Multicultural School Gardens - Evaluation project

Dr Cutter-Mackenzie has been contracted to evaluate the Multicultural School Gardens project, managed by the Gould Group. The Multicultural School Gardens project is funded by the Victorian Government through a Community Support Fund grant and the Department of Education and Training. The Western Bulldogs Football Club is also participating in this community driven project. It is a three-year project which commenced early 2006.

Multicultural School Gardens seeks to combine community volunteering, multicultural understanding, gardening and cooking into a whole school environmental education project. Ethnic volunteers, particularly older community members, share with students their experiences, stories of their culture, and the traditional food plants that they grow and eat. In turn, students mentor their buddies in English language development and communications technologies helping them to connect with others.

Dr Cutter-Mackenzie is researching the program, specifically engaging students, teachers, principals, families, community organisations and stakeholders to evaluate the educational, environmental and economic outcomes of the program. Data will be collected from a range of sources in order to answer questions relating to the following key areas:

1. Cultural understanding: Did students learn more about their own culture? What progress was made in terms of intercultural understanding & interaction in the community? What social issues were identified in the community?
2. Community links: Has the project successfully engaged the community?
3. Healthy eating: Has the project changed the way students view healthy eating?
4. Changes in behaviour: How have the behaviours of students and teachers, curriculum, whole-school engagement, links with the local community changed?
5. Addressing priority areas of VELS: What have students learnt? What changes in learning and teaching have occurred?
6. Environment: What have students learnt about their environment, sustainable practices and resource use?
7. Overall: Has the project change the school curriculum? What were the key success factors of the project? Where could the project improve?

The key phases are:

1. Pre/Progress survey
2. Mid-survey
3. Participants as Researchers with support of Monash Research Buddy
4. Post-survey

Grant: $40,000