Naturalized versus traditional school grounds: Which elements do students prefer and why?

Abstract

For many children today, the easiest available outdoor environment is their school ground. However, school grounds shaped by adult priorities for neatness, simplicity of maintenance, safety, the demands of team sports, and the surveillance and behavior management of children are often devoid of biodiversity. We investigated elementary and secondary students’ (n = 300) valuation of naturalized versus traditional school grounds with the help of computer-aided photo editing. Photographs of a traditional school ground (paved and asphalted ground bordered by trimmed hedges and some trees) were enriched either with species-poor lawns or with species- and structurally-rich elements such as wildflower meadows, diverse flowerbeds, and an area with a diversity of shrubs. Overall, scenarios enriched with vegetation were clearly preferred over status quo ones. They were characterized as beautiful and interesting, while the latter were characterized as boring and ugly. The best-liked scenario included a dry stack wall, a rock flowerbed, a gravel path, and a stone bench. Species-rich wildflower meadows were also rather appreciated, especially by girls. However, the younger the children were, the more did they like the species-poor lawn scenarios. We also included some school garden elements (diverse vegetable plots and raised garden beds) in our visualizations, which were, however, perceived as rather untidy. Our results indicate that the inclusion of biodiverse small-scale enrichments may increase the aesthetic appeal of traditional school grounds as long as they are not perceived as untidy – a perception which was stronger in older than younger students. The present enrichments could be integrated into school grounds without major redesign of the sites. However, students need also built structures like gravel paths and benches, which provide them with access to a site or offer opportunities to relax and socialize.