The meaning of participation in school ground greening: a study from project to everyday setting

Abstract

School ground greening has many acknowledged benefits for play, learning and health, but less is known about the outcomes of such projects from children’s perspectives. This study aims to investigate the process, and children’s participation, at two Swedish schools over four years of planning, planting, management and maintenance, using short interviews and observations. There was a large general interest among the children to participate in the development and maintenance of their school grounds, but different participatory and pedagogical approaches were used. The participation of children in the planning stage appears to be of specific importance for the functionality of school grounds, while long-term participation in management and maintenance can affect children’s experiences from, and perspectives on, greening areas and projects positively over time. The results point to the large impact that greening projects with continuity in participation can have on children’s activity and meaning-making.

Keywords:

• Schoolyard
• school grounds
• children’s perspectives
• green space
• management
• outdoor teaching

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Jens Larsen, Sarah Andersson Bergman and Mark Wales for their valuable assistance and Helen Nelson for helpful comments on the manuscript.