Presented to the faculty of the Senior High School

Southville 8B Senior High School

Rodriguez, Rizal

Perceptions of HUMSS 11A students of Southville 8b SHS Towards

Gardening as a psycho-social tool for coping with stress during the pandemic

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Humanities and Social Sciences

Montallana, Trixie Flor D.

Noel, Roselyn V.
Omabay, Baby Jane P.
Reseuello, Shiela Mae M.
Tomagan, Katherine E.

June 2021
 Chapter 1
Introduction

Background of the Study

The Covid 19 virus really changes everything from the way we live our
lives and how it controls our mind that everyone wants it to banished soon.
Everyone is consumed by depression and lately the reports of people taking
their lives increase, so in the midst of healing our minds we find ways to turn
away our attention to all of our mental problems. We play games and discover
some indoor hobbies to kill time since outside activities are prohibited. Some
of us learn how to plant flowers and vegetables. This research will focus on
how gardening helps Grade 11 HUMSS students of Southville 8B Senior High
School in coping stress during pandemic. What is gardening? Gardening is
the practice of planting and growing plants. Gardening can also help the
economy and provides basic needs for every family. Except from food
production, Gardening can also be used as therapy for anxiety, stress and
depression. According to the study of Michelle Infante-Casella (2020),
“Growing a vegetable garden may be a way for adults and children to cope
with boredom and helps families gain a sense of security”. Gardening is a
great source of food that gives the Filipino a sense of security because the
pandemic affected our economy that some of the citizens lost their job during
the pandemic. Through gardening we can support ourselves and it also
reduces our fear that our family might starve. According to Jeanne Croteau
(2019), “Engaging with a garden distracts us from obsessing about our
problems”. Gardening helps us to distract ourselves from distress during this
pandemic. Given the isolation it triggers our minds to think about our problems
so garden is a great help to ease this mental health issues. Engaging
ourselves to green nature helps us to think clearly and soothe the heavy
feelings we have. This research aims to identify the mental health benefits of
gardening to the students. We want to show the psychological health benefits
of gardening to humans.
Statement of the Problem:
This study on perception of HUMSS 11A towards gardening as a
Psycho - Social tool for coping stress during the pandemic aims to investigate
the psychological effect of gardening as a stress coping tools of students
during the pandemic. The foremost assumption of this investigation lies in the
possible effects of gardening in lowering psychological health problems during
the pandemic.

Problem 1. What is the profile of the students in terms of:

a. Gender
b. Age
Problem 2. What are the perceptions of students towards gardening in terms
of?
A. Leisure, Business and Hobby
B. Stress Reliever
Problem 3. What are the perceived benefits of gardening among the
respondents in terms of;
A. Social and Financial
B. Psychological
Problem 4. What is the effect of perception towards gardening of the
respondents to their perceived benefits from the aforementioned activity?
Problem 5. What is the relationship between perceptions towards gardening
of the respondents to their perceived benefits from the aforementioned
activity?
HYPOTHESIS. There is no significant relationship between perceptions
towards gardening of the respondents to their perceived benefits from the
aforementioned activity?
Scope and Delimitation
This investigation sets it's scope on the Perception of HUMSS 11A in
gardening to the psycho social tool in coping the stress during pandemic.
Additionally, data gathering procedures would be through online survey taken
their free time. Similarly, Garden Design Questionnaire (GDQ) and Home
owners gardening questions gitty up and grow will be uses as a data
gathering tool. After all, the research will focus on current perception of
HUMSS 11A in terms of gardening as a psycho social tool.

On the other hand, the study sets limitation on performing of gardening

and horticulture. Also, other aspects for coping with stress during pandemic is
such as playing indoor activities and sports, cooking and drawing will not be
considered. Additionally, other forms of data gathering such as face to face
interview and actual observation will not be conducted. In line with this, other
measures of perception in gardening and other psycho social tool will not be
investigated. Finally, the duration of the use of gardening to relieve stress
during pandemic will not be explore
Significance of the study
This investigation finds significance in identifying the perception of other
students of grade 11 HUMSS A towards gardening also, Teacher should
influence the students that gardening has a lot of benefits. Similarly, it allows
the parents to motivate and influence their children that gardening is a healthy
lifestyle.

