Ambusaidi, Abdulla, Al-Yahyai, Rashid, Taylor, Subhashni, and Taylor, Neil (2019) School gardening in early childhood education in Oman: a pilot project with grade 2 students. Science Education International, 30 (1). pp. 45-55.

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Abstract

While school gardens are familiar in many Western contexts and research has reported significant pedagogical and affective is correct benefits of these resources, there is limited reporting of their use in non-western contexts. A pilot school gardening project involving a quasi-experimental mixed method design was undertaken in the Sultanate of Oman with several Grade 2 and Grade 7 classes to determine if this resource might provide benefits in this particular context. This paper reports on the findings for the Grade 2 cohort. While these findings were somewhat mixed and need to be treated tentatively given that the study was a pilot, they do suggest that school gardens in Oman could provide affective and possible health benefits for students. The potential health benefits could be particularly significant because the Omani population is beginning to exhibit a rapid increase in “lifestyle diseases,” most notably diabetes and cardiovascular illnesses. These illnesses appear to be linked to poor dietary habits and a more sedentary lifestyle among the younger generation.

Item ID:	58926
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1450-104X
Keywords:	young learners; Oman; school gardening; pilot study; mixed-methods
Funders:	Omani Research Council
Date Deposited:	02 Dec 2019 02:22
FoR Codes:	39 EDUCATION > 3903 Education systems > 390302 Early childhood education @ 50% 39 EDUCATION > 3901 Curriculum and pedagogy > 390113 Science, technology and engineering curriculum and pedagogy @ 50%
SEO Codes:	93 EDUCATION AND TRAINING > 9302 Teaching and Instruction > 930201 Pedagogy @ 50% 93 EDUCATION AND TRAINING > 9301 Learner and Learning > 930102 Learner and Learning Processes @ 50%
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