Introduction
Plants and humans do not exist in isolation, but instead they are closely connected in an organic relationship (Choi, 2003), and humans feel more comfortable in an environment surrounded by plants (Son, 2000). Horticultural therapy started from a perspective of relationships between humans and plants, and it is not a new therapeutic tool that emerged from nowhere. It is a process to improve and cure the social, psychological and physical adaptability of humans through plants and horticultural activities (Jang, 2010).
In the early 1980s, horticultural therapy was first introduced in Korea, but had not received much attention until 1988 when horticulture started to be used for the purpose of vocational education in facilities for the disabled and special-education schools. It began to be used in earnest for the purpose of treatment and rehabilitation in the late 1990s (Lim, 2005). It has been about 25 years since horticultural therapy was introduced in Korea, and as of now, 20 college lifelong education centers in Korea are commissioned by the Korean Horticultural Therapy Association (KHTA) and provide programs to nurture horticultural therapists of the second and third grades. Colleges and graduate schools that offer major subjects about horticultural therapy provide education to nurture horticultural therapists of the first grade. As of December 31, 2015, around 3,500 horticultural therapists have been produced in Korea (KHTA, 2015).
Activities associated with horticulture have been conducted for the purpose of treatment, targeting diverse groups such as hospitals, social welfare centers, nursing homes, special-education schools, etc., and, more recently, creative experience programs have been introduced in educational fields for ordinary people and elementary school students (Jea, 2015). The Korean Horticultural Therapy Association (KHTA) was founded, and studies on horticultural therapy that had been conducted since then focused mainly on quantitative research to identify the effects of horticultural therapy programs on various participants, and to analyze and verify results before and after the programs (Choi, 2009).
Against this backdrop, Ji (2010) suggested the necessity of the understanding and supplementation of qualitative research to verify the effectiveness of horticultural therapy in various ways.
Rho (2007) pointed out that occupational therapy, art therapy and music therapy had been introduced as complementary and alternative medicine, and that the number of studies on them had gradually increased. Horticultural therapy, however, has not sufficiently increased competitiveness in terms of the quality of education due to the lack of efforts to raise awareness of the field compared to its quantitative growth (Jang, 2010). In this regard, it is necessary to conduct studies on SWOT analysis that can suggest measures and strategies to ensure horticultural therapy can be established as a more systematic field of study, and as a field of complementary and alternative medicine with high competitiveness.
SWOT (Strength Weakness Opportunity Threat) is an effective marketing strategy tool to determine strategic directions for users, and they can be used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a target object in internal environments, and distinguish opportunities and threats in external environments. By doing so, its strengths and weaknesses can be maximized and minimized respectively, and its opportunities and threats can be utilized and suppressed respectively (Han et al., 2004).
SWOT analysis has been widely used in business fields to establish strategies, and it began to be used in various fields of study. For instance, Park and Park (2007) tried to search directions for the development of business education using SWOT analysis; Cai (2008) conducted a study on measures to strengthen the competitiveness of key ports in China using SWOT analysis; and An (2016) used SWOT analysis to diagnose the status and development measures of the Boxing Association of Korea (BAK).
Against this backdrop, this study attempted to use SWOT analysis for the first time in the field of horticultural therapy, and thus to efficiently respond to environmental changes and trends with horticultural therapy, and to suggest the development directions and visions of future strategies.
To analyze the strengths and weaknesses of horticultural therapy in the internal environment, research trends were analyzed by focusing on theses that had been published for the period from the first year (1998) when horticultural therapy was first introduced in Korea, to 2015. In addition, conditions for the development of SWOT matrix strategies were determined to ensure more desirable and future-oriented horticultural therapy can be established in Korea.
Research method
1. Research target
SWOT analysis is comprised of internal factors (strengths and weaknesses) and external factors (opportunities and threats) (Fig. 1). In this study, research trends were first reviewed by focusing on domestically-published theses to analyze the internal factors of horticultural therapy.
To review the research trends of theses, several keywords were searched on the website of the Research Information Service System (www.riss.kr) including ‘horticultural therapy,’ ‘horticulture activity,’ ‘welfare horticulture,’ and ‘horticultural treatment.’ Among the theses of master’s and doctorate degrees that had been published between 1998 and 2015, 422 theses were searched under the keyword of horticultural treatment; 421 theses, horticulture activity; 92 these, welfare horticulture; and 42 theses, horticultural therapy. Among 977 theses in total, some theses were excluded: 478 theses that were searched repeatedly, 21 theses of which original texts were not available, and 40 theses unrelated to horticultural therapy. Thus, in total, 438 theses were selected as final targets in this study.
