Farm Education and The Effect of a Farm Visit on Children’s Conception of Agriculture

Abstract

Personal connections to agriculture have decreased considerably in Finland during the last few decades due to structural changes in agriculture. In this study, we will elucidate the understanding and conception of agriculture amongst urban pupils who have grown up during the 21st century. The research strategy consists of intervention in form of a farm visit, with pre- and postassessment. The methods for collecting data were drawings for gaining a diversified understanding of how pupils understand, experience and conceptualize agriculture. The drawings were analyzed by visual content analysis. In addition, interviews, analyzed by inductive content analysis method, were used to clarify the results. Qualities of farms as authentic learning environments are defined and studied The study revealed that many pupils had irrational conceptions of agriculture before the farm visit (38 %), but decreased significantly after the visit. One of the explaining factors for these irrational conceptions was considered to be the influence of media sources. Farms as educational learning environments were able to correct pupils’ false conceptions. A realistic image of agriculture is of significant value for becoming an aware and responsible consumer as well as choosing a career in agriculture.

Keywords

• Agriculture, farm visit, media, conception, intervention, drawings, interviews

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