. parent/child/community interactions
5. plant blindness/vision and
6. maintenance/ownership/continuation of the garden
The academic benefits of the Learning Garden were pronounced. Given the nature of schools this did not come as a surprise. The surprise was the creativity with which some educators approached the Learning Garden. The aesthetic appeal and public relations component of the garden were not expected to the extent that they emerged. People seemed drawn to this natural space. Students learned care and consideration for living things and a connectedness to the natural world by their participation in garden related activities. The Learning Garden environment augmented community-school interactions as well as parent-child interactions. The Learning Garden helped promote "plant vision," which is the ability to see the critical role plants play in life processes. The theme of maintenance, ownership and continuation suggests there are problematic maintenance issues with The Learning Garden. Supporting an extensive outdoor environment necessitates a broad base of support which must be firmly established before ground is broken and continued if the garden is to be utilized to its fullest. Support for the garden environment must be internalized by the students and teachers of the institution to insure continuation. Curriculum integration is vital in this process.
Year of Submission
2004
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Education
Department
Department of Biology
First Advisor
Cherin Lee
Second Advisor
Rori Carson
Third Advisor
Jean Gerrath
Date Original
2004
Object Description
1 PDF file (141 leaves)
Copyright
©2004 Laurie Ann Kellogg Hayzlett
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Hayzlett, Laurie Ann Kellogg, "The Learning Garden: A Case Study" (2004). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 2137.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/2137
Comments
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