School Garden Research

Question: I'm writing a grant for a school garden project, and need some data on the impact and value of school gardening. Have any studies been conducted that could help me?

Answer: There have been a number of formal and informal research studies on the impact of school gardening. Here are some highlights from a few of those studies.



In 1992, Barbara Sheffield, from Columbia, South Carolina, launched a third and fourth grade summer school project that used a whole-language approach with gardening as the central theme. Results of formal pre- and post-tests of achievement (Peabody Individual Achievement Test), self-esteem (Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory), and attitudes toward school (School Attitude Measure) indicated greater gains in all three areas than control classes made. The most significant student gains were in self-esteem and achievement in reading, reading comprehension, spelling, and written expression. (There is no current contact information for Dr. Sheffield.)



Texas A&M graduate student Sonja Skelly designed Project Green, in which second and fourth grade teachers used a cross-disciplinary gardening curriculum for one semester. The project goal was to integrate environmental education using gardening as a vehicle. Sonja conducted pre- and post-tests with 237 children using the Children's Environmental Response Inventory to assess environmental attitudes. Students in gardening classrooms scored significantly better than those in control classrooms on measures of appreciation for the environment and concern about human impact. The results also revealed that second graders had a greater change in positive environmental attitudes than fourth graders -- certainly a case for starting early. For more information, contact the University of Florida, Department of Environmental Horticulture, Box 110670, Gainesville, FL 32611.



Another study, conducted at Texas A&M by graduate student Sarah Lineberger, examined how a 16-month gardening program affected third and fourth graders' nutritional attitudes and behaviors. The researchers used a fruit and vegetable preference questionnaire and a 24-hour food recall journal to measure students' attitudes and behaviors at the beginning and end of the gardening program. Results indicated that students' attitudes toward vegetables significantly improved, as did their preferences for fruit and vegetable snacks. For more information, contact the Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2133.



The National Gardening Association conducted a 1992 study of third and fifth grade classrooms using GrowLabs and the GrowLab curriculum. GrowLab classrooms scored significantly higher than control classrooms in students' understanding of key life science concepts and science inquiry skills. Students in fifth grade classrooms in the same study scored significantly higher than control classes on attitude scales measuring "concern for the environment" and "confidence in ability to do science." For more information, contact the Education Department of National Gardening Association, 180 Flynn Avenue, Burlington, VT 05401.