Effects of primary school’s physical environment on children’s spatial perception and behavior

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 425-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmet Türel ◽  
Elmira Ayşe Gür
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Physical Environment ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Spatial Perception ◽  
Physical Characteristics ◽  
School Buildings ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Projective Metric ◽  
And Behavior

Purpose The relationship between the child and his/her physical environment is an area of interaction that includes social, psychological and cultural factors along with the spatial experience, perception and behavior of the child. This study is based on the effects of spatial perception and behavior of the child within the physical environment of primary schools. In this direction, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how spatial and physical characteristics of primary school typologies affect the spatial perception and behavior of the child. Also, the parameters affecting spatial perception and behavior are examined. Design/methodology/approach The question to be investigated is how the spatial and physical characteristics of the school’s physical environment affect the child’s spatial perception and behavior in primary schools with different typologies. Within this scope, Istanbul’s Kagithane region is selected as a case study. Schools are chosen for their similar spatial and dimensional features and similar socio-economic environment. The methodology of the study consists of a literature review, an observational study carried out to discover the interaction between the child and his/her school building and the analysis of the student’s cognitive maps. These maps were evaluated according to topological, projective, metric and imaginative parameters. Findings The results show spatial organization and physical characteristics of primary school buildings with a structure that allows for change and transformation, and contributes to the physical and cognitive development of children. Originality/value This study will provide an opportunity to develop the design of future primary school buildings that can support the spatial perception and spatial experiences of the children.

scholarly journals The primary school as a therapeutic community

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelley MacDonald ◽  
Gary Winship
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Therapeutic Community ◽  
Dynamic Interactions ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Work ◽  
School Counselling ◽  
School Counsellor

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider the changes underway in the delivery of services to children and young people in schools, not least that OFTSED will soon be routinely carrying out an assessment of mental health provision in schools. This paper considers the policy context to these changes and the recent initiatives that are informing the evolution of initial teacher training. Alongside the changes in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services there are an increasing number of schools developing counselling and psychotherapy services. How can the School counsellor look to develop a who school as therapeutic community. Design/methodology/approach – A case narrative is presented of a seven-year-old child who was referred to the school counselling service. The narrative draws attention to the array of dynamic interactions, from peers to teachers to parents which the school counselling manager encountered. Findings – It is argued that it is necessary for the school counsellor to have a framework for understanding how all parts of the school work together and it is proposed that we might usefully consider the primary school as a therapeutic community. Originality/value – There are a raft of policy changes and practices in recent years that have altered the landscape of early intervention and the mental health agenda in primary schools. This paper captures this debates and consider how therapeutic community ideology is positioned as an opportunity to think more expansively about mental health in primary schools.

An Attempt to Improve Air Quality in Primary Schools

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek Telejko ◽  
Ewa Zender-Swiercz
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Ventilation System ◽  
Co2 Concentration ◽  
School Buildings ◽  
Maximum Value

Most primary school buildings in Poland rely on natural ventilation. This fact is attributed to the age of these buildings constructed more than dozen or even several tens of years ago. Few of them were fitted with a mechanical ventilation system allowing for the adjustment of microclimate parameters. The national requirements for gravity ventilation provide general guidelines, specifying strict description only for the airtightness of windows and doors and the minimum airflow to be supplied to the rooms. The minimum airflow supplied is independent of the number of occupants and purpose of the room. Low indoor air quality (IAQ) can impact occupants’ health and lead to poor productivity or low academic performance. Therefore the provision of good IAQ in classrooms and laboratories is very important. This paper presents the results of the investigation devoted to the quality of indoor air in classrooms of selected Polish primary school. Six primary school in a town with a population of 200 000 inhabitants were involved in the investigations. The participating school buildings were built between 1976 and 1994 and had gravity ventilation systems. The variability of basic IAQ parameters, i.e., temperature, relative humidity and carbon dioxide level, was analysed and the assessment of the classrooms in terms of microbiological purity was performed. The outcomes confirmed the low quality of the indoor air in these buildings. The maximum value of CO2 concentration amounted to more than 4000 ppm. Certain modifications aimed at improving IAQ were proposed during the investigations. Two solutions were implemented. The results of this study indicate that the proposed solution offers the potential to improve IAQ within classrooms.

