In Early Childhood Education (ECE) stage there are different models of classroom organization and different teaching methodologies. The scientific literature highlights from no planning models to more organized styles. The relationship analysis between these two assumptions is a key. To investigate this starting point, it is proposed an…

The extent to which teachers make changes in classroom seating reflects, in part, the degree to which they value promoting positive peer relationships in the classroom. We assessed the frequency with which teachers made both minor (i.e., involving only 2-3 students) and major (involving half or more students in the class) changes in classroom…

Recent years have witnessed the spread of purpose-built active learning classrooms throughout the higher education sector. While these innovative learning spaces are well-suited for a variety of active learning strategies, their lack of a single focal point means they are inconvenient spaces for lecturing. While educational developers often…

In this qualitative study, the authors examined how care was enacted, understood, and valued by teachers and students in nine ninth-grade English language arts classrooms. Following two yearlong cohorts of teachers, the authors explored sociopolitical interpretations of care, specifically focusing on how care was an everyday, political phenomenon…

In recent years, the changes experienced in the educational and social field have been reflected in the growing interest in defining how the attributes of the learning space affect students. This study seeks to determine the influence exerted by the design and organization of the university classroom on motivation and social interaction. The…

The purpose of this research is to understand the role of physical arrangements within the classroom in the development of behavior regulation skill of preschool children. From among the types of action research, the technical/scientific/cooperative action research was employed in the current study. In the selection of the participants, one of the…

Quality design and appropriate space organization in preschool settings can support preschool children's educational activities. Although the relationship between the well-being and development of children and physical settings has been emphasized by many early childhood researchers, there is still a need for theoretical design guidelines that are…

The design research methodology as it has currently developed centers on the creation of "existence proofs," an important first step. What is needed then are the next steps of expanding the methodology to address the design problems of practical implementation prior to the steps involved in scaling up these designs. This article contributes to…

This paper presents the results of a two-part study that investigated classroom seating design preferences among elementary classroom teachers. In part one, the researchers mapped and classified seating arrangements that were in actual use across 294 regular classrooms (grades K-5) in 21 public elementary schools. Subsequently, the researchers…

This study examined whether gender influenced college students' attitudes regarding classroom seating layout. Seating layouts included: a) rows of tablet-arm chairs, b) U-shaped, c) clusters, and d) rows of tables with individual chairs. The sample consisted of 912 college students. Factor analysis yielded two dimensions: "Feeling at Ease" and…

This paper summarizes research conducted to assess how and to what extent teachers actively use and manipulate the physical classroom learning environment as part of their instructional design. A structured interview and participant observation were used to gather data from several teachers at all grade levels, including national board certified…

Noting that the design of the classroom used for early childhood and kindergarten classes can contribute in powerful ways to the education of young children, this paper applies principles of architecture to the organization and shaping of the interior classroom space. The paper maintains that five principles, when applied, create a climate of…

Examines achievement in individually competitive and cooperatively reward-structured environments during a seven-week class period. Reports no differences between the two treatment groups at posttest. (Author/YP)

In order to develop an ecological theory of teaching, the classroom must be viewed as a sociological unit. The unit of interest was the teacher-student learning group. The basic question explored was: What is the relationship between human interactions and the physical and social contexts of the group? Teams of scholars met in seminars, each…

A total of 20 first- and second-grade classrooms were observed to determine the nature of their behavior settings, and to ascertain teacher goals and values implicit in the classroom organization. Observation revealed strong differences among subject areas in both time allotment and variety of resources and activities. Language arts occupied the…