School Grounds Research Articles

Horticulture in education: A comprehensive insight into school gardening

AbstractSchool gardening (SG) is the practice of using school grounds to establish horticultural spaces that are collaboratively designed and managed by teachers, students, volunteers, and others. SG offers plant cultivation areas, locations for students to cook, socialize, and relax, and a stress‐relieving environment. Now SG has gained popularity worldwide. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the benefits of SG, current challenges faced in the realm of SG, countermeasures to these issues, and precautions that should be taken account into when implementing SG. This paper is intended to serve as a valuable reference for guiding the continued advancement of SG initiatives in the future.

Going Back to School: Reflecting on School Space as “Shared Space” to Shape Cities and Communities

There has been a growing interest in Australia for public schools to share their facilities (space) with local communities, driven by the understanding that these substantial public investments have the potential to yield additional social, environmental, and economic benefits to their immediate neighbourhoods. Yet, there is limited critical research on this topic, particularly from an urban planning perspective. This article reflects on schools within the broader spatial environment to understand how outdoor recreational and green spaces of schools can be enhanced to optimize their role within the city and to advance “schools beyond schools.” This study deviates from prior research by examining the conceptual progress in urban planning that envisions educational institutions not merely as pedagogical entities but as pivotal urban nodes capable of enhancing the socio-spatial dynamics of shared spaces. Through a systematic review, this article exposes the concept of “shared space” in reference to educational spaces (school grounds). It draws on the Share Our Space program of the New South Wales Department of Education to provide an in-depth understanding of the “shared space” framework, analysing both the inherent advantages and potential challenges in the future evolution of this model. The findings revealed a prevalence of academic studies on shared use or joint use agreements as the primary approach for granting community access to school facilities. In these agreements, the main challenges to sharing school spaces with communities or partner organizations were managerial and legal considerations. The research emphasized the need for a collective reimagining of school facilities and a comprehensive re-evaluation of shared school space within the broader urban context, which is particularly vital in the pursuit of resilient urban futures. This will require addressing gaps in collaboration between education and planning disciplines, the participation of the communities they serve, and developing a frame of reference to guide the dialogue. Local planning authorities are crucial in facilitating and implementing such a multi-disciplinary approach to reposition school spaces as the focal point of sustainable city and community development.

Becoming ‘Wild Citizens’: Children’s Articulation of Environmental Citizenship in the Context of Biodiversity Loss

AbstractCalls to tackle the global disasters of climate change and loss of biodiversity are becoming more and more prominent and urgent. Such calls require environmental citizens, that is citizens who act at local, national and transnational scales, assuming environmental agency through pro-environmental behaviours, attitudes and values in public and private spheres. To enable children to become active environmental citizens, we collaborated with five inner city primary schools in the south-east of England in co-designing a school-based, outdoor ‘Wild Citizens’ programme, underpinned by socioscientific inquiry-based learning, focusing on biodiversity loss. Approximately 130 primary school children (6–10 years old) explored their school grounds, discussed, decided on, and implemented interventions to enhance biodiversity, and communicated their findings within their community (schools, peers, parents, teachers). Semi-structured group interviews were conducted with a sub-sample (60%) exploring how children articulate environmental citizenship within this context. We found that environmental citizenship was articulated at both local and global scales of influence in relation to (a) environmental awareness, (b) values and (c) action competence. Children articulate the links between their performed actions to the impact these might have at a global scale, showing their ability to conceptualise and discuss implications and consequences of issues such as biodiversity loss in simple terms. Their articulation of actions as relevant and impactful to their school’s grounds, transforms the issue of biodiversity loss from a slow, invisible disaster to an observable phenomenon for children, which they then act to mitigate against. This work provides empirical grounding towards the operationalisation of environmental citizenship at the primary school level in the context of a less discussed, but as urgent, ecological disaster, that of biodiversity loss.

