A study by Laura Rollin (MSc Plant Diversity)
A request to complete a 10 minute survey
The survey linked here is asking for background information from all UK gardens to find out what percentage of gardens offer tours, how they are organised and how popular they are.
Complete the survey here.
Background to the survey
This investigation has been developed as part of my MSc Plant Diversity course at The University of Reading. I came to this subject as a retired teacher, interested in education, coupled with an obvious interest in plant diversity! To provide information for the above study, you are being asked to complete a short on-line survey.
Botanic Gardens have a long history of using their vast collections, and their expertise, to demonstrate and teach about the importance of plant diversity and its conservation.
Target 14 of The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) recognises the importance of the role of education in the conservation of plant diversity, and it hasbeen widely adopted by Botanic Gardens. Several types of activity have been developed to this end, one being Guided Tours.
This study is designed to investigate how Guided Tours are contributing to meeting the aims of Target 14.
The main thrust of the study has been to interview willing garden visitors after they have been on a tour and ask open questions about why they joined the tour, what they have learned or found interesting and what it was about the tour that enhanced their visit to the garden.
The outcome of the study should provide feedback about what motivates visitors to join a tour and what are the characteristics of a successful tour.