Assessing and strengthening instructional leadership among primary school principals in Vietnam

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 396-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hảo Thi Nguyễn ◽  
Philip Hallinger ◽  
Chia Wen Chen
Keyword(s):  
Educational Leadership ◽  
Instructional Leadership ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Leadership Practices ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Leadership And Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Primary School Principals ◽  
Principal Instructional Leadership

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to add to an emerging literature on educational leadership and management in Vietnam by addressing several goals. First, the study sought to translate, adapt, and validate an existing measurement instrument, the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS) Teacher Form, for use in Vietnam. Next, it aimed to describe patterns of instructional leadership evidenced among a sample of urban and rural primary school principals. Then, the researchers examined if these patterns of principal instructional leadership could be linked to one or more “antecedent variables”: school size, school location (urban/rural), principal’s gender and prior teaching experience. Finally, the paper sought insights from principals and teachers on how instructional leadership could be strengthened in the Vietnamese education context. Design/methodology/approach Both quantitative survey and qualitative methods were used in this study. The sample consisted of 569 teachers and 117 principals working in 117 primary schools located in Ho Chi Minh province of Vietnam. Data collection employed a translated and adapted Vietnamese language form of the PIMRS Teacher Form. An open-ended question posed to both teachers and principals was included in the survey instrument to gather recommendations for strengthening instructional leadership in Vietnam. The research used Rasch analysis, Cronbach’s test of internal consistency, confirmatory factor analysis, t-tests, and analysis of variance in data analysis. Findings The research achieved a preliminary validation of a Vietnamese language Teacher Form of the PIMRS. The analysis of PIMRS data gathered from teachers found that the primary school principals were perceived to be exercising instructional leadership at a surprisingly high level. Consistent with international research findings, selected evidence indicated stronger instructional leadership from the female principals, though the pattern was not strong. None of the other antecedents evidenced a significant relationship with patterns of principal instructional leadership. A number of overlapping recommendations were made by teachers and principals for strengthening instructional leadership in Vietnam. Research limitations/implications Although a Teacher Form of the PIMRS Vietnam was successfully validated, follow-up studies should be conducted with both the Teacher Form and Principal Form of this instrument. More broadly, the high scores on the PIMRS accorded to the principals in this study were deemed “surprising” in light of the lack of prior policy focus and training on this role of the principal in Vietnam. Thus, the authors recommend that this research be extended to a larger cross-level study of schools from different parts of Vietnam in order to provide additional confirmation of these preliminary findings. Practical implications Feedback from principals and teachers indicated a need for system leaders to articulate instructional leadership more explicitly as part of the principal’s role set in Vietnam. Only then will it become part of the formal expectations that shape principals’ practice and the preparation and professional development programs in which they participate. The principals also suggested that instructional leadership could be strengthened by enabling model principals to share instructional leadership practices with colleagues. Finally, teachers and principals highlighted the need to broaden, legitimate, and strengthen sources of instructional leadership within the school beyond the principal. These suggestions are not only consistent with policy actions taken in other societies, but are also grounded in the context of education in Vietnam. Originality/value The first internationally published study of educational leadership and management in Vietnam only appeared in 2012. In the succeeding years, several qualitative studies have emerged describing principal leadership practices in a handful of schools. The current study represents the first published quantitative study of school leadership from Vietnam. Although the results are preliminary in nature, the study provides both baseline data on principal instructional leadership and a validated instrument that can be used in future research.

scholarly journals An application of measuring visual and non-visual sensorial experiences of nature for children within primary school spaces