Becoming a homeroom teacher: spatial and temporal dimensions of identity formation

ABSTRACT Despite sustained focus in recent years on teachers’ identity construction, alongside researchers’ increasing acknowledgement of the roles of time and space in identity formation, a paucity of work explores the role of spatial – temporal dimensions in the formation of teachers’ identities. In this study we examine how teachers’ professional identities are constructed and practiced in relation to space and time. Our analysis is grounded in theories that conceptualise space and time as entangled with social relations, and it draws on semi-structured interviews with 142 homeroom teachers, who work in primary, middle and high schools in Israel. We argue that teachers’ identity construction is a spatially and temporally embedded process. We show how participants’ identity is constructed through temporal structures of formal, longer-term ‘cycles’ (e.g. the school year) and through mostly informal, shorter-term ‘moments’ (e.g. critical incidents), as well as through significant spatial structures such as the classroom and the staffroom. We also show how school trips – a space-time outside the boundaries of school grounds and timetables – facilitate formative experiences. Our findings show how teachers’ professional identity is part of the production and reproduction of these space-time constructs, which are constructed around interactions and relationships with others.

Differing standards in regulating off campus speech

With the growth of the internet and social media, students are increasingly using online platforms as public forums of communication. This communication occasionally impacts the school environment which has created a new realm of regulation for school authorities. Traditionally, the authority of school administrators’ stopped at the school yard gates. However, the age of social media has prompted reforms in legislation and brought forth novel case law. Ontario’s Education Act currently sets out the test to determine when school administrators can exercise their authority off school grounds: in circumstances “where engaging in the activity will have an impact on the school climate.”[1] In the US, the landmark Tinker case set out a different test: school administrators may only exercise their authority against student speech when the speech causes a “substantial disruption or material interference with school activities.”[2] This standard was affirmed to apply to off-campus speech in the Mahanoy case.[3] The standard in the US is markedly elevated compared to Ontario’s, requiring a more substantial impact on the school climate. This difference raises two important questions: how can this difference be explained and is one standard more fitting than the other? [1] Education Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. E.2, s. 306(1) [rep & sub. 2007, c. 14, s. 4; am. 2017, c. 26, Sched. 1, s. 30(3), (4); 2020, c. 18, Sched. 5, s. 8]. (emphasis added) [2] Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 393 U.S. 503. (emphasis added) [3] Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L., 594 U.S. 180.

Biopsychosocial and Environmental Correlates of Children’s Motor Competence: An Exploratory Study

BackgroundGiven the significance of motor competence (MC) for healthy development and as a cornerstone for lifelong physical activity (PA), it is crucial to understand the manifold factors that are associated with MC. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate correlates of children’s MC and their fundamental movement skills (FMS) within their daily life from a comprehensive biopsychosocial-ecological perspective.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional sub-study of the ‘Physical Literacy for Communities (PL4C)’ WAVES cohort study conducted in the West Vancouver School District, Canada. Motor competence was assessed using the PLAYfun tool including overall MC score and five FMS category scores, namely, running, locomotor skills, upper and lower body control and balance skills. By means of structural equation modeling (SEM), direct associationswith MC and with the specific FMS categories addressing physical activity behavior, self-perceived physical literacy, parenting, and school ground design were investigated.ResultsA total of 355 children with a mean age of 7.5 years and 111.1 min of MVPA per day participated. The group comprised 51% boys and 47% girls from 14 elementary schools. Most children were at an emerging MC-level (71%), while those at a competent MC-level exhibited significantly more daily minutes of MVPA (123 versus 109, p = 0.001). Additionally, they played outdoors more frequently and engaged in more instructor-led PA. The results revealed that logistical support from parents had not only a direct positive association with overall MC, both for girls and boys, but also with most of the FMS categories. However, the correlates of MC varied between genders and showed different patterns across the five FMS categories. While time spent in sports or coach-/instructor-led physical activities had a significant SEM generated direct effect only for boys’ MC and for locomotor, upper body object control and balance, the aesthetic design of the school grounds was only associated with girls’ MC and those same three FMS categories. Multivariate SEM could explain 26% of variance for girls’ MC and 30% for boys’.ConclusionsThis exploratory baseline assessment revealed parental logistical support as an important correlate of MC, irrespective of gender. There were distinct gender patterns across biopsychosocial-ecological correlates influencing MC and FMS. Despite the heterogeneity of the results, our findings indicate a potential role of school ground design in supporting the development of children’s MC, especially for girls.

