Blackmorelearningspaces PDF

Research into
the connection
between built
learning spaces and
student outcomes
Literature review
Paper No. 22 June 2011
Published by the
Education Policy and Research Division
Department of Education and
Early Childhood Development
Melbourne
June 2011
©State of Victoria (Department of Education

and Early Childhood Development) 2011
The copyright in this document is owned by the State of Victoria

(Department of Education and Early Childhood Development), or in
the case of some materials, by third parties (third party materials).
No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with
the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968, the National Education
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An educational institution situated in Australia which

is not conducted for profit, or a body responsible
for administering such an institution may copy and
communicate the materials, other than third party materials, for the
educational purposes of the institution.
Authorised by the Department of Education

and Early Childhood Development,
2 Treasury Place, East Melbourne, Victoria, 3002.
ISBN 978-0-7594-0664-3
Authors Jill Blackmore, Debra Bateman, Jill Loughlin, Joanne O’Mara,

George Aranda, Centre for Research in Educational Futures and
Innovation, Deakin University
This document is also available on the internet at

http://www.education.vic.gov.au
Contents Foreword iii
Executive summary iv
Background and context 1
Review methodology 1
Theoretical position 3
Learning outcomes 4
Sources 5
Findings 5
Design phase 7
Design principles 7
Elements of design and student outcomes 9
Gaps in the design phase literature 11

Implementation and transition phase 13
Security and access 13
Temporary accommodation 14
Changing perceptions 14
Adaptation 15
Managing transition 16
Learning communities and school size 16
Curriculum, organisational culture and space 17
Group work 18
Gaps within the transition phase 19

Consolidation phase 21
Teacher practice 21
Students 22
Quality learning 23
Spaces 24
Gaps in the consolidation phase 32
Contents i
Sustainability/re-evaluation phase 35
Gaps in the sustainability/re-evaluation phase 36

Emergent themes 37
References 41
Appendices 55
Appendix 1 55
Appendix 2 57
Appendix 3 59
Appendix 4 60
Appendix 5 61
ii Research into the connection between built learning spaces and student outcomes
Foreword
The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development recognises that

