Educators' Attitudes Toward Outdoor Classrooms and the Cognitive Benefits in Children

Urban Farm DB summary

A case study at Saratoga Elementary, a K-5 Title I school in Lincoln, Nebraska, with 266 students, 47% minority, 28% receiving special education, and 80% eligible for free or reduced-price meals, where a garden space had been built and an after-school garden club had been running since the previous spring semester. Educators were surveyed on their attitudes toward outdoor classrooms and the cognitive (emotional) benefits of outdoor education, while students self-assessed their emotional state using emotion stickers before and after garden club. The study found no significant difference in students' cognitive (emotional) response before versus after garden club participation, with only a 0.02 increase on a 1-5 emotional scale. Teacher surveys found that 50% of respondents did not include outdoor activities in their curriculum planning and 50% did not use outdoor activities or recess to alter student behaviour; all teacher respondents were aware of the outdoor space (school garden), but only 60% had used it for an activity, and only 53% were assessed as "aware" of the cognitive or emotional benefits of nature for children.