This study focuses on achieving an in-depth understanding of teacher educators' and teacher students' perspectives on garden-based learning in the teacher education program in several universities in Germany.
The theoretical framework is based on three theories. Garden-based learning, as proposed by Gaylie (2009), focuses on the role of the garden in teacher education as environment, community, and transformation. As suggested by Meek and Tarlau (2016), critical food system education approaches food system change by helping students realise their potential in structurally transforming the food system through collective action. Actor network theory analyses the human-nature relationship by not privileging one over the other.
A mixed method approach was applied, incorporating semi-structured interviews with eight teacher educators and an online survey with six teacher educators and 81 teacher students from five German universities. This methodological approach enabled an in-depth and holistic understanding of their perspectives of the learning garden and food system education to emerge. The collected data were thematically analysed, and codes were generated inductively and deductively.
The results indicate that receiving support from various stakeholders is essential for teacher educators, and that the motivation of the teacher educators is indispensable for initiating a learning garden in the teacher education programme. The teacher educators that started learning gardens mostly have previous experiences related to garden-based learning. The teacher students and teacher educators perceived the learning garden as a place for experiential learning, where the traditional student-teacher relationship can be challenged. According to teacher students, learning outcomes such as social competency, conscientiousness, self-efficacy, and action competency could be developed in the learning garden. It was found that teacher educators did not consider food system education in learning gardens to a great extent. Moreover, teacher students and teacher educators both perceive the learning garden as contributing to a more sustainable food system through a more sustainable diet and consumption pattern.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
1.1 Research problem and statement of relevance
1.2 Research questions
2 Literature review
2.1 Food systems
2.1.1 Definition
2.1.2 Challenges
2.1.3 Approaches to change
2.2 Education for sustainable development (ESD)
2.2.1 Problems of education
2.1.2 Purpose of education
2.1.3 Principles of ESD
2.1.4 Teaching ESD
2.1.5 Teacher education and ESD
2.3 Learning gardens
2.3.1 Definition
2.3.2 History
2.3.3 ESD in learning gardens
2.3.4 Rationales for learning gardens
2.3.5 Teaching in learning gardens
2.3.6 Challenges of learning gardens
2.3.7 Food system education in learning gardens
2.3.8 Teacher education in learning gardens
3 Theoretical framework
3.1 Actor network theory
3.2 Critical food system education
3.3 Garden-based learning
4 Methodology
4.1 Case study
4.2 Mixed methods
4.3 Thesis length
4.4 Sampling
4.5 Instruments
4.6 Data collection
4.7 Data analysis
4.8 Ethical considerations
4.9 Positionality statement
4.10 Limitations
5 Results
5.1 Teacher educators
5.1.1 Respondent’s profile
5.1.2 Motivation
5.1.3 Metaphoric perceptions of the learning garden
5.1.4 Challenges and facilitating factors
5.1.5 Learning outcomes
5.1.6 Perception of ESD
5.1.7 Teaching ESD
5.1.8 Perception of a sustainable food system
5.1.9 Sustainable food consumption
5.1.10 Food system education
5.1.11 University of Bonn
5.1.12 Other universities
5.2 Teacher students
5.2.1 Respondent’s profile
5.2.2 Perceptions of the learning garden
5.2.3 Expectations for learning
5.2.4 Teaching
5.2.5 Competencies
5.2.6 Sustainable food consumption
6 Discussion
7 Conclusion
Research Objective and Core Themes
This study aims to investigate the role of teacher educators and teacher students in garden-based learning programs within German universities, specifically exploring how these settings can act as a catalyst for disrupting preconceived notions about food systems and promoting education for sustainable development.
- Role of teacher educators in integrating learning gardens into teacher training.
- Perceptions and metaphors of learning gardens among educators and students.
- Challenges and facilitators for implementing garden-based education at the university level.
- Connection between experiential garden-based learning and sustainable food system education.
- Development of competencies such as social awareness, self-efficacy, and critical action.