school design can influence both innovative teaching practices and student outcomes.
In recent years, through state investment and the Commonwealth’s Building the
Education Revolution (BER), many government schools in Victoria have been rebuilt
or refurbished. As well, we have seen the development of the Ultranet as a virtual
learning space for Victorian government schools, and the spread of ICT devices.
We need to ensure that strong evidence is gathered to ascertain links with these
inputs and student learning outcomes. However, both in Australia and internationally,
there appears to have been little research with this specific focus.
This literature review was commissioned by the Department to identify the current
state of research into the connections between learning spaces in schools and student
learning outcomes. It systematically reviews recent local and international literature,
and presents a conceptual framework of four temporal phases (design, transition
and implementation, consolidation, and sustainability/re-evaluation) to map current
research in relation to practitioners, learners and spaces.
The review reveals gaps in the literature, in that most research on learning spaces
focuses on the design phase, rather than on the later phases or on the people that use
the space – practitioners and learners.
The Department has recently conducted research in schools as part of the OECD
Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI) project on Innovative Learning
Environments (ILE). The Department is also participating in the OECD Centre for
Effective Learning Environments (CELE) research, investigating the planning and
design of educational facilities.
I hope this review will encourage deeper thinking about how spaces are designed and
used for learning, as well as inform the Department’s ongoing research and evaluation
program on learning spaces.
Chris Wardlaw
Deputy Secretary
Office for Policy, Research and Innovation
Foreword iii
Executive summary
This literature review asked the question of the current literature on built
environments: To what extent does the literature show connections between learning
spaces and student learning outcomes in schools? The report presents information on:
• theoretical and empirical connections made between learning spaces and student
learning outcomes;
• gaps in extant research; and
• emergent themes.
A critical desktop review identified over 700 primary documents from a wide range
of sources including peer-reviewed periodicals, magazines, reports (governmental,
non-governmental and advocate groups), books, conference proceedings, national
newspapers, dissertations and websites.
Built environment was understood to include both external and internal spaces,
shared community facilities and landscapes as well as associated technologies.
Learning outcomes broadly include the social, affective, physical and cognitive
changes in students.
Learning outcome indicators covered:
• attainment as measured by standardised test scores;
• pedagogical effects as indicated by improved engagement in learning;
• perceptions of improved quality of student/teacher, teacher/ teacher and student
interactions;
• evidence of increased student interpersonal competencies, engagement and team
work;
• individuals’ perceptions of belonging and inclusion, self esteem and self confidence;
• wellbeing in terms of physical comfort, health, and sense of safety; and
• behavioural indicators related to engagement, retention, vandalism, absenteeism,
suspensions, expulsions, disciplinary incidents, violence, disruption in class,
lateness, racial incidents, and smoking.
Claims in the literature about the possible effects of various aspects of learning
spaces on student learning are often not substantiated empirically. The review is
therefore as much about what is missing from the research as it is about synthesising
evidence to support connections between learning spaces and student outcomes.
This report is organised around a conceptual framework that was developed from an
analysis of the literature. The framework identifies four temporalities in the research
addressing connections between learning spaces, teacher practice and student
learning. These temporalities are the:
• design phase;
• implementation and transition phase;
• consolidation phase; and
• sustainability/re-evaluation phase.
iv Research into the connection between built learning spaces and student outcomes
However, the review identified very little empirical evidence associating any of
the above phases with specific regard to student learning outcomes. Much of the
literature focuses on the quality of conditions, perceptions or tangibles rather than
educational practices or intangibles in terms of how space is perceived, used, and
with what effect. The research literature is concentrated in the design phase. While
informed by both contemporary architectural and educational research as to what
is best design and best practice, there is little empirical research that considers
what happens once in the space. Little attention is paid to the following areas, which
provide a basis for research questions to guide future work:
• the processes and preparation required to transition into new spaces ;
• the types of practices that emerge in new spaces (e.g. groups, teaming, social
interactions) and how these may change over time;
• the organisational cultures and leadership that facilitate or impede innovative
pedagogies in new spaces;
• the relationships between, and significance for learning in particular spaces;
• the relationships between indoor and outdoor spaces and flows, and their role in all
potential learning activities;
• how design of furniture or outdoor space relates to pedagogies and learning; and
• relationships between virtual and built environments.
Executive summary v
vi Research into the connection between built learning spaces and student outcomes
Background and context
The focus on better understanding the connections between built learning

environments and student learning outcomes has emerged out of a concern as to
whether the pedagogies, curriculum, assessment and organisational forms necessary
to develop the capacities in students for the 21st century require particular built
environments and usage. Issues of environmental sustainability, the integration of
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to enhance learning, industry
and university partnerships, educational inequality and neighbourhood regeneration
are still being explored. In addition, the restructuring of school organisation and
governance to broaden curriculum provision and provide integrated services provide
the foreground to how built and natural environments relate to communities, teaching,
student engagement and learning outcomes.
The key question or focus of this review is: To what extent does the literature show
connections between learning spaces and student learning outcomes in schools?
Review methodology
This literature review identifies:
• theoretical and empirical connections made between learning spaces and student
learning outcomes;
• gaps in extant research; and
• future research trajectories, theoretically and methodologically.
A critical desktop review identified over 700 primary documents from a wide range
of sources including peer-reviewed periodicals, magazines, reports (governmental,
non-governmental and advocate groups), books (both printed and in digital formats),
conference proceedings, national newspapers, dissertations and websites.
In this style of a ‘best evidence synthesis’ (Alton-Lee, 2002), quantitative and
qualitative studies are included as are case studies that identify further research.
Whereas quantitative studies tend to focus on direct links between outcomes and
learning spaces, qualitative research provides greater understanding as to how this
has occurred and why. The search was initially broad as learning outcomes were
often a passing reference rather than the focus of a particular study. What counted
as evidence of impact on learning outcomes was sometimes unreliable and often not
systematically evaluated or analysed.
The research approaches used were varied and overall their quality was variable. To
gain greater breadth, searches were based on different criteria (significance/quality
of journal, case study/quantitative study). These were mapped onto the conceptual
framework outlined in Table 1. This framework became the organiser for this
literature review.

