Fouad, Ahmed Tarek Zaky; (2021) Implications of the Spatial Design of School Buildings on Student Interactions and Student Self-Directed Learning Activities. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

The importance of school buildings is rooted in the vitality of education for societal development. Literature perceives learning as a social process, enriched by student interactions and self-directed activities, and the school design should afford those learning practices. Therefore, research on school buildings requires a broad investigation of the spatial design from the early design decisions, uncovering the design potentiality and reaching the actuality of school operation. This investigation outlines the research scope, while more attention is drawn towards informal learning spaces outside classrooms, including corridors, libraries, dining spaces and play areas. This research focused on secondary school buildings. It performed quantitative spatial analysis on eleven UK schools, designed by three architecture firms; alongside qualitative interviews with one architect from each firm. This data explores the school design potentiality for possible learning practices. The research, thereafter, studies two (of the eleven) buildings through quantitative onsite observations and student questionnaires; and qualitative interviews with the school managements and teachers. These explain the building actuality of occurring student interactions and self-directed activities, relative to operational managerial schemes (regulations, teacher guidance and supervision) and student preferences. Findings discuss the influence of functionalities allocation, configurational accessibility and the furniture setup on student interactions, activity types and distribution. Nevertheless, regulations, supervision and student preferences still influence the occurring activities. Shallow corridors afford interactive learning if connected to open learning spaces. Libraries incubate collaborative or quieter (and focused) self-directed activities. Dining spaces accommodate student intellectual practices beyond eating activities. Play areas have the highest activity diversity. The research outcome explains the school actual operations, and how they correspond to (or divert from) the original design potentiality. This outcome contributes to the existing knowledge on the student social life in schools, and how the spatial design and school rules impact activity types across informal spaces. This possibly links to future work on interactive design processes as a methodology that reduces the gap of understanding between design intentions and actuality.

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