Findings and Data Analysis The findings and data analysis part

Findings and Data Analysis
The findings and data analysis part of the study will depict an overall summary about
the major findings which are obtained after the data was collected. Furthermore,
appropriate points associated with the topic are being discussed. The findings will help
in recognising the same as well as variable themes which will be obtained from the
evidence of practice in the selected setting and steps will be taken to analyse the data
with respect to the study participants i.e., children, their parents as well as the other
staff members, the defined situation as well as my thoughts on problems which are
recognized. Furthermore, in the methods section, it was stated that the present
research will be based on qualitative research method involving action research and
observation. Hence, in maintaining the rule of readiness for reason, my information
investigation will comprise of an elucidation of the findings as far as the implications that
the study participants brought about, in connection with evidence produced from my
very own perceptions and individual experience. My examinations and introduction of
this qualitative data research method will comprise of a repeating pattern of the
clarification of the findings drawn from my discoveries pursued by a basic discussion of
the significant themes obtained after analysing the data collected.
An outline of the main themes that came from this data is presented in the following
table:
Theme 1: Children's understanding of gardening: planting as a part growth and
development, giving more opportunities, communication enhanced by including
activities like placing seeds in pots, scooping up dirt and pouring water needs and
requiring fine motor strength and control.
Theme 2: Practitioner helping children to practice their locomotor; body management
skills, object control skills while moving from one place to another carrying soil, water
or soil.
Theme 3: Sense of belonging; ability to touch as well as feel, recognising the vibrant
colour as well as varied sizes of the plants, getting familiar with the scent of the flower
and vegetables.
Theme 4: Enhancing the cognitive skills of the children; prolonged exposure to the
activities, developing the sense of which plants needs more sunlight, which plants
needs more water to survive and how long each plant takes time to grow,
remembering things more clearly when practically experiencing.
Theme 5: a sense of responsibility; concept of care, understanding that it is crucial to
water seeds in order to grow healthy plants, gardening as early childhood activities.

The major findings from the data collection states that there is variation among the
findings that were obtained from the questionnaires. The observations differentiate with
each other based on the activity performed. I further recognised that variability in the
activities results in variation of the findings such as while performing the activity of
gardening, the practitioner observed that the children are differentiated at the level of
communication as during planting the children were able to communicate in some
observations while some were unable to do that and were more focused on planting and
were not willing to communicate. The outcome of the activity helps me to state that the
schools providing inner and outer physical activities helps in providing opportunities for
the children to communicate and enhance their behaviour (Dhruba Raj, 2015).
Programs and activities such as gardening based on education is essential for children
as they are investing more time in school as well as day care. Consequently, with the
increased time spent in education there should be enhancement in the time of physical
activity in such type of settings (Dilip and Thomas, 2017).
I observed that the gardening programmes in school are found to be a helpful
intervention for improving children’s vegetable intake as reported in various research
studies depicting the role of gardening in education to improve the understanding of the
children behind certain queries as well as their knowledge and various choices which
tends to enhance their taste of the vegetables that they grow, allow the results to input
positive changes in them related to their attitudes for consuming vegetable (Evans et
al., 2016). As recorded in Observation 1. While planting potatoes in the garden, we
learnt how to plant them as we decided to put the children in groups of 6 dividing the
boys and girls in the group of 4 and 2. The children were communicating during the
planting as they were asking each other questions and talking about their experience of
planting. I have observed that a lot of the children were talking about how they plant at
home, while others had not experienced planting before. I believed that as soon as we
started planting some of the children thought that certain foods that we plant came from
the supermarket, however, as we began to plant more and more, they were able to
understand that food doesn't just come from the supermarket and that food most of the
time is grown, and sold in the supermarket. It has been recognized that the school‐
based gardening as an intervention is considered to enhance the intake of fruits and
vegetables and also help in promoting physical activity (Hanbazaza et al., 2015).
School-based activities such as gardening programs have been recognised to affect the
nutritional knowledge, intake proportion of fruits and vegetables while increasing the
curiosity to try new type of foods. In the differential observations of the data the students
get a chance to learn more about where the fruit and vegetables come from as well as
they are able to differentiate properly between fruits and vegetables through gardening
activities (Hutchinson et al., 2015). Furthermore, I also concluded that the children liked