The Effect of the Relationship between Principals and School Governing Bodies on Grade 12 Learner Performance

This case study explores the effect of the relationship between the principal of a secondary school within a poor community and the school governing body (SGB) on Grade 12 learner performance. The paper challenges the negative stereotype of the relationship between school principals and SGBs in lower-quintile schools. Much of the literature reports on allegations by principals that SGBs do not contribute to the improvement of schools; rather, they interfere negatively with the management thereof. This paper is couched in the collegial model. Using a single case study, the findings are based on qualitative data collected during interviews conducted with the principal and the chair of the SGB as well as observations in the classrooms and on the school grounds. The study found that there was a good relationship between the principal and the SGB chair. The paper concludes that a harmonious relationship between the principal and the SGB allows the SGB to support the school, resulting in enhanced Grade 12 academic performance in mathematics. A harmonious relationship between the principal and SGB forms the foundation for the academic performance of learners, as the majority of the SGB is represented by parents of the school. The data collected during the research study suggests that the greater school community must ensure that the chair of the SGB and the school principal have a good relationship and that the SGB is supportive of the school in advancing its educational activities.

Community use of school grounds outside of school hours

ABSTRACT Physical activity in childhood is essential for healthy development and wellbeing and school grounds can provide neighbourhood access to safe play spaces. This study examines the relationship between school demographics (school size, school decile, ethnicity of students and population density) and whether school grounds are open or closed for community use outside school hours. Data were gathered from 391 primary and intermediate schools across Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), Aotearoa New Zealand (84% of Auckland schools) with 250 schools participating in the full survey. The results indicate that higher school decile and lower population density are associated with school grounds being available for community use. This result is concerning. With closed school grounds more likely to be in lower socio-economic and higher population density areas, the children most affected are the same group who have fewer opportunities and less spaces for active play. The main reason schools closed their grounds was ‘vandalism /graffiti/theft concerns’. Low decile schools whose grounds were open outside of school hours shared a similar commitment to involve their communities widely in school activities and found doing so decreased the levels of vandalism. Their approach may offer useful insights to schools that are currently closed.

Perceptions of Sustainability among Children and Teachers: Problems Revealed via the Lenses of Science Communication and Transformative Learning

Scholars and policymakers see sustainability as depending on the inter-relationships between the three pillars of the environment, society, and the economy. However, it remains less clear how key stakeholders with a responsibility for educating the next generation perceive the concept of sustainability and act accordingly. In order to gain new insights, this research scrutinises participant perceptions of sustainability and climate change in two eco-schools in England for primary children (aged 5–11 years). Our case study involved individual interviews with classroom teachers and headteachers, group interviews with fourth- and fifth-year students (ages 10–12 years), and in-class observations. We also analysed data from student exercise books and photographs of school grounds to understand participants’ self-reported knowledge and perceptions of sustainability and climate change. Within a framework drawing on theories of science communication and transformative learning (a learning approach based on having challenging experiences), the results show that the integration of sustainability into the curriculum was limited and problematic. That is despite the fact that all students and teachers were aware of the environmental dimensions of sustainability, such as climate change and the overuse of natural sources. These findings suggest that schools are no different to other institutional settings when it comes to dealing with the challenges of integrating sustainability into daily practice. We conclude that there is a need for in-service teacher education programmes to enable and motivate teachers to provide richer teaching-learning environments so as to enable effective learning in schools about sustainability and climate change.