More specifically, the study identifies the following groups of people as

its main beneficiaries.

The main beneficiaries

Students - Do gardening in their leisure time to enjoy and have fun to avoid
stress. Student should do gardening in their free time so that they avoid over
thinking that sometimes can lead to stress.
Teachers- Teach them how to proper implant and care for the plants so that it
will grow and not to die. Teachers will be able to actively teach them and they
should extend patience towards the students to make their gardening well.
Parents- Monitor and guide them so that they'll know if they are doing well.
Parents will be able to positively guide and teach their children in proper
planting and growing plants.

Chapter 2
Review of Related Literature

Gardens and gardening can help people with a variety of health and
social issues improve their health and well-being. Gardening and its effects
may be seen as a global "social prescription" for people with long-term
illnesses (LTCs) (Howarth, Brette, Hordman, Maden, 2020).In addition,
gardening community activity had a positive impact on well-being for both
gardeners and group facilitators, according to the results of the thematic
study. This was accomplished by encouraging coping, fostering improvement,
and honing skills (Joyce, Warren, 2016).Hence in the United States, there are
thousands of school gardens, and anecdotal evidence suggests that school
garden projects will improve students' learning in academic, social, and
health-related domains. However, there has been no systematic research on
the effects of school gardens or the factors that foster their long-term viability.
This study uses ecological theory to conceptualize school gardens as
structural strategies that have the potential to improve individual students'
health and well-being through multiple interdependent domains, as well as
enhance the school climate as a setting for positive youth development (Emily
Ozer, 2007).
Moreover, there is mounting evidence that gardening has significant
health benefits for humans. However, no systematic statistical analysis has
been performed to back up this claim. We present the findings of a meta-
analysis of studies on the health benefits of gardening, including horticultural
therapy (Soga, Gaston, Yamaura, 2016). Furthermore, participating in
allotment gardening has been shown to have a wide variety of health benefits
in previous studies. Quantitative data, on the other hand, is still scarce. We
quantify the effects of allotment gardening on physical, psychological, and
social health, if any exist (Soga, Cox, Yamaura, Gaton, Kurisu,Hanki, 2016).
Nevertheless, by putting it in the text sense of urban green space
management and valuation, we created a structure that demonstrates how
ecosystem health and urban gardening are interconnected. This research
produces a collection of metrics that can be used to evaluate soil ecosystem
resources and health impacts (Bijkerk, Otte, Dirven, Breure, 2018).
Therefore, natural space is good for people's mental health, as shown
by a vast body of study. This advantage is especially important for university
staff and students who are at a crucial stage in their physical and mental
growth Given that most college students find university research to be very
stressful, a study of campus may be useful in developing a sustainable
campus landscape design (Lau, yang, 2009).However since the year 2000,
gardening has been linked to improved mental health in vulnerable
communities. Gardening was linked to adult mental health in both people with
and without heart disease, including the ability to focus, feeling useful, feeling
capable of making choices, thinking of oneself as useless, and feeling
relatively satisfied, among other things. Adults of all ages, with or without
heart conditions, can benefit from gardening or construction work. In order to
improve adult mental health, future public health programmers should be
encouraged to promote such practice ( Ivy Shiue, 2016). Additionally, the top
gardening motivators were: aesthetics, shading, hobby enjoyment, food
supply, physical activity, and environmental protection. The top five reasons
for not gardening were: paving the yard (a popular practice among local
building designers), a lack of free land (the house took up the majority of the
processed urban plot), bad weather, a high water bill, and a lack of gardening
expertise (Al-Mayahi, Maktouni, 2019).
Moreover, the aim of this paper is to evaluate the quantitative and
qualitative improvements in academic results and personal actions that the
experience has brought about (Gallardo, Verde, Valdes, 2013). On the other
hand therapeutic function of nature in the form of a garden, as observed by
participants during their rehabilitation, has been studied (Adevi, Montensson,
2013).
Besides, home vegetable gardens were grown by two-thirds of
students, and one-quarter of all students engaged in home gardening.
Students who gardened were more likely to be male, of Pacific Island
ancestry, younger in age, and live in a rural setting.Gardening was linked to
healthier eating habits among students, including more fruit and vegetable
intake. Gardening was also linked to increased physical activity as well as
better mental health and well-being (Lier, Utter, Denny, Lucassen, Ben, 2017).
Also the number of people who garden and identify as environmentally
conscious is increasing. The aim of this exploratory study was to see whether
“environmental gardening identity” is an observable construct that motivates
environmentally friendly home gardening cultivation practices beyond what
the previously validated environment identity scale predicts (EID, Clayton,
2013) (Kiesling, Manning, 2010).
Consequently, those who had previously gardened had a more positive
attitude about gardening than those who had never done so. Gardening is a
cheap way to teach teamwork and delayed gratification while also giving a
sense of empowerdament to at-risk adolescent during incarceration (Hardin-
Fanning, Adegboyega, Rayens, 2017). Even so, as cities continue to become
more urbanized, and our ever-increasing population lives in smaller spaces,
human-nature interaction and green space research is becoming increasingly
important. The main goal of this research was to see how gardening affected
people's perceptions of life satisfaction (Walickzeck, Zajicek, Lineberger,
2015).