2. Research content
In this study, 438 theses of master’s and doctorate degrees that were published for the period from 1998 to 2015 were analyzed by year. They were statistically analyzed by college, degree type and region as well. Frequency analysis and χ2 test were conducted on the theses about welfare horticulture using percentages and IBM SPSS 19.0 (IBM, 2011). Based on the researched data, SWOT analysis factors were obtained and schematized following the standardized analysis process (Fig. 2).
Results and discussion
1. Trend analysis of theses
1) Analysis by year
Among the theses registered in the Korea Education and Research Information Service (KERIS) from 1998 to 2015, 438 theses in total were found to satisfy the purpose of this study. The collected theses were analyzed by year: 1 thesis (0.2%) in 1998; 5 theses (1.1%) in 1999; 4 theses (0.9%) in 2000; 13 theses (3.0%) in 2001; 13 theses (3.0%) in 2002; 16 theses (3.7%) in 2003; 33 theses (7.5%) in 2004; 26 theses (5.9%) in 2005; 26 theses (5.9%) in 2006; 32 theses (7.3%) in 2007; 30 theses (6.8%) in 2008; 41 theses (9.4%) in 2009; 38 theses (8.7%) in 2010; 38 theses (8.7%) in 2011; 44 theses (10.0%) in 2012; 38 theses (8.7%) in 2013; 18 theses (4.1%) in 2014; and 22 theses (5.0%) in 2015 (Table 1).
Table 1
Number of theses by published year.
| Year | Master thesis (%) | Doctor thesis (%) | Total (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
||||
| 1998 | 1 (0.3) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (0.2) | |
| 1999 | 5 (1.3) | 0 (0.0) | 5 (1.1) | |
| 2000 | 4 (1.0) | 0 (0.0) | 4 (0.9) | |
| 2001 | 12 (3.1) | 1 (2.0) | 13 (3.0) | |
| 2002 | 13 (3.3) | 0 (0.0) | 13 (3.0) | |
| 2003 | 16 (4.1) | 0 (0.0) | 16 (3.7) | |
| 2004 | 30 (7.7) | 3 (6.1) | 33 (7.5) | |
| 2005 | 23 (5.9) | 3 (6.1) | 26 (5.9) | |
| 2006 | 23 (5.9) | 3 (6.1) | 26 (5.9) | |
| 2007 | 29 (7.5) | 3 (6.1) | 32 (7.3) | |
| 2008 | 25 (6.4) | 5 (10.2) | 30 (6.8) | |
| 2009 | 38 (9.8) | 3 (6.1) | 41 (9.4) | |
| 2010 | 30 (7.7) | 8 (16.3) | 38 (8.7) | |
| 2011 | 33 (8.5) | 5 (10.2) | 38 (8.7) | |
| 2012 | 39 (10.0) | 5 (10.2) | 44 (10.0) | |
| 2013 | 32 (8.2) | 6 (12.2) | 38 (8.7) | |
| 2014 | 16 (4.1) | 2 (4.1) | 18 (4.1) | |
| 2015 | 20 (5.1) | 2 (4.1) | 22 (5.0) | |
|
|
||||
| Total | 389 (100.0) | 49 (100.0) | 438 (100.0) | |
|
|
||||
| χ2 | 104.68*** | 11.75* | 127.39*** | |
2) Analysis of theses by college
The number of colleges registered in the Higher Education in KOREA service as of December 31, 2015 was 211 in total except the Korea National Open University (1) and cyber colleges (17). Colleges that published theses on horticultural treatment, horticultural activity, welfare horticulture, and horticultural therapy were 82 out of 211. Those that published more than 10 theses on horticulture treatment include Konkuk University (67), Korea University (50), Dankook University (44), Catholic University of Daegu (40), Seoul National University of Education (21), University of Seoul (15), Mokpo National University (12), Jeju National University (11), Chongnam National University (11), Daegu University (10), and Chosun University (10) (Table 2).
Table 2
Number of theses published more than 10 volumes by school.
3) Analysis by degree type
Based on the statutes of the colleges, the collected theses were divided into natural sciences, humanities, and art & physical education. Natural sciences include engineering, agricultural science, natural science, health science, science of nursing, occupational therapy, and natural therapy, and humanities include education, literature, social education, social welfare, theology, psychology, special education and leisure information. Art & physical education was divided into design, art plastic and physical education. Those that were categorized into natural sciences were 291 (66.4%); humanities, 134 (30.6%); and art & physical education, 13 (3.0%).
