Action Research for School Development: The EDENlab Approach

Authors: Beate Weyland

Abstract:

The interdisciplinary laboratory EDEN (Educational Environments with Nature), established in 2020 at the Faculty of Education of the Free University of Bolzano, continues a research path initiated in 2012 on the relationship between pedagogy and architecture in the design process of school buildings. Between 2016 and 2018, an advisory support activity for schools emerged, combining the need to enhance the physical spaces of schools with the need to update teaching practices and develop school organization, aiming to improve the well-being of both pupils and teachers. The goal of accompanying the development of school communities through research-training paths involves designing pedagogical-didactic and architectural environments collaboratively, involving professionals from education, educational research, architecture, design, and local administration. From 2019 to 2024, more than 30 schools and educational communities across Italy have entered into research-training agreements with the university, focusing increasingly on creating spaces and teaching methods that envision educational spaces as places of well-being and cultural development. This paper presents the research path and the mixed methods used to support schools and educational communities: identifying the research question, developing the research objective, experimentation, and data collection for analysis and reflection. School and educational communities are involved in a participative and active manner. The quality of the action-research work is enriched by a special focus on the relationship with plants and nature in general. Plants are seen as mediators of processes that challenge traditional didactics and invite teachers, students, parents, and administrators to think about the quality of learning spaces and relationships based on well-being. The contribution is characterized by a particular focus on research methodologies and tools developed together with teachers to address the issues raised and measure the impact of the actions undertaken.

Keywords: School development, learning space, wellbeing, plants and nature.

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