ERIC Number: EJ1171973
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Apr
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1387-1579
EISSN: N/A
Student Participation in Learning Environment Improvement: Analysis of a Co-Design Project in a Finnish Upper Secondary School
Mäkelä, Tiina; Helfenstein, Sacha; Lerkkanen, Marja-Kristiina; Poikkeus, Anna-Maija
Learning Environments Research, v21 n1 p19-41 Apr 2018
The present educational design research involved analysing Finnish upper secondary school students' participation in the improvement of their psychosocial and technology-enhanced physical learning environment (LE). It examined which LE characteristics students considered important when redesigning their LE, and whether they felt that their ideas for improvement had been taken into account in the LE change process and if there was an improvement in these characteristics. A Learning Environment Design (LED) framework balancing the various LE dimensions, namely, communality and individuality, comfort and health, novelty and conventionality, was utilised in the analysis for four sets of data collected for four cycles: (a) co-design activities (students, n = 11) and (b) student feedback (n = 175); (c) professional design evaluation (students, n = 2); and (d) student satisfaction survey (n = 83). Students considered all LE dimensions important. In addition, they felt that their wishes were generally taken into account in the redesign and also they perceived an improvement in most of the LE characteristics. Student involvement helped to avoid overly radical changes, fostered a participatory culture, and contributed to understanding what students view as important to their learning and wellbeing. The study demonstrated the usefulness of the LED-framework for LE design and suggests content-related design principles to serve as a starting point in LE improvement projects involving learners.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Student Participation, Secondary School Students, Educational Environment, Educational Improvement, Preferences, Design Preferences, Physical Environment, Feedback (Response), Program Evaluation, Student Satisfaction, Student Surveys, Classroom Design
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Finland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A