the plan of gardening in the outer area as compared to indoor, moreover they liked
gardening basically, they want to practice gardening more as they find the growth of
plant interesting and are found to be more determined as it involved them to be more
accurate in measuring which enhanced their communication while engaging with others
to plant. Activities such as gardening has been recognized to help the students in
application of the information which they have received in spite of memorizing it.
Furthermore, school children are found to be growing up in urban community these
days due to more movement of families from rural to urban places hence, children have
less opportunity to interact with each other. Therefore, activities like gardening in school
will help the students to communicate and interact with each other (Davis, Martinez,
Spruijt-Metz & Gatto, 2016). I believe that most of the plants and fruits picked were
quick to grow and that is why they were picked by in order for the children to see quick
growth within what they were planting. The children witnessing the growth of the plant
will help them to grow emotionally, and physically which will have a direct effect on their
whole development (Davis, Martinez, Spruijt-Metz & Gatto, 2016).
Consequently, in Observation 2. When the children were asked to plant primrose
flowers suggested that children were really enjoying the planting of flowers in school.
The observations showed that the children were having fun which is due to several
reasons such as actively participating outdoors while having fun in school, however, in
specific as it make them to understand various new things and while having fun
independently in a playful manner. The outcomes suggested that the children were
communicating during the planting session as they were participating in the activity and
interacting with one another, the children were excited to plant and learn about what
they were planting. However, at the beginning there were lots of question from the
children about what we were planting as most kids thought the seeds of the flowers
came from the market or store, but as time went by they understood how flowers grow
and how it taken to the market. Few of the children said they have planted with their
parents, while few of the children were able to differentiate fruits from vegetable such as
broccoli being a vegetable and apple being a fruit. However, other children had
difficulties understand which were fruits and vegetables but we were explain to them
and to let them know that both fruits and vegetables were good for the body. Keeping a
consistency with earlier reported literature, various qualitative studies based on the
experience of children on gardening (Kos and Jerman, 2019), my study depicts that the
children are more feeling enthusiastic regarding planting in school while enjoying it to
the fullest. Similarly, the evidence proposed by Nury et al., (2017), in their study of
children shows a clear depiction of them liking the outdoor planting activity.
The earlier studies have depicted that the young children have a preference of hands-
on training in outdoor environment as compared to traditional methods which are
practiced inside the classroom using a textbook, and I recognised that they were

developing a highly positive attitude (Ohly et al., 2016). Furthermore, the children loved
the activity as they were able to get their hands dirty and plant out in the sun. a lot of
question were answered during the activities as they were quite curious and excited to
know how long it takes to plant a seed. I was able to see that the children were
engaging with one another, helping each other carefully and also paying attention
during the activity. The children showed calmness, and also they showed signs of
excitement, laughing getting their hands dirty when planting, taking measures while
wetting the plant. I truly believe picking fruit and vegetables is to teach the children the
process of growth and where our fruit and vegetable comes from, as most children
thought it came from the market and also is to teach children how quick and easy is to
grow a vegetable or fruit so they can partake in this activity with their parent or loved
ones at home (Prasad Acharya, 2018).
I related the outcomes of Observation 3. with other findings such as the children were
very curious and were seen to be getting a sense of belonging and responsibility by
looking after their own sown tomato plants with the help of 4 groups of children and
while thinking about harvesting them followed by taking them home to eat the fresh
vegetables. Such type of findings are recognised to be highly consistent with different
research showing that children have experienced a feel of pride as well as achievement
with a satisfaction while taking care of their own plants (Sarti et al., 2017). Our results
showed that the initial reason behind the children’s engagement with gardening in
school is to have fun while enhancing their cognitive skills which is found to be
consistent with the results shown by Savoie-Roskos, Wengreen and Durward, (2017) in
their study. I found that they were really excited and having fun while planting and this
activity was taken as enhanced messy play and understanding the world. However, I
choose these plants because it educates the children about healthy eating.
The findings from Observation 4, suggested that feeling enjoyment as well as fun is an
essential component required for motivation which also helps in entailing the activities
performed due to any type of external reward. Studies have shown that children having
motivation to carry out any particular behaviour or deed displays high level of effort
along with being committed and perseverance to show such behaviour (Corpus and
Wormington, 2014). However, the Self Determination Theory as discussed by Corpus
and Wormington, (2014) suggested that to nurture motivation and other qualities in
children need 3 innate psychological requirements namely, autonomy, competence as
well as relatedness. Gardening in school helps in providing children with several
chances to face and relate the 3 psychological requirements with daily living.
Furthermore, up to some extent, it provides surroundings which provide support to the
children’s autonomy, hence, helping them to set up their own garden in the future which
they will be able to manage and care about on their own without the involvement of
others. The outcomes of the findings suggest that the children were communicating with

