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Realist evaluation of the "Every child a seed" programme
Author
Yap, Heng Yeow
Supervisor
Lee, Yew-Jin
Abstract
This study is an evaluation of the nationwide Every Child a Seed (ECAS) programme planned by the National Parks Board (NParks) Singapore to promote pro-environmental attitudes among primary school children. The ECAS programme has a decentralised implementation model, and there is no mechanism within the programme for NParks to monitor how schools actually carry out the activities. A realist evaluation paradigm was adopted to investigate the contexts and subtleties that influenced the implementation of the programme. Data were collected using a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods in three phases. In Phase I, an online survey that simultaneously collected quantitative data and qualitative data was sent to selected teachers in 207 primary schools in Singapore. Only 29 schools out of the 207 invited primary schools responded to the online survey. There were 93 teacher participants from these 29 schools. Only qualitative data were collected in Phase II of the study to investigate the issues that surfaced in Phase I. A total of 25 teachers (8 male and 17 female) from 21 schools were interviewed to gain more insights on the context that the ECAS operates within, the programme implementation processes and the programme outcomes. In Phase III, a quantitative case study research was conducted using a quasi-experimental research design to test the theory that the ECAS programme brings about positive change in the children’s attitude towards plants. The hypothesis for the quantitative study was that the ECAS programme would improve the students' attitude towards plants. Data from the online survey carried out in Phase I were analysed using a combination of descriptive statistics and content analysis. The interview data in Phase II were analysed using a mixture of framework analysis method (Ritchie & Spenser, 1994) and thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The findings from analysing the survey data and interview data indicated that there are three different clusters of schools based on the time and effort the schools invested in the ECAS programme. Three main barriers to implementation and six main enablers of implementation were identified after analysing how contextual factors influenced the implementation processes in these clusters. Recommendations were made on how the barriers can be minimised and how the enablers can be strengthened. The data from the quantitative case were analysed by conducting a dependent t-tests. Finding from the quantitative case study suggested that the ECAS programme can have positive effect on the students’ attitude towards plants. The findings from this evaluation study has the potential to help NParks refine the ECAS programme and make improvements to it. These improvements to the programme have the potential to help students experience a deeper appreciation for plants and for the environment, which are the ultimate aims of the NParks outreach policies to schools.
Date Issued
2019
Call Number
LB1047 Yap
Date Submitted
2019