Farm-based education : can farms and farm animals contribute to learning in accordance with the school curriculum and syllabi?

Abstract: There seems to be something missing in the modern school. An increasing number of students face difficulties in the traditional classroom setting, some cannot attend school at all, and a worrying number of students fail to leave school with approved grades, with potentially detrimental effects on their future lives. Schools in Sweden are obliged to adjust so that students can achieve the knowledge requirements in school, but it can be difficult to make such adjustments in existing school premises. To help students to succeed in school, we may need to try other methods. Outdoor, experiential learning such as farm-based education can be a possible complement to classroom teaching. By giving all students the opportunity to have parts of their studies on educational farms with animals, they get the chance to learn more about nature, animals and our food production, while the farm environment and pedagogy enable experiential learning of school subjects following the school curriculum and syllabi. The aim of this master thesis was to acquire knowledge about farm-based education in Swedish schools from preschool class to grade 9, through a survey sent to teachers with supposedly little knowledge about farm-based education and through deep interviews with practitioners within farm-based education. The study consists of a survey and interviews. A literature review gives a theoretical background to attention and learning, nature and animal assisted interventions and experiential learning, including farm-based education. The survey was a part of a project with researchers in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. The Swedish version of the questionnaire was sent out to a randomized selection of 300 municipal lower secondary schools (grade 7-9) in Sweden. The interview method was semi-structured. The prepared questions were open-ended, with both thematic and dynamic dimensions. Two schoolteachers and one farm guide were interviewed. A deductive analysis was made of the interviews, with the research questions as themes. A majority of the survey respondents thought that farm-based education could fit into the syllabi for science subjects, home and consumer studies and social study subjects. Only two of the 47 respondents thought that farm-based education did not fit into the syllabus of any subject. Most respondents found it important with documented effects of farm-based education. Some respondents thought that farm-based education would take too much time from ordinary lectures. Most respondents thought that the farmer together with schoolteachers, or with teachers employed at the farm, should teach the students during farm visits, rather than the farmer alone. The results of both the survey and the interviews indicate that farm-based education might be suitable for all students, for whole classes as well as for smaller groups of students in need of special support. Farm-based education can fit into the syllabi of many school subjects, including languages, mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, home and consumer studies, crafts and sports and health. Many survey respondents and two interviewees found transportation to farms to be a potential problem for farm-based education. All interviewees thought that economy is a potential problem for farm-based education. They had found that teachers who are familiar with farm-based education are usually positive to it, while teachers who have no such experience might be more reluctant. To attract teachers, farm visits should be well organised and easy to fit into the schedule. Preparations, structure and safety routines are crucial. The interviewees found it important that farm-based education is connected to the school curriculum and syllabi, and they thought that it can be advantageous to work interdisciplinary. According to the interviewees, farm animals are central in most farm activities. Children can learn a lot from socialising with animals, studying their behaviour and compare with human behaviour. The farm environment and the animals increase attention and create opportunities for learning. Educational farms provide unique learning opportunities that are not given anywhere else. Regarding further education for teachers within farm-based education, both survey respondents and interviewees preferred a mixture of online teaching and physical meetings. The interviewees claimed that a course about farm-based education should include handling of different kinds of animals and the relationship between animals and children. Some conclusions from the study are that farm-based education might enhance students’ learning in several school subjects. The interviewed teachers and farm staff with experience of farm-based education saw possibilities to use it more in the education, especially for younger students and for students with special needs. It can be recommended to increase availability of farm-based education and let all students take part of it at least to some degree. For students with special needs, farm-based education might improve school attendance, health and well-being. Further research is needed to evaluate effects and suitable methods for farm-based education.