Can school gardens contribute to resilient communities from a scientific and eco‑social perspective in early childhood education?

Abstract

The use of school gardens in Spain has proliferated signifcantly since the 1990s. School gardens are learning spaces that have a high educational potential in diferent areas of knowledge. They represent an opportunity to create greener school environments, mainly in urban areas, allowing students to connect with nature, caring for and conserving the environment, become familiar with the origin of food, and use natural resources responsibly from an early age. In this study, diagnostic research is conducted from a quantitative and qualitative approach. A questionnaire containing 45 close-ended multiple-choice questions and nine open-ended questions is employed. A total of 21 urban schools that use gardens in early childhood education participate. The level of resilience is determined by three indicators (environmental, economic, and social) to which a curriculum dimension is added to assess the use of the school garden from a scientifc and eco-social perspective. The results reveal school gardens are valuable spaces to transform urban environments, and contribute to creating resilient communities in response to current challenges. In general, school gardens seem to show a variable level of resilience in which a medium level predominates. Weaknesses are mainly identifed in the environmental and social dimensions, and should be addressed in initial and continuing teacher training