Session Information
27 SES 14 A, From Design to Practice in School Environments (Part 2)
Symposium continued from 27 SES 13 A
Contribution
Schools have a profound impact on our understanding of the world and our place within it. Even in harsh economic times, billions of euros are invested annually in public education infrastructure (Eurydice, 2014; School Planning and Management, 2015). While the interplay between education and the design of schools is complex and, at times, difficult to evaluate, it is critically important that we ask the questions needed to make the intangible aspects of this relationship tangible (Alexander, Neis, Moore Alexander, 2012). Knowledge regarding how educational design affects the lives of students and teachers is integral to maximizing the pedagogical promise of school buildings. The broad purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of educational design. Research questions included: (a) What can be learned from the experiences of architects and principals involved in the design of two exemplary public schools?, (b) How do students and teachers experience the design of these educational environments?, and (c) How can their experiences inform educational design? A qualitative, phenomenological, case study methodology was chosen to investigate students (29), teachers (10), principals (2), and architects (3) experiences of educational design at two comprehensive schools [Grades 1–9] in Helsinki, Finland. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with principals and architects. Students and teachers took over 1600 photographs of their schools and surrounding grounds of which 400 were self-selected for discussion at photo-elicitation interviews. Analysis identified the theme at the heart of the data as a lack of congruency between the intended purpose(s) and users’ experiences of the design of their schools. This insight led to the development of the Educational Design Intentions (EDI) Model, which explores tensions (areas of fit/misfit) within participant identified design intentions and their implications for educational design. This study identified: (a) key insights regarding participants’ experiences of inhabiting their schools, (b) the need for post-occupancy evaluations, especially from an educational and humanistic perspective, and (c) how educators and architects can more fully inhabit a shared vision of educational design. Understanding the interplay between educational stakeholders and the design and use of their schools has the potential to facilitate change at participant schools, increase knowledge in the field, diversify school design, and focus future research.
References
Alexander, C., Neis, H., & Moore Alexander, M. (2012). The battle for the life and beauty of the earth: A struggle between two world-systems. New York: Oxford University Press. Eurydice. (2014). Education budgets in Europe 2014 [Fact Sheet]. Education, Audiovisual, and Cultural Executive Agency (EACEA): European Commission. Retrieved from http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/Eurydice/documents/facts_and_figures/National_Budgets.pdf School Planning and Management. (2015). 2015 annual school construction report. Retrieved from https://webspm.com/Research/2015/02/Annual-School-Construction-Report.aspx
Search the ECER Programme
- Search for keywords and phrases in "Text Search"
- Restrict in which part of the abstracts to search in "Where to search"
- Search for authors and in the respective field.
- For planning your conference attendance you may want to use the conference app, which will be issued some weeks before the conference
- If you are a session chair, best look up your chairing duties in the conference system (Conftool) or the app.