CHAPTER 3
Methodology
Research Locale
The study will be conducted at Southville 8B Senior High School of
Rodriguez Rizal. Southville 8B Senior High School is a public senior high
school located in Laylayan, Southville 8B phase 4. The school was
established in 2015 and currently offers HUMSS for academic tracks as well
as EIM, EPAs, and Automotive for Technical Vocational and Livelihood Track.
Ma’am Cabalang was the first Principal in Southville 8b Senior High School and she
serve for 3 yrs. Followed by Sir Greg Velarde which for 1 ½ year and the current
principal is Sir Mar Mangado.

Samples and Sampling Technique

Respondents for this research were selected using the non-probability
sampling technique following the purposive sampling procedure. Only one
section (HUMSS-A) from grade 11 HUMSS students of Southville 8B Senior
High School of Rodriguez Rizal was considered as respondents. 31 out of 63
students will be purposively selected.

Data Gathering Instrument

The Perceptivity of Gardening Questionnaire (PGQ) and Benefits of
Gardening Questionnaire (BGQ) are the instruments used to gather data from
the respondents. PGQ and BGQ both have 10 comprised statements scored
by a 5- points Likert agreement scale. Below is the 5-Likert interval used to
score questionnaires;
5- strongly agree
4- moderately agree
3-disagree
2- moderately disagree
1-strongly disagree

Sample items in PGQ are “I do gardening when I have time” and “I

believe plants bring positive energy derive from the environment”. Similarly,
the BGQ provides statements such as “I believe that gardening helps me
enhance my well-being” and “I believe that gardening is good for our mental
health.”

Data Gathering Procedure

Questionnaires were distributed to the respondents online. Statements
from the questionnaire were represented as a survey to be accomplished as a
Google Form. Questionnaires were administered within a limited time frame
for the respondents to respond to maintain uniformity of external factors
during data gathering. All responses will be automatically recorded and tallied
via MS Excel Spreadsheet.

Statistical Treatment of Data

Quantitative data is processed using MS Excel Spreadsheet for
computation of interim values and descriptive statistics. Frequency tables
from the responses were represented as grouped data using weighted mean
formula (Likert score x Frequency/Number of respondents) for each statement
of the data gathering instrument. Standard deviation of responses was also
calculated using genetic deviation formula pre-loaded in MS Excel.