The titles of the departments and majors of each group were as follows: agricultural science (horticultural science major, horticulture & floriculture department, horticultural landscape major, horticultural science, horticultural bioengineering major, floriculture department, horticultural breeding department, horticultural biotechnology, development & utilization of biological resources, agricultural development); natural science (horticultural bioscience, environmental horticulture, environmental resources department, biotechnology science department, environmental science department, horticultural therapy); engineering (landscape ecology, landscape department); natural therapy (natural therapy department); education (educational counseling psychology, secondary special education major, elementary life science education major, elementary practical course education major, agricultural education major); social welfare (department of welfare of the disabled, clinical social welfare, buddhist social welfare), health science (horticultural therapy major, alternative medicine, epidemiology & health promotion department); occupational therapy (occupational therapy major), art plastic (floral design major), design (interior design major, life art design), literature (counseling psychology major, social work), nursing science, physical education, and special education.
Degree types in this study were classified into agricultural science (39.3%), natural science (17.6%), education (16%), social welfare (8.4%), health science (5.7%), art plastic (2.3%), literature (2.1%), special education (2.1%), engineering (1.8%), science of nursing (1.8%), design (0.7%), theology (0.7%), psychology (0.7%), natural therapy (0.7%), and others (0.9%) (Table 3).
Table 3
Percentage of theses published by degree type.
| Degree type | Number of Thesis (%) |
|---|---|
|
|
|
| Agricultural Science | 172 (39.3) |
| Natural Science | 72 (17.6) |
| Education | 70 (16.0) |
| Social Welfare | 37 (8.4) |
| Health Science | 25 (5.7) |
| Art Plastic | 10 (2.3) |
| Literature | 9 (2.1) |
| Special Education | 9 (2.1) |
| Engineering | 8 (1.8) |
| Science of Nursing | 5 (1.1) |
| Design | 3 (0.7) |
| Theology | 3 (0.7) |
| Psychology | 3 (0.7) |
| Natural Therapy | 3 (0.7) |
| Etc | 4 (0.9) |
|
|
|
| Total | 438 (100.0) |
|
|
|
| χ2 | 1028.096*** |
The degree types of the theses on horticultural therapy that were published for the period from 1998 and 2015 were statistically analyzed, and the degree that accounted for the highest share of the theses was agricultural science (39.3%), followed by natural science (17.6%), education (16%), and social welfare (8.4%). The departments of nursing science and psychology published relatively less theses on horticultural therapy.
Since horticultural therapy is located in between social science, natural science, and medical science due to its characteristics, it requires joint research with agricultural science, social science and medical science. However, the analysis results of this study showed that the definition, scope and clinical practice of horticultural therapy had yet to be standardized.
Hong (2006) pointed out that studies on horticultural therapy had been widely conducted in depth in different fields, not only by horticulture departments, but also by departments of psychiatry, psychology, nursing science and early childhood education, but that the acknowledgement and verification of the effectiveness of horticultural therapy were done by people or organizations associated with horticulture, not by medical or science fields. Through active interdisciplinary research, the effectiveness of horticultural therapy should be promoted, and it is necessary to clearly define it to ensure it can be recognized as a medical tool (Koobook, 2006).
4) Analysis of theses by region
The results of regional distribution analysis showed that theses on horticultural therapy were conducted on 15 provinces and cities across the country, and Seoul took up the largest share (40.2%), followed by Gyeongbuk (11.4%), Chungbuk (11.4%), Daegu (4.8%), Busan (4.3%), Gwangju (4.1%), Gyeongnam (3.9%), Daejeon (3.4%), Jeongbuk (3.2%), Chungnam (3.2%), Jeonnam (3.0%), Jeju (3.0%), Gyeonggi (2.1%), Gangwon (1.4%), and Incheon (0.7%). Seoul accounted for over 40% of the total, and Konkuk University provides horticultural therapy degree programs in the Graduate School of Agriculture & Animal Science, and Korea University also provides degree programs of horticultural bioengineering and horticulture & horticultural therapy in the Graduate School of Life & Environmental Science. In Gyeongbuk, the Catholic University of Daegu offers a horticultural therapy degree program in the Graduate School of Health Science, and in Chungbuk, Dankuk University offers a horticultural therapy degree program in the Department of Public Health (Table 4).
