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Evaluation of the Kitchen Garden Program
An evaluation of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program has been undertaken by a joint research team from the Faculty of Health, Medicine, Nursing & Behavioural Sciences, Deakin University and The McCaughey Centre: Vichealth Centre for the Promotion of Mental Health and Community Wellbeing, University of Melbourne. The evaluation has now been completed, with the key findings and full report available for download below.
Download: Evaluation of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program – Key Findings (633.09Kb)
Download: Evaluation of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program – Full Report (4.30Mb)
The evaluation findings are extremely positive. One of the clearest findings is that the Kitchen Garden Program is encouraging positive health-behaviour change in participating children. The evaluation also highlights the transfer of Program benefits to the home and the broader community.
The research team:
- Dr Lisa Gibbs (Principal Investigator); The McCaughey Centre, University of Melbourne (formerly of Deakin University)
The methodology used to evaluate the Kitchen Garden Program consisted of a longitudinal design utilising a mixed methods approach. A combination of qualitative and quantitative data was collected from six participating schools and six comparison schools over a two-and-a-half-year period, to assess change over time. This measured process, impact and outcome indicators to assess the feasibility of the Program, how the Program is experienced by participants, whether changes have occurred and thus whether the aims have been achieved.
This evaluation was conducted in two phases:
Phase 1 – Descriptive: Includes the literature review and collection of baseline quantitative and process data. This provides a summary of existing research relating to school-based kitchen gardens. It also provides preintervention descriptive information about the school environments and programs, and the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of the children and parents in the intervention schools.
Phase 2 – Conceptual: Includes collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative process and impact data. The impact and success of the project was evaluated in terms of teacher, child and parent knowledge, attitudes and behaviours, and environmental change. A theoretical analysis of the qualitative data provides a richer understanding of the experience of the Program within the school and home environment. The understanding of Program challenges and enablers informs future directions for the Program model.
Funding partners
The evaluation funding partners include Deakin University, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (Victoria), VicHealth and the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust.
The files below are the available Evaluation documents:
Attached file Evaluation of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program – Key Findings (633.09Kb)
Attached file Evaluation of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program – Full Report (4.30Mb)
Attached file Kitchen Garden Program Evaluation – Presentation by Dr Lisa Gibbs (3.11Mb)