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phuong Thanh To ◽  
David Grierson
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Interior Design ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Urban Setting ◽  
Quantitative Aspect ◽  
Design Decision ◽  
New Schools ◽  
School Architecture ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Proximity to nature is essential to a child’s development. Well-designed educational environments are crucial to supporting this proximity, particularly in the early years of schooling. The purpose of this paper is to measure children’s experiences of nature within three primary school spaces at various locations in Glasgow, Scotland. The methodology for measuring children’s visual and non-visual sensory experiences is developed to evaluate the connection between naturalness values and spatial environmental qualities across varying “Child–Nature–Distance” ranges. Design/methodology/approach The approach associates children’s multiple layers of sensory modalities with particular attributes of the spatial environment within primary schools to determine the level of naturalness that children experience, in both internal and external spaces. Findings The study finds that children’s experiences are significantly influenced by factors relating to urban setting, built environment master planning, architectural features and interior design. Research limitations/implications Apart from primary school architecture for children, this methodology could be fully developed to the comprehensive human–nature relationship under the impacts of physical features and societal of other diversified environments in a future study. However, the offering reasonable primary school architecture for a proper children’s multi-sensorial experience with natural environment cannot thoroughly established with a quantitative aspect by the present study only. More qualitative research is recommended to examine the process of altering from “cause” to “perceived” nature of users’ cognitions, attitudes and behaviours within the exposure proximity to nature. Practical implications The methodology for measuring visual and non-visual sensorial experiences of nature, and its application to children’s learning and leisure spaces within primary school architecture could offer a tool for assessing current schools, and evaluating future design proposals for new schools. Originality/value The authors argue that the applicationof this method can support design decision making for refurbishing schools at the micro level, and in planning urban development involving proposals for new schools at the macro level.

scholarly journals Winter Thermal Comfort and Perceived Air Quality: A Case Study of Primary Schools in Severe Cold Regions in China

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 5958
Author(s):  
Fusheng Ma ◽  
Changhong Zhan ◽  
Xiaoyang Xu ◽  
Guanghao Li
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Thermal Sensation ◽  
School Buildings ◽  
Heating Season ◽  
Cold Regions

In Northeast China, most classrooms in primary and secondary schools still use natural ventilation during cold days in winter. This study investigated the thermal comfort and the perceived air quality of children in primary schools in severe cold regions in China. Field measurements were conducted in four typical primary classrooms in two naturally ventilated teaching buildings in the winter of 2016 in the provincial city of Shenyang. Six field surveys were distributed to 141 primary students aged 8 to 11, and 835 valid questionnaires were collected. The results showed that the indoor temperature and the daily mean CO2 concentrations of the primary school classrooms ranged from 17.06 to 24.29 °C and from 1701 to 3959 ppm, respectively. The thermal neutral temperature of the primary school students was 18.5 °C, and the 90% thermal comfort temperature ranged from 17.3 to 20.1 °C. Children were able to respond to changes in indoor air quality, but there was no significant correlation between the children’s perceptions of air quality and the carbon dioxide levels in the classroom. In general, children have a lower comfort temperature than adults. In addition, children are more sensitive to temperature changes during the heating season than adults. Due to differences in thermal sensation between children and adults, the current thermal comfort standard based on adult data is not applicable to primary school buildings and children. The air quality evaluation during heating season indicates that it is necessary to add indoor air environment monitoring instruments and purification equipment to the naturally ventilated classrooms. At present and in the future, more research based on children’s data is needed to solve the indoor air environment problems in primary school buildings.

Essential food and nutrition knowledge and skills for primary school children: Australian parents' opinions

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gozde Aydin ◽  
Claire Margerison ◽  
Anthony Worsley ◽  
Alison Booth
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Personal Values ◽  
Nutrition Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Component Score ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
Food And Nutrition

PurposeThis paper examines the views of Australian primary school parents regarding the food and nutrition education (FNE) curriculum. Associations with personal values (Universalism and Hedonism) and demographic measures were also explored.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was conducted among 787 parents in March 2021. Parents rated the importance of 17 FNE topics. They were also asked about their support for six curriculum improvements and to state their own improvement suggestions.FindingsParents viewed the “Effect of food on health” and “Food hygiene” as the most important topics. Three FNE components were derived: (1) food safety and preparation, (2) health and nutrition information, (3) food origins and environmental sustainability. The “Food safety and preparation” component score was associated with both universalism-nature and hedonism values but negatively associated with parental education. The “Health and nutrition information” component score was associated with universalism-nature value and main language spoken at home. Lastly, the “Food origins and environmental sustainability” component score was associated with universalism-nature value. The two personal values, universalism-nature and hedonism, were more strongly associated with parents' views of curriculum topics than parental demographic characteristics. Parents had several criticisms of current FNE, including school food environments not resonating with FNE taught in the classroom and that FNE might increase the risk of eating disorders. They also suggested that the FNE curriculum should support both parents and teachers by providing relevant resources and training.Originality/valueAustralian parents' views of the importance of FNE topics and how to improve FNE in primary schools have been under-examined.

