PROJECT GREEN: THE EFFECTS OF A SCHOOL GARDENING PROGRAM ON PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDES OF CHILDREN

T. M. Waliczek, Department of Agriculture, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-5020

Abstract:

Although the preservation of the environment has been important for decades, and instructional materials for use by elementary and secondary schools on environmental issues are available, many teachers are uncertain about their own competence to teach environmental education. Project GREEN, Gardening Resources for Environmental Education Now, is a gardening program designed to help teachers integrate environmental education into math and science curricula using a hands-on tool, "the garden." The objectives of the study were to evaluate whether children participating in Project GREEN benefited by an improvement in self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, attitude toward school and environmental attitudes. To measure psychological variables, the study used The Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC) developed by C.R. Reynolds and R.W. Kamphaus (1992). A questionnaire developed from existing questionnaires was used to measure environmental attitudes. No significant differences were found between students' pre- and post-tests on psychological variables as measured by the BASC. However, results indicated that females had significantly more positive attitudes toward school than males, and adolescents improved interpersonal relationships as a result of participating in Project GREEN. Students' environmental attitudes were significantly improved after participating in Project GREEN with female and Caucasian students having more positive environmental attitudes compared to other groups of students.

Research summary courtesy of Tina Waliczek

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