Children's Experiences with Vegetation on School Grounds, Their Botanical Knowledge and Environment

This enquiry evaluates the impact of 21 junior school landscapes in England on botanical knowledge and environmental dispositions in 8 to 11 year old children (N = 845). Children's past experiences with vegetation and present experiences on school grounds are measured in detail, correlated with their botanical knowledge and environmental dispositions, and presented in regression models including a number of additional variables. The results indicate that both past and present experiences make a small, but significant contribution to the development of botanical knowledge and environmental dispositions and that the school landscape can be an educational resource for environmental education.