How related are technical and subjective measures of building conditions?

Facilities ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 295-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnt O. Hopland
Keyword(s):  
Primary Schools ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
School Buildings ◽  
School Building ◽  
Subjective Measures ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Building Conditions ◽  
School Building Conditions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the link between technical school building conditions and student satisfaction with the school buildings. Learning more about the relationship between the measures will be useful for researchers who are studying the effect from physical work conditions on student achievement. Design/methodology/approach – The paper aims to study the correlation between technical condition and user satisfaction with school buildings using two different data sources. The first source is administrative data, where the local governments have reported the condition of their school buildings to a national investigation of school building conditions. The second source is survey data where students in Norwegian primary schools report their satisfaction with their learning environment, including the school buildings. Combining the two data sources provides a unique data set for a large number of Norwegian primary schools. Findings – The measures of technical and subjective condition are significantly correlated, but the correlation is far from 100 percent. Hence, it will be of great interest for researchers to look more into potential effects from subjective measures of building condition. Originality/value – The paper provides an investigation of the link between two different measures of building conditions that can both be relevant to use in studies of how school buildings affect student performance.

Primary school principals ' job satisfaction and occupational stress

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Merike Darmody ◽  
Emer Smyth
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Occupational Stress ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
School Principals ◽  
School Context ◽  
School Level ◽  
School Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Primary School Principals

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors associated with occupational stress and job satisfaction among Irish primary school principals. A principal’s job has become increasingly demanding and complex in recent decades. However, there is little current research into their levels of stress and job satisfaction, particularly based on nationally representative data. In order to understand how principals perceive their job and how best to support them, new insights into factors contributing to job satisfaction and stress of school principals are warranted. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on an analysis of Growing up in Ireland data, a national representative study of nine-year-old children in Ireland. In order to explore the simultaneous impact of individual and school factors on stress and job satisfaction of principals in Irish primary schools, multivariate analysis was used. Analyses in this paper are based on responses from principals in 898 schools. Findings – The results of the study indicate that a significant number of primary school principals in Ireland are not very satisfied and feel stressed about their job. Regression analysis revealed that job satisfaction and occupational stress were related to a complex set of personal characteristics, working conditions, school context and teacher climate. Research limitations/implications – The data are limited to primary school principals. However, this is in itself an advantage since it allows for greater insights into variation across principals in job satisfaction and stress, holding the effect of school level constant. Originality/value – This is the first study of its kind in the Irish context that explores the simultaneous effect of a number of factors on school principals’ stress and job satisfaction.

Food and nutrition education in Australian primary schools: parents' views

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gozde Aydin ◽  
Alison Booth ◽  
Claire Margerison ◽  
Anthony Worsley
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
School Children ◽  
Parental Support ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Food And Nutrition ◽  
Food And Nutrition Education

PurposePrimary schools provide continuous, intensive contact with large numbers of children starting from a young age, thus providing an appropriate setting for the promotion of healthy eating through food and nutrition education (FNE). This qualitative study explores the views of Australian primary school parents about FNE in primary schools.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 19 parents of primary school children from Victoria participated in semi-structured interviews. Audio recordings were transcribed and underwent thematic analysis using Nvivo. A total of three themes emerged: FNE topics currently taught in primary schools, essential food skills and knowledge for primary school children and the importance of FNE.FindingsMost parents thought that FNE is as important as the core subjects of primary school. Parental support for FNE, which is delivered over a prolonged period, and expanded by hands-on content such as cooking and gardening classes was evident. Parents viewed these classes as likely to improve children's food-related knowledge and healthy eating behaviours. Parents expressed appreciation for schools' emphasis on food sustainability and its alignment with school policies and practices. Parents were keen to see more sustainability included in the curriculum.Practical implicationsThese results may have implications for curriculum developers and schools, as the findings can assist the design of food and nutrition curricula for primary schools which can empower children as well as their families to make better food-related decisions.Originality/valueAustralian parents' views of FNE in primary schools have been under examined.

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