The impact of the class environment on high school students’ learning in public schools in keserwan, Lebanon

Abstract

Public schools guarantee education that is invariably available to pupils, even to those who have financial difficulties. Being easily accessible, attending such schools has remained high until today; in 2019, US public institutions educated over 50.8 million scholars, to which the national average number of pupil per public school was about 526 scholars (Brian D. Ray, 2021). Conversely, public schools in Lebanon do not enclose such high number of students due to their unsatisfactory reputation: most of these schools are in bad conditions, outdated, and have limited classroom resources. Also, low students performances have been attributed to the negative effect of the classroom's physical environment (UNICEF, 2018). For this, the following study examines the impact of the physical environment of a classroom on high school students enrolled in Lebanese public schools, specifically in Keserwan city enclosing 14 public schools. The key aim in this research is to gain insight into the role of the physical classroom environment, its modern interior design including purposeful furniture, seating arrangements, connected devices and the finishing. The literature review section overviews the factors influencing the classroom’s physical environment, such as teacher effectiveness, time and behavioral management. It also reveals a theoretical framework of various studies regarding the humanist, behaviorist, cognitive and constructivist theories. Lastly, the section determines the physical learning environment of a classroom by identifying the seven main design parameters: temperature, light, air quality, flexibility, ownership, complexity and color (Peter Barrett & Tigran Shmis, 2019). Data was collected through online researches (due to exceptional limitations) and an online questionnaire. Participants were high school students, enrolled in grades 10,11, and 12, as they are more familiar and aware of their surrounding and classroom’s features, and would deliver eligible deliberations. The participants should have been attending their public school in Keserwan for at least 5 years. Seventy-six students responded to the online survey. The questionnaire data suggests the majority of students perceived their classrooms negatively and lacking innovative supplies. The poor setting of the room also affects their engagement, behavior and performances. Results and implications supported the notion of a classroom’s physical setting affecting students’ learning. The contribution in this study proposed a conceptual (spatial) design approach of ‘an optimum’ classroom for a better learning experience, in the form of 3D renderings and an animation.