Cognitive Dimension of Learning Using Garden-Based Education towards Sustainability: A Meta-Synthesis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32871/rmrj2210.01.11Keywords:
Garden-based education, curricular integration, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), Meta-synthesisAbstract
Garden-based education (GBE) is an innovative approach to enhancing learners’ academic performance. However, the mechanism of how it develops the cognitive domain of learning is unclear. This meta-synthesis of 22 published articles focusing on garden-based education integration in the educative process examined its impact on mental aspects of learning. Secondary data from each reviewed article were extracted and analyzed thematically. Five themes emerged describing the impact of GBE on the cognitive domain of learning, namely, 1) experiential learning, 2) meaningful learning, 3) explicit and implicit learning, 4) discovery learning, and 5) transmissible learning. GBE is a successful program in most of the basic education curriculum integration contributing to the improvement of academic performance. Albeit, there is no standard template for its implementation as it varies across context and educational system, adopting the general principle of school garden learning in the teaching and learning process is beneficial for sustainable learning outcomes.
References
Acharya, K. P. (2019). Demystifying science teachers’ epistemic belief on chemical concepts: students’ engagement in the school garden. Pedagogical Research, 4(4). https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/5943
Bailey, D. L., & Falk, J. H. (2016). Personal meaning mapping as a tool to uncover learning from an out-of-doors free-choice learning garden. Research in Outdoor Education, 14, 64-85. https://digitalcommons.cortland.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1037&context=reseoutded
Beasley, K., Lee-Hammond, L., & Hesterman, S. (2021). A framework for supporting the development of botanical literacies in early childhood education. International Journal of Early Childhood, 53, 119-137. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-021-00291-x
Burt, K. G., Luesse, H. B., Rakoff, J., Ventura, A., & Burgermaster, M. (2018). School gardens in the United States: Current barriers to integration and sustainability. American Journal of Public Health, 108(11), 1543-1549. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2018.304674
Braun, V., & Clarke V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. http://dx.doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Brion, C., & Cordeiro, P. A. (2018). Learning transfer: The missing link to learning among school leaders in Burkina Faso and Ghana. Frontiers in Education, 2(69), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2017.00069
Carlsson, L., Williams, P. L., Hayes-Conroy, J. S., Lordly, D., & Callaghan, E. (2016). School gardens: Cultivating food security in Nova Scotia public schools? Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research: A Publication of Dietitians of Canada = Revue Canadienne De La Pratique Et De La Recherche En Dietetique: Une Publication Des Dietetistes Du Canada, 77(3), 119-124. https://doi.org/10.3148/cjdpr-2015-051
Chrastina, J. (2018, July 17). Meta-Synthesis of qualitative studies: Background, methodology, and applications [Conference session]. NORDSCI International Conference Proceedings: Education and Language Edition, Helsinki, Finland. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED603189.pdf
Cheang, C. C., So, W.-M. W., Zhan, Y., & Tsoi, K. H. (2017). Education for sustainability using a campus eco-garden as a learning environment. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 18(2), 242–262. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-10-2015-0174
Christodoulou, A., & Korfiatis, K. (2018). Children’s interest in school garden projects, environmental motivation and intention to act: A case study from a primary school of Cyprus. Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/1533015X.2017.1419104
Cohen, L., Marion, L., & Morrison, K. (2011). Research methods in education (7th ed.). Routledge.
