Abstract
M.Ed.
The research in this study focuses on the impact a vegetable garden based on permaculture principles, had on grade nine learners’ environmental attitudes. The research design can be typified as the mixed methods approach consisting of a quantitative and qualitative paradigm.
Research shows that a change in young people’s environmental attitudes is needed to convince them to live sustainably. The central problem is to find an effective way of changing people’s attitudes. The theoretical framework covers the following main themes: a definition of the environmental concept, sustainability, attitudes and social constructivism.
This study argues that the most efficient way of changing people’s environmental attitudes is by exposing the target group to an environmental activity in a social context. With this aim in mind a vegetable garden, based on permaculture principles was designed and maintained by the grade nine learners on the school grounds of a technical school.
The research design, using a mixed methods approach consists of two sections. The quantitative paradigm consists of a questionnaire that was completed by the learners prior to the start of the vegetable garden. After two months of designing and maintaining the vegetable garden, the same test was repeated by the learners. The results were statistically processed by using the Paired t-test and McNemar test.
Participatory Action Research and Participatory Observation form the sub-divisions of the qualitative design. The social context of the intervention was an ideal setting for studying the impact that learners had on each other’s attitudes. The impact that the maintaining of a vegetable garden had on learners’ attitudes could also be visually observed.
The qualitative data was interpreted through observation and reflection and it can be concluded that the aim of the study was realized.
In conclusion, the design and maintaining of a vegetable garden definitely had a positive impact on the environmental attitudes of the specific group of grade nine learners.