NCJ Number
52425
Journal
American Educational Research Journal Volume: 14 Issue: 3 Dated: (SUMMER 1977) Pages: 249-262
Date Published
1977
Length
14 pages
Annotation
TO STUDY THE EFFECT ON STUDENT BEHAVIOR OF CHANGES IN PHYSICAL DESIGN, 25 SECOND AND THIRD GRADE PUPILS (11 MALES, 14 FEMALES) WERE OBSERVED IN AN OPEN CLASSROOM DIVIDED AND LATER REDIVIDED INTO 5 SUBJECT AREAS.
Abstract
EACH AREA CORRESPONDED TO A DIFFERENT SUBJECT MATTER: MATHEMATICS, READING, GAMES, ART, AND SCIENCE. TO TEST THE GENERAL HYPOTHESIS THAT MINOR CHANGES IN THE PHYSICAL SETTING COULD PRODUCE PREDICTABLE, DESIRABLE CHANGES IN STUDENT BEHAVIOR, THE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF ACTIVITY IN THE OPEN CLASSROOM WAS OBSERVED BEFORE AND AFTER CHANGES IN THE PHYSICAL DESIGN. FIRST, THE EXPERIMENTER OBSERVED THE STUDENTS FOR 2 WEEKS AND RECORDED THEIR ACTIVITY USING A TIME-SAMPLING-BY-CHILD INSTRUMENT (NOT INCLUDED). THE ACTIVITIES AND LOCATIONS OF THE STUDENT WERE RECORDED ON A FLOOR PLAN. DESIGN CHANGES WERE THEN MADE WITH SPECIFIC BEHAVIORAL GOALS IN MIND (E.G., MORE EVEN DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION, INCREASE INTEREST IN SCIENCE AND GAMES ON THE PART OF THE GIRLS, MORE READING AND WRITING AND LESS TRAFFIC AND COMMUNICATING IN THE READING AREA), AND A 2-WEEK POSTCHANGE OBSERVATION PERIOD WAS BEGUN. IN MOST CASES, THE DESIRED BEHAVIOR CHANGES WERE PRODUCED. TIME-SERIES ANALYSIS INDICATED THAT THESE CHANGES WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. TABULAR AND GRAPHIC DATA ARE PROVIDED, ALONG WITH REFERENCES. (KBL)