Integrating biocultural diversity into urban school grounds through transdisciplinary curriculum design

Integrating biocultural diversity into urban school grounds through transdisciplinary curriculum design

An Exploratory Study of Prescription Pain Medication Misuse with and without Heroin Use Among Adolescents

Abstract: Aims: Opioid misuse is an epidemic in the United States and globally, with adolescents affected by negative consequences including overdoses and deaths. Understanding how mental health and substance use relate to specific types of opioid use is thus important. Methods: Data from the 2019 Connecticut Youth Risk Behavior Survey were analyzed. Chi squares and adjusted odds ratios were computed to relate demographic variables, mental health, and substance use measures to misuse of prescription pain medications with and without heroin use, as compared to neither . Results: Among 1,931 high-school respondents, 8.8 % (n=180) reported prescription pain medication misuse (PPMM+), and 1.4 % (n=28) also reported using heroin (PPMM/HU+). PPMM+ was associated with being female while PPMM/HU+ was associated with being non-White and male. Poorer mental health was associated with PPMM+, and suicidality measures were strongly related to PPMM/HU+. Use of other substances was reported with PPMM+ and PPMM/HU+, with use of vapor products, including on school grounds, particularly linked to the latter. Conclusions: PPMM+ and PPMM/HU+ are associated with suicidality and substance use among adolescents, with suicidality particularly related to PPMM/HU+. Having access to and using substances on school property suggests the need for school-based and other interventions.

Effectiveness of Multifaceted Strategies to Increase Influenza Vaccination Uptake

Influenza vaccination rates remain low among primary school students and vary by school in Beijing, China. Theory-informed, multifaceted strategies are needed to improve influenza vaccination uptake. To evaluate the effectiveness of multifaceted strategies in improving influenza vaccination uptake among primary school students. This cluster randomized trial was conducted from September 2022 to May 2023 across primary schools in Beijing, China. Schools were allocated randomly in a 1:1 ratio to multifaceted strategies or usual practice. Schools were deemed eligible if the vaccination rates in the 2019 to 2020 season fell at or below the district-wide average for primary schools. Eligible participants included students in grades 2 and 3 with no medical contraindications for influenza vaccination. The multifaceted strategies intervention involved system-level planning and coordination (eg, developing an implementation blueprint, building social norms, and enhancing supervision), school-level training and educating school implementers (eg, conducting a 1-hour training and developing educational materials), and individual-level educating and reminding students and parents (eg, conducting educational activities and sending 4 reminders about vaccination). The primary outcomes were influenza vaccination uptake at school reported by school clinicians as well as overall vaccine uptake either at school or outside of school as reported by parents at 3 months. Generalized linear mixed models were used for analysis. A total of 20 schools were randomized. One intervention school and 2 control schools did not administer vaccination on school grounds due to COVID-19, resulting in a total of 17 schools (9 intervention and 8 control). There was a total of 1691 students aged 7 to 8 years (890 male [52.6%]; 801 female [47.4%]) including 915 in the intervention group and 776 in the control group. Of all participants, 848 (50.1%) were in grade 2, and 1209 (71.5%) were vaccinated in the 2021 to 2022 season. Participants in the intervention and control groups shared similar characteristics. At follow-up, of the 915 students in the intervention group, 679 (74.5%) received a vaccination at school, and of the 776 students in the control group, 556 (71.7%) received a vaccination at school. The overall vaccination rates were 76.0% (695 of 915 students) for the intervention group and 71.3% (553 of 776 students) for the control group. Compared with the control group, there was significant improvement of vaccination uptake at school (odds ratio, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.06-1.85; P = .02) and overall uptake (odds ratio, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.12-1.99; P = .01) for the intervention group. In this study, multifaceted strategies showed modest effectiveness in improving influenza vaccination uptake among primary school students, which provides a basis for the implementation of school-located vaccination programs of other vaccines in China, and in other countries with comparable programs. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR2200062449.

