A stem unit on school gardening for developing 21st century skills and conceptual understanding of science and math. (c2018)

Abstract

Over the preceding decade, there has been a major incentive in emphasizing STEM— an abbreviation standing for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math—as an essential aspect of educational curricula. However, little research has been done to study the application of STEM in a garden context on the conceptual understanding and 21st century skills. Thus, in writing this paper,the researcher examined the effect of STEM on the conceptual understanding in science and math as well as the application of the 21st century skills into the garden setting, by looking specifically at 4th grade students. By using a mixed method approach, the researcher collects qualitative and quantitative data while observing the participants in the garden.Quantitative data was extracted from instruments including students’ worksheets in class, formative and summative tests and pre and post-test. Qualitative data was collected from observational notes done by the researcher throughout the study. Pre and post-tests were applied to verify whether or not STEM within the garden context enhances students’ achievement scores. The results showed a significant difference (P < 0.0167) in the experimental classes’ pre- and post-test scores for four out of six concepts studied and a great significance with application of the 21st century skills, while a slight significant difference was found between the pre- and post-test scores of the control classes. A significant difference was reached between the control and experimental groups due to intervention. Consequently, the results showed that STEM through gardening activities helped improve science and math test scores as well as the skills application. Moreover, the results presented in this study will be used as a basis for curriculum reforms in the future.