Essentials Magazine Essentials Spring 2019 | Page 18

Impact of Design on Learning
scholarly definition and engagement
levels drove the protocols established
for both student focus groups and the
teacher survey.
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
Methods
In order to produce a trust-
worthy study, precautions were
taken to ensure reliability and
validity. For the student focus
groups, triangulation was achieved
in a variety of ways. First, three
researchers conducted the inter-
views in order to review and agree
that patterns surfaced in the inter-
views. Additionally, multiple sourc-
es (students and teachers) were
included in the study to establish
various points of view; common
themes presented by both types of
participants comprise the conclu-
sions of this study. Reflexivity was
accomplished, as the biases of the
researchers were identified, and the
research team worked to keep them
minimized. Rather than contradict-
ing a participant, the team probed
to understand more about a point of
view when disagreement could have
surfaced. Finally, negative case
sampling techniques were used to
determine additional perspectives
that were not anticipated. Outlying
responses that were infrequently
gathered were studied to deter-
mine if they should be considered
as an alternate point of view. The
study resulted in conclusions that
naturally presented themselves via
grounded inferencing, rather than
establishing a protocol of questions
that led the participants in one
direction.
Teachers’ perceptions of their
students’ engagement were of
interest. Teachers at both campuses
were invited to complete an on-
line survey to assist with balancing
perceptions regarding the impact of
the design on student engagement.
Teachers volunteering to participate
also completed an online consent
form prior to accessing the survey.
Teachers were able to complete the
survey at their convenience within a
two-week period. Given that teach-
er participation was voluntary, the
goal was to have at least 50% par-
ticipation; however, the research-
ers were pleased with the 77%
participation rate. The researchers
ensured that the teacher respons-
es included in the data analysis
only included those teachers who
worked both in the old building
as well as in the new replacement
campus.
Findings: Students’ Perceptions
Student focus groups yielded three
significant themes:
(1) The new spaces and the impact
those have on their overall school
experience; (2) The impact going to a
new school has had on their engage-
ment in learning; and (3) The changes
in their teachers since moving to the
replacement school (Oliveras-Ortiz,
Bouillion, & Asbury, 2017).
These three themes were then
organized based on the students’ per-
ceptions in the way that they articulat-
ed their beliefs.
Students shared their strong beliefs
about more “room to learn and explore”
in the new schools citing feelings of
“freedom and comfort” (Oliveras-Ortiz
et al., 2017) due to the better circula-
tion within the campus, the feelings of
openness due to deliberate natural light,
and the spaciousness of their new class-
rooms. Students now feel as if they can
accommodate their materials in order
to learn in a variety of spaces within the
building. Specifically, they talked about
the collaboration areas that extend their
learning environment in a variety of
ways, making them capable of working
on group projects or with partners in
ample space.
Students reported that the new spaces gave them room to learn, have fun, and
explore in a variety of new ways.
18 essentials | spring 2019