Cheang Chi-Chiu, Ng Wai-Ki, Wong Yuen-Sam Diana, Li Wai-Chin, Tsoi Kwok-Ho
Department of Science and Environmental Studies, The Education University of Hong Kong, Tai Po, Hong Kong.
Front Psychol. 2021 Jan 15;11:583319. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.583319. eCollection 2020.
This paper reports on the long-term effectiveness of a non-formal co-curricular educational program based on a campus ecogarden at a Hong Kong university in developing pro-sustainability awareness, attitudes and behavior among undergraduate students. This service-based, nature-based experiential learning program, termed the Ecogarden Farmer and Biodiversity Surveyor, has been running at the university since 2015. The program is divided into two consecutive phases: a training phase comprising various learning activities and a successive internship phase consisting of the all-round practical tasks involved in managing the garden. A retrospective evaluation of the program using phenomenographic approach and content analysis was adopted to reveal the diversity of students' learning experience, as the indicators of the success of the program. Of 112 participants from 4 cohorts, 32 completed online questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews were successfully conducted with twelve participants, three from each of the four cohorts. The results indicated that the program's outcomes could be categorized into five themes. Most outcomes fit into the theme 'an increase in knowledge and skill level,' followed by 'rise in environmental awareness,''facilitation of personal growth,' and 'enhancement of career development.' Many structural experiences revealed may suggest the success of the program. The longer the participants had participated in the program, the more in-depth and diversified reflection of the senior participants relating to personal development were mentioned. This study provides critical insights into the validity of retrospective program evaluation for assessing the long-term impact of EfS programs by introducing a cross-sectional study of different cohorts as a serial time-point sampling strategy.
本文报告了香港一所大学基于校园生态花园开展的非正规课外教育项目在培养本科生的可持续发展意识、态度和行为方面的长期成效。这个以服务为基础、以自然为依托的体验式学习项目名为“生态花园农夫与生物多样性调查员”，自2015年起在该大学开展。该项目分为两个连续阶段：一个是包含各种学习活动的培训阶段，另一个是由管理花园所涉及的全方位实践任务组成的后续实习阶段。采用现象学方法和内容分析法对该项目进行回顾性评估，以揭示学生学习体验的多样性，作为项目成功的指标。在来自4个批次的112名参与者中，32人完成了在线问卷，并成功对12名参与者进行了半结构化访谈，每个批次3人。结果表明，该项目的成果可分为五个主题。大多数成果属于“知识和技能水平提高”这一主题，其次是“环境意识增强”“促进个人成长”和“提升职业发展”。所揭示的许多结构性体验可能表明该项目的成功。参与者参与项目的时间越长，高年级参与者对个人发展的反思就越深入和多样。本研究通过引入对不同批次的横断面研究作为连续时间点抽样策略，为回顾性项目评估在评估可持续发展教育项目长期影响方面的有效性提供了关键见解。
