The educational agricultural nursery as a pedagogical strategy for agroecological learning

Abstract

Introduction: Agricultural technical education faces the challenge of integrating theory and practice in real-world contexts to develop sustainable competencies. Educational agricultural nurseries are emerging as "living laboratories" that can enhance meaningful learning, but a gap exists between pedagogical practices and the curriculum. Materials and methods: A mixed-methods study (predominantly quantitative) with a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was implemented. The purposive sample included 30 students and 5 teachers from the Armengol Lara Valencia Educational Unit (Esmeraldas, Ecuador). Likert scales (α=0.90), technical performance rubrics, and pedagogical tests of agronomic knowledge were administered. Descriptive and inferential statistics (Student's t-test) were used for data analysis. Results: A statistically significant increase was observed between the pretest and posttest (t=10.72; p<0.001) with a very large effect size (d=1.69). The greatest improvements were recorded in motivation (38% increase) and practical application (32%), followed by agricultural sustainability (28%) and collaborative work (25%). Conceptual understanding showed moderate improvement (18%). Validation using the IADOV technique achieved a group satisfaction index of 0.95. Discussion: The findings confirm that school-based productive spaces, as didactic mediators, promote deep and lasting learning, coinciding with previous studies on experiential learning and school gardens. The nursery transcends mere productivity by becoming a laboratory that integrates production, environmental preservation, and socioeconomic viability. Conclusions: The self-sustaining agricultural nursery constitutes an effective, replicable pedagogical strategy aligned with the SDGs, which strengthens technical skills, motivation, and environmental awareness.