project evaluation OBJECTIVE
One objective from the Gorgas Garden experience is introduce child participants to nutritious foods and healthy eating habits. The activity through which they will gain this information and learn these skills involves successfully growing an assortment of fruits and vegetables. Gorgas Garden staff and volunteers will assist in the activity and be knowledgeable of gardening and/or nutrition. The desired outcome is that 20 out of a total 30 children will know basic nutrition facts about the fruits and vegetables grown in Gorgas Garden and at home and in life, they will independently make healthier food choices. Using a storytelling evaluation approach to assess the success of these outcomes is an organic and creative method to capture the unique perspectives and experiences of the participants. Each child's story will speak to a broad audience and will be an excellent way to communicate to stakeholders why Gorgas Garden is important to the children and how the project has the potential to transform the community of Roxborough (An Introduction, 2007).
There are two indicators that prove the outcome was achieved: that the children participants increase their daily intake of healthy fruits and vegetables and exhibit a preference for healthy foods and snacks over unhealthy ones. One way I would like to evaluate their increased knowledge of fruits and vegetables and see evidence of their preference for healthy food is to take part in a veggie identification activity and a drawing exercise.
There are two indicators that prove the outcome was achieved: that the children participants increase their daily intake of healthy fruits and vegetables and exhibit a preference for healthy foods and snacks over unhealthy ones. One way I would like to evaluate their increased knowledge of fruits and vegetables and see evidence of their preference for healthy food is to take part in a veggie identification activity and a drawing exercise.
NARRATIVE PROCESS FOR EVALUATION
At the very beginning of the program, before we sow seeds, I will assess the participants' current ability to identify 8 vegetables that will be grown in Gorgas Garden (youngest participants may be given a word bank to choose from rather than filling in a blank). Next, they will be given a paper with an image of an empty plate in which they will be asked to draw pictures of their favorite foods.
At the end of the program, the children will be asked to participate in another assessment in which they will be given the name of a garden vegetable and will be required to draw a picture of it and describe one fact about it (what it tastes like, if it grows above ground or below, why it is healthy to eat, etc). They will again be given a paper with the image of an empty plate and will draw (with materials such as crayons and markers) in it their favorite foods and snacks. This drawing assessment is a way for children to use creativity and art to demonstrate the knowledge that they have acquired through involvement in Gorgas Garden. It is expected that most children participants will be able to draw images of the vegetable, even when just given the names, because they will have had hands-on experiences with them weeks and months beforehand. Determining a change in the children's food preferences is harder to gauge. However, comparing a child's pre- and post-program food plate images, and noting what percentage of the foods on the plate are healthy, will illustrate if a child is making healthy or unhealthy food choices. The pre- and post-assessments will be evaluated to understand where the program instruction and activities were successful and where there is room for improvement.
stakeholder communication
Gorgas Garden will save and analyze all of the participants' drawings and quizzes will request the participants' permission to share their assessments with stakeholders. Successfully achieving the goals and outcomes of Gorgas Garden, as evidenced by the children's ability to identify vegetables, share basic nutrition facts about them, and show an increased interest and preference in healthy food choices, will be communicated to stakeholders and the community via print and online media reports. These communiques will chronicle the children's advances in self-improvement through healthy eating, and their increased knowledge, and will be shared with stakeholders to maintain or encourage their support and interest in supporting Gorgas Garden.