<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><xml><records><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Marjanca Kos</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Janez Jerman</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">GARDENING ACTIVITIES AT SCHOOL AND THEIR IMPACT ON CHILDREN’S KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES TO THE CONSUMPTION OF GARDEN VEGETABLES</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Problems of Education in the 21st Century</style></secondary-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">active learning</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">garden-based learning</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">organic gardening</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">outdoor education</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">school garden</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2019</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">April/2019</style></date></pub-dates></dates><urls><web-urls><url><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">http://oaji.net/articles/2019/457-1556863930.pdf</style></url></web-urls></urls><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">77</style></volume><pages><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Continuous</style></pages><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Learning through gardening is known to be an educational strategy in which a garden is used as a teaching tool. Systemic reviews of the impact of school gardening on academic performance and dietary habits foreground the need for additional quantitative studies that would use strong experimental designs. The aim of the present research was to establish the impact of school gardening on children’s knowledge of and attitude to the consumption of garden vegetables. A quasi-experiment was conducted including one control and one experimental group, with each group consisting of 15 children aged 6–7 years. The children’s prior knowledge and attitude toward the consumption of garden vegetables was identified through individual interviews. Participants in the experimental group then carried out their activities in a school garden that was built in co-operation with an organic farm located in close vicinity of the school. Following these activities, interviews were repeated in both groups to establish any newly acquired knowledge of and changes in the children’s attitude to garden vegetables. The results revealed that the children in both groups had poor general knowledge about garden vegetables at the beginning of the experiment. After their work in the garden was concluded, the knowledge of garden vegetables in the experimental group of children improved to a statistically significant degree. The children’s attitude to consuming garden vegetables also became more positive than before they engaged in the gardening activities. The results of this research indicated that school gardening activities improved academic outcomes and the children’s attitude to the consumption of vegetables. Therefore, the research suggests that gardening should be considered a vital part of school education.</style></abstract><issue><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2</style></issue><work-type><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Original article</style></work-type><section><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">270-291</style></section></record><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Marjanca Kos</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Brigita Šuperger</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Janez Jerman</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">EARLY SCIENCE OUTDOORS: LEARNING ABOUT TREES IN THE PRESCHOOL PERIOD</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Problems of Education in the 21st Century</style></secondary-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">early science education</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">individual interviews</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">observational skills</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">outdoor play and learning</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2015</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">April/2015</style></date></pub-dates></dates><urls><web-urls><url><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">http://oaji.net/articles/2015/457-1432232132.pdf</style></url></web-urls></urls><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">64</style></volume><pages><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Discontinuous</style></pages><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">The natural environment is known to be a perfect place for learning early science and there is a lot of literature describing activities for children in the forest. Yet there is a lack of concrete data illustrating how much children can actually learn through such activities. The aim of the research was to establish children’s progress in their knowledge about trees and in process skills they gained through structured activities and free play in the forest. A quasi-experiment with one control and one experimental group was carried out, each comprising 16 children aged 5–6 years. The state of the children's previous knowledge and observational skills regarding trees was established through individual interviews. The children were given three tasks: naming a leaf (10 leaves); connecting a fruit or cone (8 fruits) to the corresponding leaf; and choosing the leaf they recognise as the same as each of the 10 given test leaves among a total of 17 leaves (this activity sought to investigate the progress in the children's observational skills). Children from the experimental group then continued with the activities in the forest. Following those activities, the knowledge and skills they had acquired were established via repeated interviews in both groups. The results show that at the beginning of the experiment the children's prior knowledge of trees was poor. After the activities were performed, children in the experimental group showed a statistically significant improvement in their results for naming the leaves and connecting the fruits or cones to the corresponding leaf. Progress in observational skills through the task of choosing a pair of leaves from among many could not be identified since the result had also significantly improved in the control group. Familiarity with the task may well have had a stronger influence on the results than the forest activities themselves. The result of the research allows the conclusion that appropriate forest activities enable children to progress in the field of early science, and it is therefore suggested that outdoor activities form an essential part of preschool education.</style></abstract><work-type><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Original article</style></work-type><section><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">24-37</style></section></record></records></xml>