Project UCG (Urban Container Gardening): Enhance Agricultural Skills and Performance in EPP of Grade Four Section 11 Pupils of Itaas Elementary School

Abstract

The study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of urban container gardening project to students. Specifically, it sought to determine if the use of urban container gardening project will enhance the agricultural skills and performance of the learners. It examines the use of Urban Gardening Project by looking at the stances and opinions of 40 pupils of Grade Four section 11 in Itaas Elementary School and the barriers that may occur in the learning process. Using descriptive statistical analysis to compare the two groups of pupils, twenty (20) pupils were randomly assigned to the experimental group and the remaining twenty (20) to the controlled group. The experimental group used hands-on gardening while the control group was given traditional method through lectures. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews. T-test for independent variables was used to determine the significant difference between the mean scores of the experimental and control groups in the activities given. The experimental group which was given hands-on gardening performed better than the control group, which had lessons through lectures. These findings indicate that students who participated in hands-on gardening activities had a higher achievement scores than those students who were not involved in the school garden. The research showed that there is a significant difference between the mean scores of the two groups. This is an accord with research indicating that student's knowledge levels are increased using hands-on/experiential activities. The study concludes that the Urban Gardening Project is effective in enhancing pupils' agricultural skills and performance in elementary education. Hence, it is recommended that the use of urban gardening project in elementary schools be strengthened.