CHAPTER 4: DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
4.1 The preamble to data presentation
In this study, data was generated through the activities of pre-service science teacher (PSST) participants who studied a module called Biological Science for Educators 310 (EDBS 310), as well as non-biology pre-service teacher (NBPST) participants, who resided in the residence of a university campus. The pre-service science teacher participants engaged in food gardening activities which were an aspect of one of the topics in the EDBS 310 module course outline called ‘Nutrition’. The PSSTs who studied the EDBS 310 module were expected to develop appropriate knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes about nutrition and living organisms.
The module lecturer, Mr. Roberts (pseudonym) for EDBS 310 provided limited guidelines on how students, offering the module, should carry out self-directed research. Students were informed to apply scientific knowledge of nutrition to food gardening to understand how health and nutritional issues of students residing on a campus residence could be addressed. In order to give the students more leverage, the module lecturer organized a field trip to an Eco-school where broader guidelines for choosing plants to cultivate with a view to addressing health challenges were highlighted by permaculture and indigenous knowledge experts.
As a researcher, I recruited participants from the population of students studying an EDBS 310 biology module who were guided by the lecturer of the module and who visited the Eco-school where they were enlightened about food gardening procedures and benefits of food crops to health. In addition, the planting of a variety of food garden crops was demonstrated to the students, some of which included indigenous crops. I served as an assistant on the trip to the Eco-school in 2017 and I had the first-hand experience of the pedagogy and methods of gardening used by permaculture and indigenous knowledge instructors, who were experts in their fields.
The university-community engagement (U-CE) project involved the following steps:
PSST participants who studied a biology module carried out independent research, on the nutritional needs (related to health) of students studying in that university. This
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research revolved around the cultivation of food gardens by six groups of PSSTs. This investigation also extended to the undergraduate NBPSTs who lived in the university campus residence, and who did not study biology. The research focused on nutrition and healthy living. Participants utilized the information about the needs of university students and based on this, they selected food garden crops to plant, which would potentially address health matters or needs through nutrition. Thereafter, they worked in groups to establish food gardens within the university premises and nurtured them for 8-12 weeks.
As part of the research methodology, two NBPSTs, who had dwelt in the university residence, observed and worked with one of each of the six groups of PSSTs who had established food gardens. The PSSTs nurtured the food gardens from the stage of sowing seeds/planting seedlings to maturity. There were six groups of PSSTs, and each group managed a plot with two NBPSTs observing and engaging in the food gardening activities two to three times a week. Data were gathered through focus group interviews, individual interviews, student portfolios, and reflective journals.
During the exercise, the PSST participants had divided responsibilities for growing the food crops and they taught the NBPSTs content knowledge and skills about food gardening, its importance and the nutritional and health benefits of the food gardens.
Table 8 describes module guidelines for activities in which the two sets of participants engaged.
Table 8:Module guidelines for activities done by participants
Activity Biology PSSTs Non-biology PSTs
Self-directed research on nutritional and health benefits of food gardens done prior to establishing the garden plots.
Engage in self-directed research to determine nutritional needs to manage health challenges and food insecurity.
Not applicable.
Soil preparation. Prepared soil for planting in garden beds. (PSSTs had received training on soil preparation from
Assisted the PSSTs in soil preparation. (Learned skills and knowledge about soil preparation for food gardening from PSSTs)
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permaculture and IK experts during a field trip)
Planting a variety of food gardens crops to address a health condition.
Planted a variety of food garden crops such as carrots, beetroot, and spinach, with a view to responding to a nutritional health challenge.
Assisted the PSSTs during the planting of the food crops.
Maintenance of food garden (pest control, providing water, tilling the soil, until maturity.
(Duration: 8-12 weeks).
Regularly maintained the food garden until maturity (8-12 weeks).
Assisted the PSSTs voluntarily to maintain the food gardens.
Teaching Non – biology PSTs about the cultivation and importance of food gardens to nutrition and health when they visited to observe the food garden.
Engaged in teaching Non- biology PSTs.
Non -biology PSTs received tutorials from PSSTs on the cultivation and importance of food gardening to nutrition and health.
Developing of Portfolio of evidence.
Developed portfolios of evidence.
Not applicable.
Observation of the crops in the food garden.
PSSTs recorded progress events, including
photographs, related to progress or lack thereof, of growth of plants. This was recorded on the portfolios of evidence (PoEs).
Observed the food gardens and helped the PSSTs with some duties such as irrigating and harvesting of the garden vegetables.
Figure 12 to Figure 17 is a selection of photographs from one of the portfolios of evidence (PoE) developed by a biology PSSTs group. They illustrate the stages of food gardening from soil preparation to harvesting.
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Figure 12: Weeding of the food garden site
Figure 13: Mapping out the food garden site
Figure 14: Soil preparation in progress Figure 15: Applying compost to the soil
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This is a brief background of PSSTs’ activities related to the U-CE project. Against this background, I explored PSSTs’ U-CE, using the following four critical questions.
Research Question One:
How do pre-service science teachers implement university-community engagement through their study of a biology module?
Research Question Two:
What are pre-service science teachers’ views about requirements for effective university-community engagement through a biology module?
Research Question Three: How does university-community engagement by pre- service science teachers influence the well-being of students at a university?
Research Question Four: How does engaging in a university-community engagement project influence pre-service science teachers’ professional identity for their future practice?
Figure 16: Irrigation of food garden crops Figure 17: Crops/vegetables ready for harvest
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Data were distinguished based on their sources and the use of abbreviations in this respect are as follows:
Focus Group Interview – FG Individual Interview – II Reflective Journal – RJ
Pre-Service Science Teachers – PSST Non-biology Pre-Service Teachers – NBPST
Pre-Service Science Teachers’ Portfolio of Evidence - PoE
The following are examples of the codes and their interpretations:
1. FG1 PSST1: Focus Group Interview 1 Pre-Service Science Teacher Participant 1
2. FG2 NBPST3: Focus Group Interview 2 Non-biology Pre-Service Teacher Participant 3
3. II PSST2: Individual Interview Pre-Service Science Teacher Participant 2 4. RJ1 NBPST4 – Reflective Journal Group 1 Non-biology Pre-Service
Teacher Participant 4
5. PoE 5 – Portfolio of evidence of Pre-Service Science Teachers: group 5 4.2 Research Question One: How do pre-service science teachers implement