School Urban Gardening as Influenced by School Governing Council Support

This study examined the extent of School Governing Council (SGC) support and its influence on implementing school urban gardening in selected public schools. Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, Social Capital Theory, and Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations Theory, the research focused on the contribution of governance support to the sustainability and educational value of gardening programs. Utilizing a quantitative-descriptive and correlational design, the study involved 110 school personnel selected through purposive sampling. Data were gathered through a validated survey and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression. Results showed that SGC support was perceived as very extensive across all domains, particularly in monitoring and evaluation, sustainability, and logistical support. Urban gardening was also implemented to a very extensive degree, yielding strong outcomes in interdisciplinary learning, environmental enhancement, student leadership, and produce yield. Despite this, there was no significant overall relationship between SGC support and gardening implementation had no significant overall relationship. However, monitoring and evaluation emerged as a significant positive predictor, while logistical support showed a significant negative influence. The study concludes that effective governance requires alignment with school-level needs and participatory approaches. It recommends improving monitoring systems, aligning logistical assistance with actual requirements, and promoting greater teacher and student involvement.