ERIC Number: EJ1356003
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0965-0792
EISSN: EISSN-1747-5074
Available Date: N/A
School Gardening Activities as Contextual Scaffolding for Learning Science: Participatory Action Research in a Community School in Nepal
Acharya, Kamal Prasad; Budhathoki, Chitra Bahadur; Bjønness, Birgitte; Devkota, Bhimsen
Educational Action Research, v30 n3 p462-479 2022
Literature on school education suggests that teaching and learning science in basic level community schools in Nepal is largely theoretical. Consequently, achievement levels and the understanding of concepts of science is much below policy expectations. This paper builds on a shift from dogmatic lecturing to activity-based pedagogy using school gardening as contextual scaffolding for learning science in community schools in central Nepal. Five focus group discussions and observations were carried out among sixth and seventh graders, science teachers, and parents of an action (intervention) school located in the Chitwan district of Nepal, with support from the NORHED/Rupantaran project. At the beginning of the PAR project, the barriers associated with startup gardening activities were time allocation, integration of gardening activities with the science curriculum, and the ongoing engagement of parents. Later in the project, students, science teachers, and parents reported on their experiences such as active and meaningful engagement in activity-based pedagogy through school gardening. Overall, school gardening activities were found to have positive effects on students' understanding of scientific concepts, connecting school gardens in a contextual scaffold.
Descriptors: Gardening, Science Instruction, Teaching Methods, Foreign Countries, Learning Processes, Scientific Concepts, Grade 6, Grade 7, Science Teachers, Group Discussion, Intervention, Parent Participation, Barriers, Science Curriculum, Teacher Attitudes, Student Attitudes, Parent Attitudes, Active Learning, Learner Engagement, Concept Formation, Scaffolding (Teaching Technique)
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 6; Intermediate Grades; Middle Schools; Grade 7; Junior High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Nepal
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A