n Mattu, Leanne McIver (2016) Farm visits: interdisciplinary outdoor learning for primary school pupils and Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence. PhD thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/7715/ Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Glasgow Theses Service http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] Farm Visits: Interdisciplinary outdoor learning for Primary School Pupils and Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence Leanne McIver Mattu M.A. (Hons) Psychology, M.Res Educational Research Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Interdisciplinary Studies College of Social Sciences University of Glasgow September 2016 Abstract There is concern around children’s lack of knowledge and understanding of food sources and production, and more broadly around their apparent disconnection from nature. Spending time in the outdoors has been shown to yield a range of benefits, although the mechanisms underpinning these are not well understood. Studies have suggested, however, that there has been a decline in time spent outdoors by children. The introduction of the ‘Curriculum for Excellence’ guidelines in Scotland was heralded as an opportunity to address this decline. Although the guidelines advocate the use of outdoor environments, little research has been conducted, and little guidance is available, on how teachers can and do use outdoor learning in relation to the guidelines, particularly beyond ‘adventure’ activities. Farms are utilised as an educational resource around the world. This research explored the use of educational farm visits, as an example of outdoor learning, in the context of Curriculum for Excellence. A qualitatively driven, mixed methods study, comprising survey and case study methodologies, was undertaken. A questionnaire for teachers informed subsequent interviews with teachers and farmers, and ‘group discussions’ with primary school pupils. The study found that teachers can link farm visits and associated topics with the Curriculum for Excellence guidelines in a range of ways, covering all curriculum areas. There was a tendency however for farm visits to be associated with food and farming topics at Primary 2-3 (age 6-7), rather than used more widely. Issues to consider in the planning and conduct of farm visits were identified, and barriers and motivations for teachers, and for farmers volunteering to host visits, were explored. As well as practical examples of the use of farm visiting, this research offers a perspective on some of the theoretical literature which seeks to explain the benefits of spending time outdoors. Furthermore, five main recommendations for farm visiting in the context of Curriculum for Excellence are given. These relate to the type of visit appropriate to different age groups, opportunities for teachers to become more familiar with what farms visits can offer, and raising awareness of the organisations and networks which can support volunteer farmers to host visits. Contents 1. Introduction .............................................................................. 11 1.1. The outdoors in Scottish education ........................................ 13 1.2. Farm visits for outdoor learning ............................................ 15 1.3. The ‘problem’ ................................................................. 15 1.4. Thesis outline .................................................................. 16 2. The Farm as a Learning Resource ..................................................... 18 2.1. Educational engagement with farms ....................................... 20 2.1.1. School time spent on farms ............................................. 23 2.1.2. Farms, farm parks, and ‘circus farms’ ................................ 25 2.2. Benefits of farm visits ........................................................ 27 2.3. Farm based learning: the context for this study ......................... 29 3. Outdoor Learning and Field Trips ..................................................... 31 3.1. Conceptualising ‘Outdoor Learning’ ........................................ 31 3.1.1. Explaining the benefits of time spent outdoors ..................... 34 3.2. The status of outdoor learning in Scotland ................................ 41 3.2.1. Historical importance and declining provision ....................... 41 3.2.2. The potential of Curriculum for Excellence .......................... 43 3.3. Resonance with Curriculum for Excellence ............................... 45 3.3.1. The Four Capacities ...................................................... 46 3.3.2. Learning across the curriculum ........................................ 49 3.4. An overarching perspective .................................................. 55 3.4.1. Research questions ...................................................... 56 4. Mixed Methods Research: methods, methodology and ethics .................... 59 4.1 Survey ........................................................................... 60 4.1.1 Survey development, design and piloting ............................... 61 4.1.2 Survey procedure ........................................................... 64 4.1.3 Approach to analysis ....................................................... 67 4.2 Case studies .................................................................... 67 4.2.1. Case study development, design and piloting ....................... 69 4.2.2 Case study sampling and selection ....................................... 75 4.2.3 Case study procedure ...................................................... 75 4.2.4 Approach to case study analysis .......................................... 81 4.3 Methodology: mixed methods research .................................... 83 4.3.1 Models of mixed methods ................................................. 86 4.3.2 Assessment of research quality ........................................... 89 4.3.3 Reporting .................................................................... 91 4.3.4 Another perspective on mixed methods ................................. 92 4.3.5 The pragmatic approach ................................................... 94 4.4 Interdisciplinarity: researcher positioning and perspective ............ 95 4.5 Ethical issues .................................................................. 98 4.6 A mixed methods approach to researching educational farm visits .. 101 5. Participant Information and Case Study Vignettes ............................... 103 5.1. Survey respondents .......................................................... 103 5.1.1. Teachers’ opinions on outdoor learning ............................. 108 5.1.2. Survey respondents with a recent farm visit ........................ 112 5.2. Case study explication ...................................................... 113 5.2.1. Case study vignettes .................................................... 115 5.2.2. Researcher role in the case study visits ............................. 118 5.3. Case studies: profiles and participants ................................... 118 5.3.1. Schools and classes (age groups) ...................................... 119 5.3.2. Teachers and pupils ..................................................... 121 5.3.3. Farmers ................................................................... 122 5.4. Importance of participant profiles ........................................ 122 6. Findings & Discussion I: Topics and Curriculum Links ............................ 124 6.1. Topics and topic choices .................................................... 125 6.2. Topic-related activity ....................................................... 127 6.2.1. In the classroom ......................................................... 127 6.2.2. Other visits ............................................................... 129 6.3. Links with curriculum areas ................................................ 130 6.3.1. Interdisciplinarity ....................................................... 134 6.4. Other CfE components ...................................................... 136 6.4.1. Outdoor learning ........................................................ 137 6.5. Curriculum linked resources ................................................ 138 6.6. Related learning: other topics and out of school ........................ 139 6.7. Chapter conclusion: Links across the primary curriculum ............. 139 7. Findings & Discussion II: Learning from Farm Visits .............................. 142 7.1. Contextualisation and consolidation ...................................... 142 7.2. Learning at the farm ......................................................... 145 7.2.1. Recognising existing knowledge ....................................... 145 7.2.2. Adults’ learning ......................................................... 148 7.2.3. Children’s learning ...................................................... 149 7.3. Sensory, enjoyable and memorable experiences