An Action Research on the Organic Gardening Activities in the Elementary School

• Main Authors: Wang,Chiu-Hwa, 王秋華
• Other Authors: Chen,Pei-Jen
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2006
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/39793485344764059223

碩士 === 國立臺北教育大學 === 教育政策與管理研究所 === 94 === Abstract This research used the method of ‘action research’ recording the process of the gardening activities in an elementary schoolyard. A member of an elementary school administrative staff setting up a gardening place in an elementary school planned the gardening activities and worked on them together with 12 students, who are in 6th grade is from September 2004 to June 2005. There were seven activity areas planned in the original schedule, they were: Organic vegetable area, Plant cultivated area, Plant maintained area, Compost area, Coleopteran and earthworm breeding area, Palmerworm breeding area, and Ecological pool area. All the gardening activities were developed and carried out in these seven areas. At the middle stage of the research, the pupils spontaneously initiated the activity of ‘creating land’. Under the open and free atmosphere they learnt to be the experts of gardening and enjoyed it. Then at the later stage of the research, the pupils orally presented to their peers the results of all the gardening activities with pride that totally showed their self-confidence. During the entire process, the researcher herself participated in all the activities and worked with the pupils. The research data were collected through various ways such as observation, interview, students’ notes and reflections, journal keeping, voice recording, photograph taking, etc. The gardening activities were constantly amended in accordance with the real situation. After analyzing the collected data, researcher divided the entire process into five stories: 1. Creating land, 2. Building ecological pool, 3. Worm net, 4. Interpretation, 5. Siao-Wei and Siao-Jie . The results of the research showed: For the pupils, gardening activity could increase opportunities and offer space for pupils to learn and to feel the nature, to develop their positive learning attitude, to inspire their self-confidence, to offer more learning opportunities for the low-achievement pupils. For the researcher, she shifted her belief following the development of the activities in order to allow more ideas and actions. She also learnt a lot and grew up with those pupils. For the school, the gardening field offered a multiple place as a wonderful teaching resource. Finally according to the research results, the researcher proposed follows-up ideas about gardening activities, which might be carried out in the schoolyard.