Chapter 4
Bibliography
Adevi, A. A., & Mårtensson, F. (2013). Stress rehabilitation through garden
therapy: The garden as a place in the recovery from stress. Urban Forestry &
Urban Greening, 12(2), 230-237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2013.01.007

Al-Mayahi, A., Al-Ismaily, S., Gibreel, T., Kacimov, A., & Al-Maktoumi, A.
(2019). Home gardening in Muscat, Oman: Gardeners’ practices, perceptions
and motivations. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 38, 286-294.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2019.01.011

Hardin-Fanning, F., Adegboyega, A. O., & Rayens, M. K. (2017). Adolescents’

perceptions of a gardening activity at a juvenile justice center. Journal of
Holistic Nursing, 36(2), 170-178. https://doi.org/10.1177/0898010117707865

Joyce, J., & Warren, A. (2016). A case study exploring the influence of a
gardening therapy group on well-being. Occupational Therapy in Mental
Health, 32(2), 203-215. https://doi.org/10.1080/0164212x.2015.1111184

Kiesling, F. M., & Manning, C. M. (2010). How green is your thumb?

Environmental gardening identity and ecological gardening practices. Journal
of Environmental Psychology, 30(3), 315-327.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2010.02.004

Lau, S. S., & Yang, F. (2009). Introducing healing gardens into a compact
University campus: Design natural space to create healthy and sustainable
campuses. Landscape Research, 34(1), 55-81.
https://doi.org/10.1080/01426390801981720

Ozer, E. J. (2006). The effects of school gardens on students and schools:

Conceptualization and considerations for maximizing healthy development.
Health Education & Behavior, 34(6), 846-863.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1090198106289002

Ruiz-Gallardo, J., Verde, A., & Valdés, A. (2013). Garden-based learning: An

experience with “At risk” secondary education students. The Journal of
Environmental Education, 44(4), 252-270.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2013.786669

Schram-Bijkerk, D., Otte, P., Dirven, L., & Breure, A. M. (2018). Indicators to
support healthy urban gardening in urban management. Science of The Total
Environment, 621, 863-871. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.11.160

Shiue, I. (2015). Gardening is beneficial for adult mental health: Scottish

health survey, 2012–2013. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy,
23(4), 320-325. https://doi.org/10.3109/11038128.2015.1085596

Soga, M., Cox, D., Yamaura, Y., Gaston, K., Kurisu, K., & Hanaki, K. (2017).
Health benefits of urban allotment gardening: Improved physical and
psychological well-being and social integration. International Journal of
Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(1), 71.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14010071

Soga, M., Gaston, K. J., & Yamaura, Y. (2017). Gardening is beneficial for
health: A meta-analysis. Preventive Medicine Reports, 5, 92-99.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2016.11.007
Van Lier, L. E., Utter, J., Denny, S., Lucassen, M., Dyson, B., & Clark, T.
(2016). Home gardening and the health and well-being of adolescents. Health
Promotion Practice, 18(1), 34-43. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839916673606

Waliczek, T., Zajicek, J., & Lineberger, R. (2005). The influence of gardening
activities on consumer perceptions of life satisfaction. HortScience, 40(5),
1360-1365. https://doi.org/10.21273/hortsci.40.5.1360

What is the evidence for the impact of gardens and gardening on health and
well-being: A scoping review and evidence-based logic model to guide
healthcare strategy decision making on the use of gardening approaches as a
social prescription. (2020). BMJ Open, 10(7), e036923.
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-036923
 Chapter 5
Result of the Study

Perceptivity in Gardening Questionnaire

Instructions: Place a check mark on the answer that applies to your response
Profiling
MALE___ FEMALE ___

15 - 17 years old ___ 18 - 20 years old ____ 21-23 years old ____ more
than 24 years old
AGREEMENT SCALE
Stron Moder Unde Moderat Strongl
gly ately cided ely y
Agree Agree Disagree Disagr
ee
PERCEPTIONS TOWARDS
GARDENING
LEISURE, BUSINESS HOBBY
1 I do gardening when I have
time
2 I take care of the plants by
watering it
3 I make a living by selling
plants
4 I like planting new species of
plants
5 I know how to trim and
design plants
STRESS RELIEVER
1 I feel glad when I do
gardening
2 I feel relieved when visiting
my garden
3 My plants helps me to have
a peace of mind whenever I
have a problem
4 I spend time to m garden
when I’m stress
5 I believed plants bring
positive energy derive for the
environment.
 Benefits if Gardening Qustionnaire
Instructions: Place a check mark on the answer that applies to your response
AGREEMENT SCALE
Strong Moderat Unde Moderatel Strongly
ly ely cided y Disagre
Agree Agree Disagree e
PERCEIVED BENEFITS
OF GARDENING
SOCIAL AND FINANCIAL
1 I make lots of friends
when I do gardening
2 I believed that gardening
helps me enhance my
well-being
3 Social entertainment is
provided by gardening
for me
4 I save more money for
herbal medication
5 I save money for
groceries
PSYCHOLOGICAL
1 Gardening helps me
to alleviate my
anxiety
2 Gardening able to
reduce my stress and
improve my mood
3 Gardening has a
positive effects on my
emotions or my behavior
4 I believed that gardening
is good for our mental
health
5 I think gardening makes
me smarter