Table 1: Conceptual framework for literature review
Practitioners Learners Spaces
Design phase Consultation in design 26 Personalised needs 74 Principles and philosophical 312
aspects of design (includes
physical environment and
influences on well-being)
1st generation users 6 Voice through 50 Specialist use of space 135
consultation
Preparation for 30 Access/availability to 44 Contemporary approaches 97
pedagogical change resources and trends within education
broadly
Availability of resources 14 Social 60 Policy 77
Achievement 101 Infrastructure 35
Furniture 52
Time 13
Implementation Orientation to space 44 Needs of different 41 Governance 7

and Transition learners
Phase Rethinking practices for 50 Gendered spaces 9 Community-shared spaces 9
teaching
Professional learning 22 Reorienting/ 34 Access 5
positioning as learner
within space
Adoption of space 42 Privacy and safety 18 Security 19
Challenges of space 38
Consolidation Changes in pedagogy 41 Engagement in 57 Management 7

Phase learning
Responses to space 35 Quality in learning 33 Maintenance 6
experiences
Collaborative planning 33 Collaborative learning 42 Flexibility 9
and teaching experiences
Enacted curriculum 20 Personalised learning 26 Fitness of purpose 12
Privacy and ethics 19
Sustainability/ Creativity and learning 5 Creativity and 7 Possibilities of redesign 10

Re-evaluation design problem-solving
phase Virtual within the virtual 4
Innovations 7
Sustainability 16
2 Research into the connection between built learning spaces and student outcomes
A graphical representation of the patterns of the research literature in the above table
(see Appendix 1) demonstrates the following:
• The focus of research has been in the design phase, not the implementation and
transition phase, with little research on the sustainability/re-evaluation phase.
• In the implementation and transition phase, the research literature focused on
practitioners and not students or spaces. This moved to a focus on learners in the
consolidation phase.
A wide range of data sources were searched using various combinations of keywords
(see Appendix 2). The review targeted the most recent literature (2000-2010) that
made some reference to learning spaces and outcomes, relying on recent systematic
reviews for the period pre-2000 where possible, and including frequently cited key
references in the bibliography. The annotated bibliography is available on line at:
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/researchinnovation/default.htm.
Theoretical position
This literature review is premised upon the perspective that space (natural and built
environments) ‘shapes’ social relations and practices (Lefebvre, 1991; Massey, 1994).
Social practices, formal instruction and informal social interactions change the nature,
use and experience of space. Learning spaces mediate the relationship and social
practices of teaching and learning, and are only one factor among many in the complex
relationships of teaching that inform learning outcomes (Oblinger, 2006).There is
not a linear relationship between learning spaces, their use, and student learning
outcomes, although this is depicted as such in much of the literature as exemplified
in Lackney (1993, see Appendix 3A). But while learning spaces do produce conditions
and mediate relationships that can improve student learning along a range of
indicators (physical and mental wellbeing, as well as cognitive), relationships can
be made more complex by the blurring of real and virtual space, as indicated in the
diagram in Appendix 3B.
There is also a temporal dimension to the production, use and effect of learning
spaces. Education systems have spatial and temporal orders (Nespor, 2004). Changes
in the use of physical spaces are often related pedagogically and organisationally
to changes in schedule organisation and space use. For example, personalised
learning, individual pathway planning, team teaching, inquiry approaches, teamwork,
problem solving, rich tasks and community based service learning, as well as
organising multipurpose, open and flexible spaces, often require longer instructional
time ‘blocks’ than teacher-centred transmission pedagogies (Arnot & Reay, 2007).
Temporality is a key factor in how organisations, teachers and students respond to
new learning spaces over time (Bruckner, 1997). Organisational and pedagogical
change takes time, and education has long and short-term effects on students and
their learning (Paechter, 2004). Therefore, we consider school environments to include
not only social, cultural, temporal and physical aspects, but also built and natural, as
well as real and virtual environments (McGregor, 2004).