Racial Attitudes Towards Criminal Justice Policy

The present study examined the intersection of race and attitudes toward crime and criminal justice policies. Using the Kinder Houston Area Survey, findings revealed some surprising similarities, but also significant differences between the three largest racial categories sampled: Black/African American, Hispanic, and White. Political affiliation, social class, and educational attainment were the primary indicators of support/rejection toward attitudinal beliefs regarding crime and criminal justice policy (i.e., teachers carrying guns, death penalty, assault weapon bans). Political affiliation and education were paramount regarding whether teachers should carry guns on school grounds and implementing mandatory background checks. White and Hispanic republicans favored teachers carrying guns, while educated Blacks and Hispanics rejected this policy. At the same time, educated Blacks and Hispanics favored implementing mandatory background checks. Similarly, support and/or objection to the death penalty and banning assault weapons yielded interesting findings. Black, Hispanic, and White republicans advocated support for the death penalty, while simultaneous rejecting bans on assault weapons. Interestingly, only educated Blacks supported banning assault weapons. Participants' political party affilation influenced their attitudes toward these policies. These and other findings are discussed in relation to the extent to which race, sociodemographic characteristics, political, and residential placement shape beliefs about crime and criminal justice policy in one of Americas most racially and ethnically diverse metropolitan cities.

Implementation of School Safety Policy in Primary and Secondary Schools

The educational environment within schools serves as a conduit for achieving the educational goals and objectives of each country. Research conducted over a period suggests that effective teaching and learning can only occur in a safe and secure environment. Yet, even with existing laws, policies, regulations, and programs on school safety, teachers and learners face persistent threats to their safety both inside and outside the school grounds in Naboomspruit Circuit Schools. This study examined the implementation of school safety policies in primary and secondary schools within the Naboomspruit circuit in the Waterberg District in Limpopo Province. The study population consisted of principals, teachers, school governing body members, and learners from five (5) schools within Naboomspruit circuit. Participants were selected using purposive sampling, including two schools from quintiles 1 to 3 (representing poor communities), two schools from quintiles 4 to 5 (representing affluent communities), and one combined school covering grades 1 to 12. The study's key features encompassed evidence-based practices to address school safety challenges. Codes were employed to protect the identities of participants and schools involved in the study. The study's trustworthiness was assessed through criteria like credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. The study findings revealed that schools partially implemented school safety policies, often without communicating them to learners and/or stakeholders. The study concluded by offering recommendations for addressing school safety challenges, grounded in contextual factors. The findings and recommendations are relevant to education managers, NGOs, parents and stakeholders who possess full or partial interest in the field of education or school safety.

Arming Teachers: Who Will Bear the Burden?

As state legislatures increasingly turn their gaze to education and school policy, one intervention that is particularly concerning is the proposal to arm civilian school personnel. Under the guise of school safety, these policies suggest that allowing teachers, who often have little if any training, to carry weapons on school grounds may deter a school shooter or allow the teacher to directly confront a shooter. There is currently no empirical evidence to support the effectiveness of arming teachers. Rather, what we know from studies on school discipline, racial bias amongst teachers, efficacy of school resource officers, as well as the growing number of incidents of carelessness with firearms in schools, suggests that arming teachers may have grave consequences, particularly for Black and Brown students who are already disproportionately targeted by school disciplinary practices. This commentary explores the contours of this urgent debate and considers the potential for disparate impact by arming teachers.

Understanding Newcomer Challenges and Opportunities to Accessing Nature and Greenspace in Riverdale, Hamilton, Ontario: A Neighborhood-Centered Photovoice Study.

Access to and engagement with greenspace is related to improved health benefits. We sought to collaborate with community members as partners in research and co-creators in knowledge to better understand which components within a newcomer-dense community help or hinder individual and community efforts to access greenspace and nature-based activities. We used photovoice methodology to engage with local residents in focus groups, photowalks, and photo-elicitation interviews. Themes were developed using direct content analysis. A total of 39 participants (ages 11-70 years; median years in Canada of 3.25 years) were engaged in this program of research. From the analysis, we developed four themes: (a) peace and beauty; (b) memories of home; (c) safety and cleanliness; and (d) welcoming strengthened and new opportunities. Participants associated nature with peace, citing it as "under-rated" but "vital" to the neighborhood. Via photographs and stories, participants also shared a multitude of safety concerns that prevent their access to green/outdoor spaces for healthy active living programs or activities (e.g., woodchip-covered playgrounds, ample amounts of garbage littering the park and school grounds, lack of timely ice removal on sidewalks, limited safe biking paths, and unsafe motor vehicle practices at the crosswalks surrounding local parks). To translate the key ideas and themes into an informed discussion with policy and decision-makers, we held an in-person exhibition and guided tour where community members, the lead photovoice researcher, and SCORE! principal investigator shared information about each theme in the form of a pseudo-narrative peppered with prepared discussion questions.