PROFILING TABLES
Table 1. Frequency and Percentage of the Respondents Grouped According
to Sex
SEX Frequency Percentage
Male 7 22.6
Female 24 77.4
Total 31 100.0
Majority of students who responds in our survey are female with 77.4%. The
remaining percentages are male with 22.6%. Overall, our respondents for the
study are female dominated.
Table 2. Frequency and Percentage of the Respondents Grouped According
to Age
Age Group Frequency Percentage
15-17 years old 14 45.2
18-20 years old 13 41.9
21-23 years old 3 9.7
More than 24 years old 1 3.2
Total 31 100.0

Majority of the respondents belong to the age grouping of 15-17 years old with
45.2%. On the other hand, age grouping of 18-20 years old constitutes 41.9%
of respondents. The rest of respondents are 21-23 years old with 9.7% and
3.2% for the age grouping of more than 24 years old.
DESCRIPTIVE TABLES
Table 3. Degree of Agreement to Perceptivity in Gardening Questionnaire
VERBAL INTERPRETATION TABLE

Questionnaire statements WM VERBAL

INTERPRETATI
ON

LEISURE, BUSINESS HOBBY

1.I do gardening when I have time 3.83870967 Moderately

7 Agree

2. I take care of the plants by watering it 4.19354838 Moderately

7 Agree

3. I make a living by selling plants 2.80645161 Undecided

3

4. I like planting new species of plants 3.58064516 Moderately

1 Agree

5. I know how to trim and design plants 2.90322580 Undecided

6
 STRESS RELIEVER

6.I feel glad when I do gardening 4.25806451 Strongly Agree

6

7. I feel relieved when visiting my garden 4.22580645 Strongly Agree

2

8. My plants helps me to have a peace of 4.25806451 Strongly Agree

mind whenever I have a problem 6

9. I spend time to m garden when I’m stress 3.93548387 Moderately

1 Agree

10. I believed plants bring positive energy 4.58064516 Strongly Agree

derive for the environment. 1

MEAN 3.85806452 Moderately

3 Agree

Legend:
1.00 – 1.79 Strongly Disagree
1.80 – 2.59 Moderately Disagree
2.60 – 3.39 Undecided
3.40 – 4.19 Moderately Agree
4.20 – 5.00 Strongly Agree
The highest degree of agreement (WM=4.59) to the Perceptivity in Gardening
Questionnaire (PGQ) was noted for statement number 10 stating that “I
believed plants bring energy derive for the environment”. On the other hand
the lowest level of agreement (WM=2.81) to the PGQ was noted for statement
number “I make a living for selling plants”. The total mean value of responses
to the PGQ is noted at 3.83 and verbally interpreted as “moderately agree”.

