Abstract
This article considers the impact of the early stages of an international project, Gardens for Life (GfL), on children’s perceptions of school gardening and on their learning. The project involved 67 schools in England, Kenya and India and focused on the growing of crops, recognising the importance of both the process and product of this activity in the different countries. The theoretical framework was derived from consideration of informal learning, and more specifically experiential learning, drawing on prior research undertaken in the context of school gardening. The research approach is characterised by the use of concept maps to uncover the characteristically different ways in which children discerned school gardening and to help to provide insight into their understanding of this activity. It was supported by contextual observation, interviews and children’s drawings to aid the interpretation and understanding. The study showed a positive impact on learning and on the perceptions of children towards school gardening in all three countries. It also highlighted the different perceptions, interpretations and understanding of school gardening in the different cultures and environments, as well as the various aspects of it which the children themselves highlighted.
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Acknowledgements
The help given by Project Officers in England, Kenya and India, as well as the teachers and children in all six schools, is gratefully acknowledged. Gardens for Life is funded by DFID (UK Development Awareness Fund and the Central Research Department), DfES (UK Department for Education and Skills), the Syngenta Foundation, Creative Partnerships (Cornwall), Cisco Foundation, Barclays, Future Harvest and Ernest Cook Trust. The following organisations have been core to the development of the project: Eden Project, Science Across the World, Centre for Development Education (India), Global Dimension Trust, Kenya Youth Education and Community Development Programme, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Royal Horticultural Society.
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Bowker, R., Tearle, P. Gardening as a learning environment: A study of children’s perceptions and understanding of school gardens as part of an international project. Learning Environ Res 10, 83–100 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-007-9025-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-007-9025-0