Tree cover and species composition effects on academic performance of primary school students.

Human exposure to green space and vegetation is widely recognized to result in physical and mental health benefits; however, to date, the specific effects of tree cover, diversity, and species composition on student academic performance have not been investigated. We compiled standardized performanc...

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Main Authors: Sivajanani Sivarajah, Sandy M Smith, Sean C Thomas
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2018-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5825089?pdf=render
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spelling doaj-f625fdf213ed46fcbf4b042a9da7fe822020-11-25T02:10:40ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032018-01-01132e019325410.1371/journal.pone.0193254Tree cover and species composition effects on academic performance of primary school students.Sivajanani SivarajahSandy M SmithSean C ThomasHuman exposure to green space and vegetation is widely recognized to result in physical and mental health benefits; however, to date, the specific effects of tree cover, diversity, and species composition on student academic performance have not been investigated. We compiled standardized performance scores in Grades 3 and 6 for the collective student body in 387 schools across the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), and examined variation in relation to tree cover, tree diversity, and tree species composition based on comprehensive inventories of trees on school properties combined with aerial-photo-based assessments of tree cover. Analyses accounted for variation due to socioeconomic factors using the learning opportunity index (LOI), a regional composite index of external challenges to learning that incorporates income and other factors, such as students with English as a second language. As expected, LOI had the greatest influence on student academic performance; however, the proportion of tree cover, as distinct from other types of "green space" such as grass, was found to be a significant positive predictor of student performance, accounting for 13% of the variance explained in a statistical model predicting mean student performance assessments. The effects of tree cover and species composition were most pronounced in schools that showed the highest level of external challenges, suggesting the importance of urban forestry investments in these schools.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5825089?pdf=render
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Sivajanani Sivarajah
Sandy M Smith
Sean C Thomas
spellingShingle Sivajanani Sivarajah
Sandy M Smith
Sean C Thomas
Tree cover and species composition effects on academic performance of primary school students.
PLoS ONE
author_facet Sivajanani Sivarajah
Sandy M Smith
Sean C Thomas
author_sort Sivajanani Sivarajah
title Tree cover and species composition effects on academic performance of primary school students.
title_short Tree cover and species composition effects on academic performance of primary school students.
title_full Tree cover and species composition effects on academic performance of primary school students.
title_fullStr Tree cover and species composition effects on academic performance of primary school students.
title_full_unstemmed Tree cover and species composition effects on academic performance of primary school students.
title_sort tree cover and species composition effects on academic performance of primary school students.
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
series PLoS ONE
issn 1932-6203
publishDate 2018-01-01
description Human exposure to green space and vegetation is widely recognized to result in physical and mental health benefits; however, to date, the specific effects of tree cover, diversity, and species composition on student academic performance have not been investigated. We compiled standardized performance scores in Grades 3 and 6 for the collective student body in 387 schools across the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), and examined variation in relation to tree cover, tree diversity, and tree species composition based on comprehensive inventories of trees on school properties combined with aerial-photo-based assessments of tree cover. Analyses accounted for variation due to socioeconomic factors using the learning opportunity index (LOI), a regional composite index of external challenges to learning that incorporates income and other factors, such as students with English as a second language. As expected, LOI had the greatest influence on student academic performance; however, the proportion of tree cover, as distinct from other types of "green space" such as grass, was found to be a significant positive predictor of student performance, accounting for 13% of the variance explained in a statistical model predicting mean student performance assessments. The effects of tree cover and species composition were most pronounced in schools that showed the highest level of external challenges, suggesting the importance of urban forestry investments in these schools.
url http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5825089?pdf=render
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