School Garden-Based Science Pedagogy When Added to Traditional Science Curriculum Improves Urban School Students' Attitudes toward Science Learning

The present qualitative study aimed to investigate how school garden-based science pedagogy improves students' attitudes toward science learning, particularly in under-resourced urban school districts. The findings of this study suggest that the implementation of school garden-based science pedagogy can positively impact elementary students' attitudes and engagement with science learning. Notably, the involvement of academic service-learning university students as mentors and role models helps amplify the effects of garden-based science initiatives while concurrently providing reciprocal benefits for the university students, including enhanced civic awareness and applied academic development. These findings indicate that collaborative garden-based science projects could be effective strategies for supporting science education and cultivating curiosity among young students in high-needs school districts. The implications include integrating hands-on, cooperative learning pedagogical approaches more broadly across elementary science curricula in order to harness their potential for generating interest, fostering positive attitudes, and ultimately improving science learning outcomes. Further research studies could help refine best practices for implementation across various educational contexts. Additionally, the study highlights the promise of university-community partnerships as a means to develop and evaluate innovative experiential pedagogies that leverage gardening to effectively address persistent inequities in the opportunity gap. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]