each other and in the midst of themselves. They got involved willingly and the quality of
childhood activity enhanced their confidence. The children build confidence when
participating in activities with their peers, while no specific reason have been identified
in choosing specifically the spring onion plants along with the help of 4 children and the
plants were chosen at random (Tumilowicz, Neufeld and Pelto, 2015).
Moreover, in Observation 5 the children have been recognized to have experience while
planting lettuce and pepper plants such as, planting with the help of tools or without it.
The overall feeling of the children’s autonomy are found to be enhanced highly when
they will harvest their plants as they will not be able to decide about the total number of
plants they want to take with them, however, I also recognised that the children were
kept free for deciding about the plants they want to take home and what they wanted to
do with the plants after taking them home (Triador, Farmer, Maximova, Willows &
Kootenay, 2015). Additionally, the gardening projects in school are found to be
extremely beneficial ventures for experiencing several feelings and enhancing the
qualities in children such as competence as the findings suggest that the children have
attained a feeling of achievement as well as pride which is the result of a rapid however,
rewarding journey of planting new seeds in the school. The outcomes help me to
understand that at a point the children were very engaged while they were trying to
figure out how planting becomes food. However, some were only able to identify the
names individually and were familiar with planting from home, while some took it as just
another activity. I found that this activity can develop independence and self-confidence,
which is why I choose to plant fruits and vegetables so the children will understand the
difference between fruits and vegetables (Wells, Myers and Henderson, 2014).
Taking steps into planting, sowing and supporting plants, while they grow and, collecting
and appreciating the after effect of their diligent work helps the children to feel skillful,
after a few planting exercises. Children were fit for cultivating appropriately without the
assistance of teachers, utilizing planting tools in a right and safe way. I found that the
activity helped them to have the courage to help others in their nearby social condition
with planting. As such, school planting has associated with all the practitioners. When
contrasting the program's formal objectives and children's objectives and their thoughts
on the reason for planting, they appear to coordinate well. As experienced in a study
Prasad Acharya, (2018), like the program objectives, members trusted that the principle
motivations behind nursery planting were to show children how to plant appropriately,
show them more nature and surroundings, plants, as well as vegetables, and empower
them to collect, bring home, and expend new vegetables. Practically the outcomes
suggested trusted that support in school planting would emphatically impact children
intake of vegetables. Becoming familiar with vegetables, performing planting exercises
in a garden, gathering, and bringing home self-developed vegetables was accepted to
persuade children to attempt new vegetables or grow more vegetables. The significance

of the activity has been shown by Hutchinson et al., (2015), a researcher in the field of
strategy of inquiry for science and arithmetic realising, who thinks that children "build
their own insight by effectively assuming responsibility for their learning" and that simply
giving great instructing and quality course readings isn't adequate. This is in accordance
with suggestions to organize instruction in such a way, that encourages children to
assume responsibility for their adapting effectively by offering conversation, leading their
own tests, encountering and gaining from the success and disappointments, and
discussing their discoveries with others (Ohly et al., 2016). Furthermore, Kos and
Jerman, (2019), displays this as 'participatory learning' and stresses the significance of
giving children the chance to have ownership in their learning procedure. He states that
children intended to be paid attention to, have options, and intended to be effectively
included and counseled in their learning procedure. At the point when these conditions
are met, participatory learning can happen in which children examine, collaborate, and
gain from one another and grown-ups obtain a profitable chance to look and see how
children understand their lives and their environment (Nury, Sarti, Dijkstra, Seidell &
Dedding, 2017). I concluded that the children were engaging in a lot of communication
as they were so excited, they couldn’t wait to plant and as they started planting they
were comparing the way they were planting. I noticed that the children showed qualities
of happiness and calmness as they were making sure they did not mess up what they
were planting especially when it came to adding the right amount of water. There were
different plants and vegetables and fruits picked, as it gave children a variety to pick
from and see the process of which it grows. It should be known that allowing children to
have a chance to experiment and extra exercises may not be great as certain time
should be given for children to have the option to investigate and explore or play out
extra exercises in nursery. (Hutchinson et al., 2015).
Conclusion and Relevance
The findings of the data collected and the analysis add to the current proof that school
planting programs are a promising and fun route for children to encounter nature while
learning about the advancements of vegetables, plants and fruits. This may upgrade
children's natural inspiration for cultivating and vegetable utilization. To accomplish
more planting done by the children, practitioners cannot just focus on the best way to
inspire children to devour more vegetables, however on the best way to make strong
conditions that upgrade children characteristic inspiration to attempt planting new things
on their own by fulfilling their requirements for self-governance and capability.
Participation could be made to make a superior harmony among structure and self-
sufficiency to pick, analyse and investigate as wellbeing advancement programs for
children are frequently planned and actualised in an organized top-down way.
Moreover, the possibility and number of planting has to be assessed to guarantee that