Table 4. Degree of Agreement to Benefits of Gardening Questionnaire

VERBAL INTERPRETATION TABLE

Questionnaire statements WM VERBAL

INTERPRETATI
ON

SOCIAL AND FINANCIAL

1.I make lots of friends when I do 3.7419354838 Moderately

 gardening 709 Agree

2. I believed that gardening helps me 4.2258064516 Strongly Agree

enhance my well-being 129

3. Social entertainment is provided by 3.6451612903 Moderately

gardening for me 266 Agree

4. I save more money for herbal 3.5483870967 Moderately

medication 741 Agree

5. I save money for groceries 3.6774193548 Moderately

387 Agree

PSYCHOLOGICAL

6.Gardening helps me to alleviate my 4.1290322580 Moderately

anxiety 645 Agree

7. Gardening able to reduce my stress 4.2903225806 Strongly Agree

and improve my mood 451

8. Gardening has a positive effects on 4.2580645161 Strongly Agree

my emotions or my behavior 290

9.I believed that gardening is good for 4.5161290322 Strongly Agree

our mental health 580

10. I think gardening makes me smarter 3.9254838709 Moderately

677 Agree

MEAN 1.1560874089 Strongly

491 Disagree

Legend:
1.00 – 1.79 Strongly Disagree
1.80 – 2.59 Moderately Disagree
2.60 – 3.39 Undecided
3.40 – 4.19 Moderately Agree
4.20 – 5.00 Strongly Agree
The highest degree of agreement (WM=4.57) to the Benefits of Gardening
Questionnaire (BGQ) was noted for statement number 9 stating that “I
believed that gardening is good for our mental health”. On the other hand, the
lowest level of agreement (WM=3.55) to the BGQ was noted for the statement
number 4 stating that “I save more money for herbal medication.” The total
mean value of responses to the BGQ is noted at 1.16 and verbally interpreted
as “strongly agree”.

Table 5: t-test for Significant Differences Between Questionnaires PGQ and

BGQ
Instrument Mean Sd t-value p-value verbal interpretation

PGQ 3.85 0.59 17.16 0.001 Statistically significant.

BGQ 1.16 0.33

Independent sample t-test of responses for PGQ and BGQ are revealed a t-
value of 17.16 and a probability value of 0.001. Based on accepted statistical
standards tested at a fixed level of significance (0.05), these results are
interpreted as statistically significant.

Summary of Findings
Presented hereafter are the significant findings from the current investigation.
 Majority of students who responds in our survey are female
with 77.4%. The remaining percentages are male with 22.6%.
Overall, our respondents for the study are female dominated.
 Majority of the respondents belong to the age grouping of 15-
17 years old with 45.2%. On the other hand, age grouping of
18-20 years old constitutes 41.9% of respondents. The rest of
respondents are 21-23 years old with 9.7% and 3.2% for the
age grouping of more than 24 years old.
 The highest degree of agreement (WM=4.59) to the
Perceptivity in Gardening Questionnaire (PGQ) was noted for
statement number 10 stating that “I believed plants bring
energy derive for the environment”. On the other hand the
lowest level of agreement (WM=2.81) to the PGQ was noted
for statement number “I make a living for selling plants”. The
total mean value of responses to the PGQ is noted at 3.83 and
verbally interpreted as “moderately agree”.
  The highest degree of agreement (WM=4.57) to the Benefits of
Gardening Questionnaire (BGQ) was noted for statement
number 9 stating that “I believed that gardening is good for our
mental health”. On the other hand, the lowest level of
agreement (WM=3.55) to the BGQ was noted for the statement
number 4 stating that “I save more money for herbal
medication.” The total mean value of responses to the BGQ is
noted at 1.16 and verbally interpreted as “strongly agree”.
 Independent sample t-test of responses for PGQ and BGQ are
revealed a t-value of 17.16 and a probability value of 0.001.
Based on accepted statistical standards tested at a fixed level
of significance (0.05), these results are interpreted as
statistically significant

Conclusions
As determined by the statistical treatment of collected data, the researchers
bring forward the following conclusions to their pre-determined hypothesis.
 The hypothesis state that there is no significant relationship
between perceptions towards gardening of the respondents to
their perceived benefits from the aforementioned activity is
rejected because there is statistical significance based from
the statistical treatment of data gathered.

Recommendation
Upon completion of the current investigation, the researchers suggest the
following improvements on possible future endeavors that the current
research idea may foster.
 To prove that gardening has any effect on psychosocial health
of a person, the researcher should do an experimental study
with people who suffer from depression, anxiety, and stress.
 To collect more data, the researcher should conduct their
survey on a wider population. It has the potential to broaden
the scope of information and ideas in order to make the study
more credible.