Landscape planning of the village school territory

The article assessed the existing situation on the territory of the village school Yakovlevo, Belgorod region: geographical location, boundaries of the object, assortment of growing trees and shrubs. A center drawing was drawn up indicating the main objects. The main elements of landscape design have been developed: a sports ground, a playground, a school garden. All elements were executed in compliance with architectural and planning requirements for landscape planning of the territory. A lighting scheme for the school grounds has been developed and implemented.

Interrogative Prerogatives: A Content Analysis of Police Policies on School-Based Interviews and Interrogations

ABSTRACT Children increasingly interact with police on school grounds. Most research on police in schools focuses on school safety. However, police also question children at school as witnesses, suspects, and victims during a criminal investigation. The current study explores police policies about interviewing and interrogating children at school. We explored how many of the police departments of the largest 100 U.S. cities had policies related to questioning children at school and analyzed the content of these policies. We found that 40% of police departments had a policy of school-based questioning. These policies rarely covered issues related to students’ legal rights and largely focused on adult-related issues like notification of the child’s parent and permission of school officials.

Change in dental caries status on provision of high fluoridated tooth paste; A triple blind randomized clinical trial.

Objective: To investigate the change in dental caries status on provision of high fluoridated tooth paste after 24 months. Study Design: Triple Blind Randomized Clinical and Controlled. Setting: Private School of Gulshan Town, Karachi. Period: January 2018 to January 2020. Material & Methods: A cohort of regular school children aged 12-15 years studying in classes 6-9 were included. Through simple random sampling, 412 subjects were purposively allocated to Group A (n=202, intervention group) and Group B (n=210, control group). A pre-trial market survey was conducted to identify the fluoridated toothpastes available followed by the laboratory testing of fluoride concentration through Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. Dental examination was performed by a single examiner on mobile dental units under sunlight in the school ground using sterilized dental mirror, probe and tweezers at baseline and then after 8, 16 and 24 months employing the World Health Organization recommended Decayed Missing Filled Teeth index. Results: The mean age of the recruited participants was 12.91±0.82 having 209 males and 203 females. The mean DMFT scores observed over 24 months were 1.25 in group A and 1.42 in group B. At baseline it was 1.10 ±1.50 and 1.11±1.43 which gradually increased to 1.32±1.57 and 1.59±1.96 in group A and B respectively at last follow-up examination. Conclusion: This trial has identified no significant change in the overall dental caries status; however, the mean decayed score in both the interventional groups decreased on provision of high fluoridated tooth paste.

How can place support pedagogy? Application of the concept of cognitive affordances in research and design of outdoor learning environments

This paper adopts an ecological approach to describe the opportunities offered by school landscape for children’s curricular learning. The approach is based on Gibson’s concept of affordances which refers to the opportunities offered by an environment to its users. The research conducted in school grounds in two different contexts – Scotland and Bangladesh drew on this theory to examine the relationship between the school landscape and children’s learning. Case study research included application of observation and behaviour mapping in school grounds, and interviews with participants in both contexts. Opportunities for teaching and learning offered by the school landscape in both cases were later defined as ‘cognitive affordances’ by the authors. ‘The concept of ‘cognitive’ affordances’ had limited attention in the field of landscape research. This paper thus introduces and defines the term to understand and study the potential of outdoor environments for development of children’s learning and cognition.