Excerpt from the Book
1 Introduction
We have entered the ‘age of humans’, also known as the Anthropocene (Brennan, 2017). Scientific evidence such as the IPCC (2021) or IPBES (2019) report indicated the dimensions of climate change and the depletion of natural resources. The Anthropocene highlights the unprecedented scale, scope, and magnitude of humanity’s environmental impact on Earth. The report Limits to Growth published by the Club of Rome clarified in 1972 that the supply of resources is finite (Meadows et al., 1972). Our food systems are depleting natural resources and contributing to biodiversity loss, environmental degradation, and greenhouse gas production (Fresán and Sabaté, 2019). Notably, the livestock sector leads to the transgression of three planetary boundaries: land-system change, climate change and biogeochemical flows (Bowles, Alexander and Hadjikakou, 2019). Hence the global operating food system can be described as highly unsustainable (Bowles, Alexander and Hadjikakou, 2019).
Sustainability or sustainable development (SD) is often referred to as the intersection of three spheres: social-cultural, economic, and environmental. Seghezzo (2009) described how sustainability is generally perceived as “a guide for economic and social policymaking in equilibrium with ecological condition”. Applying sustainability to the food system means that everybody simultaneously has optimal and equitable access to food and water, now and in the future. A sustainable food system should consider current issues such as high food loss and waste, global hunger and malnutrition, unequal economic access to nutritious food, and the long-term viability of the food system (Spiker et al., 2020). According to Spiker et al. (2020), a sustainable food system can be found at the midpoint of environmental stewardship, nutrition and health, social, cultural and ethical capital and economic validity.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Provides an overview of the current ecological crises and sets the context for how garden-based learning in teacher education can contribute to systemic change in food systems.
2 Literature review: Synthesizes previous research on food systems, education for sustainable development, and learning gardens, highlighting identified research gaps in the German teacher education context.
3 Theoretical framework: Introduces Actor Network Theory, Critical Food System Education, and Garden-based Learning as the three core pillars for understanding the study’s findings.
4 Methodology: Explains the applied mixed-method approach, involving semi-structured interviews with teacher educators and online surveys with both educators and teacher students.
5 Results: Presents detailed findings regarding the motivations, challenges, and perceptions held by teacher educators and students within the learning garden context.
6 Discussion: Compares the findings with existing literature and reflects on how learning gardens function as a transformative space for teacher training.
7 Conclusion: Summarizes the key insights and offers recommendations for future research in the field of garden-based teacher education.
Keywords
garden-based learning, teacher education, food system education, sustainability, ESD, learning garden, critical pedagogy, case study, mixed methods, sustainable food consumption, environmental stewardship, teacher educators, university teaching, experiential learning, food sovereignty
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this master’s thesis?
The thesis focuses on understanding the potential and limitations of using garden-based learning programs to educate teacher students in Germany, specifically regarding sustainable food systems.
What are the primary research themes covered?
The research explores the role of learning gardens as an educational tool, the pedagogical perspectives of teacher educators, student motivations, and the integration of sustainable development into university curricula.
What is the main research question of this study?
The overarching question is: How can the learning garden become a place for disrupting teacher students’ and teacher educators’ preconceived notions of food systems?
Which scientific method did the author employ?
A mixed-method approach was used, comprising qualitative semi-structured interviews with eight teacher educators and quantitative/qualitative data from online surveys with teacher educators and 81 teacher students.
What topics are discussed in the main body of the work?
The main body covers a comprehensive literature review, the theoretical framework based on Actor Network Theory and Critical Food System Education, the research methodology, detailed results from surveys and interviews, and a critical discussion of the findings.
Which keywords define this research?
Key terms include garden-based learning, teacher education, food system education, ESD, learning garden, sustainable food consumption, and teacher educators.
How do teacher educators perceive the garden in their training programs?
Educators often view the garden as an "island of hope," a "living lab of sustainability," or a "playground," highlighting its potential to move beyond traditional classroom instruction.
What role does the "University of Bonn" case study play in this research?
The University of Bonn serves as a specific case study to illustrate the implementation and curriculum design of learning gardens within a higher education biology teacher training context.
What is the significance of the "changed role of the teacher" discussed in the findings?
The findings emphasize that the learning garden shifts the teacher's role from a traditional knowledge transmitter to a facilitator, allowing for non-hierarchical learning and experimentation.
What final conclusion does the author reach regarding the impact of learning gardens?
The author concludes that while learning gardens offer significant opportunities for experiential education and sustainable development, they must be structurally anchored in university curricula and supported by key stakeholders to be fully effective.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Lena Rothe (Autor:in), 2022, Garden-based learning in teacher education in Germany. A mixed-method study, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1415414