Table 4
Number of theses published by region.
| No | Region | Number of Thesis (%) |
|---|---|---|
|
|
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| 1 | Seoul | 176 (40.2) |
| 2 | Gyeongbuk | 50 (11.4) |
| 3 | Chungbuk | 50 (11.4) |
| 4 | Daegu | 21 (4.8) |
| 5 | Busan | 19 (4.3) |
| 6 | Gwangju | 18 (4.1) |
| 7 | Gyeongnam | 17 (3.9) |
| 8 | Daejeon | 15 (3.4) |
| 9 | Jeonbuk | 14 (3.2) |
| 10 | Chungnam | 14 (3.2) |
| 11 | Jeonnam | 13 (3.0) |
| 12 | Jeju | 13 (3.0) |
| 13 | Gyeonggi | 9 (2.1) |
| 14 | Gangwon | 6 (1.4) |
| 15 | Incheon | 3 (0.7) |
|
|
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| Total | 438 (100) | |
|
|
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| χ2 | 1391.86*** | |
2. Analysis of internal environmental factors of horticultural therapy
In this study, the internal environmental factors of horticultural therapy were reviewed, and four strengths were found as follows: First, the number of theses on horticultural therapy has continuously increased. Second, theses on horticultural therapy were published in 82 out of 211 colleges in Korea. Third, the number of theses published under the degree programs of education and social welfare as well as those of agricultural science and natural science, in which horticulture is rooted, has gradually increased. Lastly, theses on horticultural therapy have been published evenly across the country, except Ulsan.
A couple of weaknesses of horticultural therapy were found in this study: First, although horticultural therapy requires joint research between psychology and nursing science, only 3 theses were published in psychology departments and 5 theses, in nursing science departments, which requires a necessity for more interdisciplinary research. Second, it was found that studies on horticultural therapy had been conducted mostly in Seoul (over 40%) (Fig. 3).
3. Follow-up research for analysis of internal environmental factors
Since analyzing theses on horticultural therapy is not enough to determine the strengths and weaknesses of internal environmental factors, a few measures for follow-up research were proposed as follows (Fig. 4).
First, a survey will be conducted among supervisors and horticultural therapists of the second grade and above, and 1:1 interviews with professors of majors associated with horticultural therapy in each university will be conducted. The strengths and weaknesses of horticultural therapy in internal environments will be additionally analyzed by collecting data through different promotional media.
Second, opportunities and threats in external environments need to be analyzed, and based on them, marketing strategies for horticultural therapy need to be developed to strengthen the strengths and make up for the weaknesses, and to utilize the opportunities and suppress the threats.
Conclusion
Since horticultural therapy is located in between social science, natural science, and medical science, it is necessary to conduct interdisciplinary research. However, due to the lack of efforts to raise awareness of the field, interdisciplinary research on horticultural therapy has been hardly conducted.
Against this backdrop, this study attempted for the first time to analyze the internal and external environments of horticultural therapy using SWOT analysis, and to suggest a direction for the development of horticultural therapy in the environments.
To analyze internal environmental factors, 438 theses of master’s and doctorate degrees were collected among those that were published for the period from 1998, when horticultural therapy was first introduced in Korea, to 2015, and they were analyzed by year, college, degree type and region.
The number of theses has been on the rise from 1 thesis (0.23%) in 1998, to 13 theses (2.97%) in 2003, to 32 theses (7.31%) in 2007, to 44 theses (10.05%) in 2012. Among 211 colleges in Korea, 82 colleges published theses on horticultural therapy, and those published more than 10 include Konkuk University (67), Korea University (50), Dankook University (44), Catholic University of Daegu (40), Seoul National University of Education (21), University of Seoul (15), Mokpo National University (12), Jeju National University (11), Chongnam National University (11), Daegu University (10), and Chosun University (10). Degree types in this study were classified into agricultural science (39.3%), natural science (17.6%), education (16%), social welfare (8.4%), health science (5.7%), art plastic (2.3%), literature (2.1%), special education (2.1%), engineering (1.8%), science of nursing (1.8%), design (0.7%), theology (0.7%), psychology (0.7%), natural therapy (0.7%), and others (0.9%). The results of regional distribution analysis showed that Seoul took up the largest share (40.2%), and that theses on horticultural therapy had been published evenly across the country, except Ulsan. The results of the trend analysis of theses on horticultural therapy confirmed that horticultural therapy had satisfactory internal environment factors to become a field of alternative medicine.
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