Papers by Valkiria Duran-Narucki
Educational and Child Psychology
The aim of this article is to prompt thinking about the complex role of the built environment of ... more The aim of this article is to prompt thinking about the complex role of the built environment of the school to academic outcomes and to the reduction of social disparities. To this end the paper explores the issue of the condition of public school buildings expanding from traditional empirical research to include a sociohistorical perspective. The benefits of using ecological psychology are described in conjunction with sociohistorical analysis to understand the role of the built environment of the school in academic outcomes.Inspiration for this paper comes from the work of the author’s advisor and mentor, Susan C. Seagert.
This is a syllabus designed to work as a frame that you can use and populate together with studen... more This is a syllabus designed to work as a frame that you can use and populate together with students. The goal is to provide a perspective from environmental psychology
Educational and Child Psychology, Jan 1, 2011
The aim of this article is to prompt thinking about the complex role of the built environment of ... more The aim of this article is to prompt thinking about the complex role of the built environment of the school to academic outcomes and to the reduction of social disparities. To this end the paper explores the issue of the condition of public school buildings expanding from traditional empirical research to include a sociohistorical perspective. The benefits of using ecological psychology are described in conjunction with sociohistorical analysis to understand the role of the built environment of the school in academic outcomes.
This dissertation examines the role of the physical environment of public urban school buildings ... more This dissertation examines the role of the physical environment of public urban school buildings and the ways in which in contributes to the production of academic outcomes and social reproduction. There is empirical evidence of the relationship between school building quality and measurements of academic achievement. The main goal of this study is to learn how the physical environment of the school affects academic achievement. In addition, this dissertation explores the role of school building condition in the reproduction of social inequalities. A theoretical framework crafted from ecological psychology and Pierre Bourdieu"s critique of everyday life was used. Two high schools housed in new buildings and two housed in old buildings in a low income community in New Jersey were studied. The final analysis uncovered five types of school affordances: Functional, social, emotional, communicative, and identity affordances. In addition, the role of habitus in the transmission of social structure at schools was described.
Journal of Environmental Psychology, Jan 1, 2008
Little is known about how the condition of school facilities affects academic outcomes. This stud... more Little is known about how the condition of school facilities affects academic outcomes. This study examines the role of school attendance as a mediator in the relationship between facilities in disrepair and student grades in city and state tests. Data on building condition and results from English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics (Math) standardized tests were analyzed using a sample of 95 elementary schools in New York City. Variables relevant to academic achievement such as ethnicity, socioeconomic status, teacher quality, and school size were used as covariates. In run-down school facilities students attended less days on average and therefore had lower grades in ELA and Math standardized tests. Attendance was found to be a full mediator for grades in ELA and a partial mediator for grades in Math. This study provides empirical evidence of the effects of building quality on academic outcomes and considers the social justice issues related to this phenomenon. r
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Papers by Valkiria Duran-Narucki