they can be finished inside the time accessible. This incorporates observe whether and
how children planting time can be expanded. It also incorporates surveying whether it is
gainful to provide children with extra guidance that encourages them to plant on their
own and empower them to work at their own pace. The majority of this requires the
association of children in the improvement and assessment of projects. As the essential
interventions, children should be comprehended and should experience what works and
what does not, which can differentiate weaknesses and give significant contribution to
enhancements. Furthermore, children thought of connection might be improved by
including guardians or parents in the program, making a connection between the
nursery garden enclosures and the home of the children itself. Furthermore, further
research has to assess whether upgrades in planting programs are prompting higher,
practical dimensions of children's understanding of gardening, planting as a part of
growth and development, giving more opportunities, communication enhanced by
including activities and pouring water needs and requiring fine motor strength and
control. It will also help the practitioner helping children to practice their locomotor; body
management skills, object control skills while working on enhancing the sense of
belonging, responsibility, and cognitive skills, and the ability to touch as well as feel,
recognising the vibrant colour as well as varied sizes of the plants, getting familiar with
the scent of the flower and vegetables.
References
Corpus, J. and Wormington, S. (2014). Profiles of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations in
Elementary School: A Longitudinal Analysis. The Journal of Experimental Education,
82(4), pp.480-501.
Dhruba Raj, B. (2015). Effect of School Vegetable Gardening on Knowledge, Willingness
and Consumption of Vegetables in Mid-hills of Nepal. International Journal of
Horticulture.
Dilip, S. and Thomas, A. (2017). Constraints Perceived by Students in School Vegetable
Gardening. JOURNAL OF EXTENSION EDUCATION, 29(1), p.5818.

Davis, J., Martinez, L., Spruijt-Metz, D., & Gatto, N. (2016). LA Sprouts : A 12-Week
Gardening, Nutrition, and Cooking Randomized Control Trial Improves Determinants
of Dietary Behaviors. Journal Of Nutrition Education And Behavior, 48(1), 2-11.e1.
doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2015.08.009
Evans, A., Ranjit, N., Fair, C., Jennings, R. and Warren, J. (2016). Previous Gardening
Experience and Gardening Enjoyment Is Related to Vegetable Preferences and
Consumption Among Low-Income Elementary School Children. Journal of Nutrition
Education and Behavior, 48(9), pp.618-624.e1.
Hanbazaza, M., Triador, L., Ball, G., Farmer, A., Maximova, K., Alexander First Nation
and Willows, N. (2015). The Impact of School Gardening on Cree Children's Knowledge
and Attitudes toward Vegetables and Fruit. Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and
Research, 76(3), pp.133-139.
Hutchinson, J., Christian, M., Evans, C., Nykjaer, C., Hancock, N. and Cade, J. (2015).
Evaluation of the impact of school gardening interventions on children's knowledge of and
attitudes towards fruit and vegetables. A cluster randomised controlled trial. Appetite, 91,
pp.405-414.
Kos, M. and Jerman, J. (2019). Gardening Activities At School And Their Impact On
Children’s Knowledge And Attitudes To The Consumption Of Garden Vegetables. Problems
of Education in the 21st Century, 77(2), pp.270-291.
Leuven, J., Rutenfrans, A., Dolfing, A., & Leuven, R. (2018). School gardening increases
knowledge of primary school children on edible plants and preference for vegetables. Food
Science & Nutrition, 6(7), 1960-1967. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.758
Nury, E., Sarti, A., Dijkstra, C., Seidell, J., & Dedding, C. (2017). Sowing Seeds for
Healthier Diets: Children’s Perspectives on School Gardening. International Journal Of
Environmental Research And Public Health, 14(7), 688. doi: 10.3390/ijerph14070688
Ohly, H., Gentry, S., Wigglesworth, R., Bethel, A., Lovell, R. and Garside, R. (2016).
Erratum to: A systematic review of the health and well-being impacts of school gardening:
synthesis of quantitative and qualitative evidence. BMC Public Health, 16(1).
Prasad Acharya, K. (2018). Inquiry-Based Science Learning Through School Gardening
Activities: Wonderful Experience Through Participatory Action Research. International
Journal of Elementary Education, 7(3), p.40.
Sarti, A., Dijkstra, C., Nury, E., Seidell, J. and Dedding, C. (2017). ‘I Eat the Vegetables
because I Have Grown them with My Own Hands’: Children's Perspectives on School
Gardening and Vegetable Consumption. Children & Society, 31(6), pp.429-440.
Savoie-Roskos, M., Wengreen, H. and Durward, C. (2017). Increasing Fruit and Vegetable
Intake among Children and Youth through Gardening-Based Interventions: A Systematic
Review. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 117(2), pp.240-250.
Tumilowicz, A., Neufeld, L. and Pelto, G. (2015). Using ethnography in implementation
research to improve nutrition interventions in populations. Maternal & Child Nutrition, 11,

pp.55-72.
Triador, L., Farmer, A., Maximova, K., Willows, N., & Kootenay, J. (2015). A School
Gardening and Healthy Snack Program Increased Aboriginal First Nations Children's
Preferences Toward Vegetables and Fruit. Journal Of Nutrition Education And Behavior,
47(2), 176-180. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2014.09.002
Wells, N., Myers, B. and Henderson, C. (2014). Study protocol: effects of school gardens on
children’s physical activity. Archives of Public Health, 72(1).