A Meta-analysis of Horticultural Therapy Programs for Children: Focusing on Journal Articles

Abstract

Background and objective: This study analyzed the effects of horticultural therapy programs for children using meta-analysis. It aims to provide logical grounds and basic data for practical intervention plans in educational settings.Methods: For analysis, out of total 498 papers published in journals from 2000 to 2022 under the keywords 'gardening (or horticulture) for children' and 'elementary gardening (or horticulture)', 35 articles were finally selected and analyzed, excluding those redundant or integrated with other age groups or programs.Results: First, the overall average effect size of horticultural therapy programs for children was 0.795, which was a medium size. Second, the average effect size for each dependent variable was the largest in the cognitive domain at 1.153, followed by the social domain, the psycho-emotional domain, and the physical domain. Third, the average effect size according to the grade of the subjects was the largest at 0.955 in the upper grades, followed by the lower grades and mixed grades. Fourth, as a result of meta-regression analysis, shorter time per session resulted in higher effectiveness of horticultural therapy programs for children (<i>p</i> = .001).Conclusion: In this study, the meta-analysis results showed that the most effective way to increase children's activity effectiveness in horticulture activities using plants is to conduct activities once a week, for 10 sessions or less, and with a time of less than 60 minutes per session.