Comparative Analysis of Gender Differences in Satisfaction with School Wall Removal and Greening - A Case Study of an Elementary School in Daegu Metropolitan City

To examine the gender differences in satisfaction of elementary school students with school wall removal and greening, a survey was carried out targeting 168 sixth grade students (92 boys and 76 girls) of an elementary school in Daegu Metropolitan City, Korea. As a result, the students were generally satisfied with wall removing and greening, and gave their higher marks in school’s image promotion (4.24), school landscape improvements (4.21), and expanding green space (4.06) on a 5 point scale. They also showed a little positive responses to increments of gardening opportunities (3.41) and talks with their friends (3.19). Whereas, they were somewhat more aware of strangers (3.35) and concerned about the probability of crime occurrence (3.36) after removing the school walls. There was no significant difference between male and female students in general satisfaction with wall removal and greening. Meanwhile, schoolgirls gave significantly higher scores regarding school’s image promotion and awareness of strangers than schoolboys (p < .001). More female students also acknowledged changes on school landscape improvements and increases in talks with their friends, and are more concerned about crime occurrence than male students (p < .05). Therefore, it is needed to pursue further study to maximize the positive effects and minimize the negative ones of school wall removal. In addition, the school projects should be designed to ensure the safety and security of all students in the school environment.