School gardening: A multifaceted learning tool. An evaluation of the Pittsburgh Civic Garden Center's 'Neighbors and Schools Gardening Together' (Pennsylvania)

The Pittsburgh Civic Garden Center is an educational non-profit organization. One of its programs, "Neighbors and Schools Gardening Together" teaches horticulture and environmental education in the classroom and in on-site gardens in socio-economically depressed areas. The intent of this research is to evaluate the "Neighbors and Schools Gardening Together" program to determine its effects on the students, teachers, parents and communities involved. Pre-tests and post-tests were administered to determine the effects of the program's implementation. For students, the pre-tests consisted of paper-pencil tests (using pictures) of gardening knowledge and post-tests involved oral interviews. For teachers, open-ended questionnaires were distributed and collected. Parent questionnaires had a combination of open-ended and close-ended questions and were sent home with the students and returned through the mail. In order to determine the benefits of the "Neighbors and Schools Gardening Together" program, the pre-test and post-test data were analyzed. The analysis phase was qualitative in nature and attempted to identify recurring themes in the areas of academic and social/emotional benefits for children and overall program accomplishments. It was found that the "Neighbors and Schools Gardening Together" program was a large success in the three schools included in this study. Survey data confirm that the program has positive effects for children in the areas of academic and social/emotional development.