Using a Pen Pal Program to Assess Student Learning in Science and Communications

Youth at two schools (St. John, USVI and West Liberty, Iowa) participated in the I Grow Culture Pen Pal program.  The purpose of the 8-week program was to evaluate how well middle school students communicate about local gardening and science.  The collaborating schools were specifically chosen because they meet the criteria of having a garden for middle school students to integrate English and science into their agriculture curriculum.  Specific objectives of this study were to 1) increase understanding of local gardening, 2) establish a garden-based distance cultural relationship, 3) practice communication technologies to improve writing and science communication, and 4) increase awareness of sustainability in both environments.  The program supported expository writing skills, understanding of traditional learning systems, and improved knowledge of garden diversity and practices.  Pre and post questionnaires with multiple choice and open-ended responses were administered to evaluate knowledge gain with the pen pal program.  Additional documents such as suitcase of artifacts, brochures and videos were developed by the students and collected to evaluate students’ perspectives on culture, agriculture and sustainability.  Preliminary results showed that Caribbean students are more confident to explain their school garden while the Iowa students have a better understanding of sustainable gardening.  Both schools have identified the need to keep their garden growing for years to come.