Contreras, R. (2011). Examining the context in qualitative analysis: The role of the co-occurrence tool in ATLAS.ti. Atlas.ti Newsletter, 5-6. http://downloads.atlasti.com/library/contreras_nl201108.pdf
Cramer, S. E., Ball, A. L., & Hendrickson, M. K. (2019). “Our school system is trying to be agrarianâ€: Educating for reskilling and food system transformation in the rural school garden. Agriculture and Human Values, 36, 507–519. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-019-09942-1
Cross, S. M., & Kahn, S. (2018). Science in the garden: A qualitative analysis of school-based agricultural educators’ strategies. Journal of Agricultural Education, 59(4), 88-104. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2018.04088
Davis, K. L., & Brann, L. S. (2017). Examining the benefits and barriers of instructional gardening programs to increase fruit and vegetable intake among preschool-age children. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2017, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/2506864
Dickey, K. J., Boren Alpizar, A. E., Irlbeck, E., & Burris, S., (2020). One seed at a time: Prosocial youth development in an urban agriculture program. Journal of Agricultural Education, 61(1), 110-127. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2020.01110
Dunkley, R. A. (2016). Learning at eco-attractions: Exploring the bifurcation of nature and culture through experiential environmental education. The Journal of Environmental Education, 47(3), 213–221. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2016.1164113
Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (2013). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 26(2), 43-71. https://doi.org/10.1002/piq.21143
Eugenio-Gozalbo, M., Aragon, L., & Ortega-Cubero, I. (2020). Gardens as science learning contexts across educational stages: Learning assessment based on students’ graphic representations. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02226
Eugenio-Gozalbo, M., Pérez-López, R., & Tójar-Hurtado, J.-C. (2020). Identifying key issues for university practitioners of garden-based learning in Spain. Journal of Environmental Education, 51(3), 246–255. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2019.1687407
Fifolt, M., & Morgan, A. F. (2019). Engaging K-8 students through inquiry-based learning and school farms. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR), 24(1), 92–108. https://doi.org/10.1080/10824669.2018.1545583
Friese, S. (2015). ATLAS.ti 7: User guide and reference. In ATLAS.ti 7 user manual. ATLAS.ti Scientific Software Development. http://downloads.atlasti.com/docs/manual/atlasti_v7_manual_en.pdf
Greer, A. E., Rainville, K., Knausenberger, A., & Sandolo, C. (2019). Opportunities for school garden-based health education in a lower-income, diverse, urban school district. American Journal of Health Education, 50(4), 257–266. https://doi.org/10.1080/19325037.2019.1616010
Jones, M., Weitkamp, E., Kimberlee, R., Salmon, D., & Orme, J. (2012). Realizing a holistic approach to food through school gardens and growing activities. Children, Youth, and Environments, 22(1), 75–98. https://doi.org/10.7721/chilyoutenvi.22.1.0075
Jorgenson, S. (2013). The Logic of School Gardens: A Phenomenological Study of Teacher Rationales. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 29(2), 121–135. https://doi.org/10.1017/aee.2014.1
Kangas, M., Vesterinen, O., Lipponen, L., Kopisto, K., Salo, L., & Krokfors, L. (2014). Students’ agency in an out-of-classroom setting: Acting accountably in a gardening project. Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, 3(1), 34–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2013.12.001
Kim, K. J., Jung, E., Han, M.-K., & Sohn, J.-H. (2020). The power of garden-based curriculum to promote scientific and nature-friendly attitudes in children through a cotton project. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 34(4), 538–550. https://doi.org/10.1080/02568543.2020.1718251
Laaksoharju, T., Rappe, E., & Kaivola, T. (2012). Garden affordances for social learning, play, and building nature–child relationship. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 11(2), 195-203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2012.01.003
Lachal, J., Revah-Levy, A., Orri, M., & Moro, M. R. (2017). Meta-synthesis: an original method to synthesize qualitative literature in psychiatry. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 8, 269. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00269
Lehnerd, M. E., Goldberg, J. P., Folta, S. C., Cash, S. B., Griffin, T. S., Lucas, R., & Sacheck, J. M. (2019). Qualitative exploration of farm to school program adoption and expansion in Massachusetts schools. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 15(2), 230–250. https://doi.org/10.1080/19320248.2019.1610539
McMillen, J. D., Swick, S. D., Frazier, L. M., Bishop, M., & Goodell, L. S. (2019). Teachers’ perceptions of sustainable integration of garden education into head start classrooms: A grounded theory approach. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 17(4), 392–407. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X19856378
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). Sage. https://kupdf.net/download/qualitative-data-analysis-a-methods-sourcebook-third-edition_5910b0f8dc0d60e62e959e9a_pdf#
Mohamed, N., & Othman, N. (2018). Experiential learning: Botanical garden as a place for learning plant science. Asian Journal of Quality of Life, 3(12), 61-68. https://doi.org/10.21834/ajqol.v3i12.142
Murakami, C. D., Su-Russell, C., & Manfra, L. (2017). Analyzing teacher narratives in early childhood garden-based education. Journal of Environmental Education, 49(1), 18–29. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2017.1357523
Rich, H., & Ardoin, N. M. (2014). Teacher and administrator perceptions of school gardens in Cape Town, South Africa. Children, Youth, and Environments, 24(3), 58–79. https://doi.org/10.7721/chilyoutenvi.24.3.0058
Ruiz-Gallardo, J. R., Verde, A., & Valdés, A. (2013). Garden-based learning: An experience with “at risk†secondary education students. The Journal of Environmental Education, 44(4), 252-270. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2013.786669
Schneller, A., Schofield, C. A., Frank, J., Hollister, E., & Mamuszka, L. (2015). A case study of indoor garden-based learning with hydroponics and aquaponics: Evaluating pro-environmental knowledge, perception, and behavior change. Applied Environmental Education and Communication, 14(4), 256–265. https://doi.org/10.1080/1533015X.2015.1109487
Williams, D. R. (2018). Garden-based education. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.188
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright of the Journal belongs to the University of San Jose-Recoletos