Learning outcomes
Difficulties arise in particular around learning spaces and built environments
in determining the factors that actually contribute to student learning. Physical
wellbeing, affective, cognitive, and behavioural characteristics of individuals are
pre-conditions that can impede or enhance learning. They are also desirable learning
outcomes. Built environment is one factor of many impacting on student learning
outcomes. Hattie’s (2009) meta analysis of school effect sizes indicates that after
family and socio-economic status (SES) background, teacher-student interactions
are the greatest predictor of learning outcomes in standardised tests, with peer
influences, prior learning, and social mix having some influence particularly in the
adolescent and post-compulsory years (Woolley & Grogan-Taylor, 2005, cited in
Bowen, 2008; Alton-Lee, 2002; Bowen et al., 2008). School leadership indirectly
contributes by providing conditions conducive to learning including resources and
teacher professional development (Mulford, 2005). Yet school effect, improvement
and effectiveness studies often neglect built environment, location, context and
school profile as well as relying on limited measures of outcomes.
Increasingly evidence indicates learning is affected if students are disengaged,
alienated, absent or feel excluded. Disengagement results from multiple factors,
many out of a school’s control. These include familial violence, poor health and
wellbeing, discrimination or bullying (Blackmore & Kamp, 2008; Bandura, 1997).
Parental involvement in students’ learning is also seen to impact on student learning,
particularly early literacy (Bowen et al., 2008). Coinciding with managing new built
environments, teachers and principals manage multiple curriculum and assessment
reforms that are intended to focus on student learning, but that can have contradictory
demands on time and space. Poorly designed and maintained schools, often found
in areas of lowest educational achievement, can also have a detrimental impact on
teacher and student morale and engagement, and impact negatively on aggregate
student outcomes (Filardo, 2008). Collectively, these factors impact on teachers’
work, attitudes and behaviours, and in turn have flow on effects on student learning
(see Appendix 3B).
Learning outcome indicators are dealt with variously throughout the literature as:
• attainment as measured by standardised test scores (e.g. Iowa Basic Skills Tests,
PISA) and teacher observations;
• pedagogical effects as indicated by improved engagement in learning (proxies such
as time on task, self-management);
• social in terms of perceptions of improved quality of student/teacher, teacher/
teacher and student interactions, and evidence of increased levels of student
interpersonal competencies, engagement and team work;
• affective as indicated by individual’s perceptions as to a sense of belonging and
inclusion, self esteem and self confidence;
• wellbeing in terms of physical comfort, health, and sense of safety; and
• behavioural changes related to engagement, retention, vandalism, absenteeism,
suspensions, expulsions, disciplinary incidents, violence, disruption in class,
lateness, racial incidents, and smoking.
The connection between learning outcomes and built environment and use of learning
spaces is thus mediated by tangibles (e.g. quality of air, light, spatial density) and
intangibles (school and classroom culture, sense of belonging and self-efficacy) as
well as teacher-student relationships among other mediating variables.
Sources
The extant research focuses on the tangibles connecting learning spaces and
outcomes rather than the intangibles, or how teachers and students respond to and
use space pedagogically in ways that improve learning.
The literature on learning spaces was primarily from the United States of America
(US) and the United Kingdom (UK), as well as Australia. US research tended to be
quantitative research that sought direct causal links, but the sample sizes varied as did
levels of correlation. European, UK and Australian research, while qualitative, indicated
the complexity of indirect links between learning spaces and outcomes, but provided a
greater depth of understanding about what happens in learning spaces (Fisher, 2002).
The learning spaces literature drew from the fields of sociology, environmental
studies, psychology, health, architecture and design, and within-field
specialisms — educational philosophy, curriculum and learning theory (including brain
science), occupational health, health and wellbeing, indoor and furniture design,
landscaping, ergonomics, environmental psychology and environmental sustainability.
Findings
Overall, there are many sweeping claims about the possible effects of various aspects
of learning spaces on student learning that are not substantiated empirically (Tanner,
2000). In many articles, the methods used to gather data are unclear. Specific
instruments tend to measure student and teacher responses to learning spaces rather
than academic outcomes. This review, therefore, is as much about what is missing
from the research as it is about evidence to support connections between learning
spaces and student outcomes.
The conceptual framework (Table 1) indicates four overlapping temporal phases with
respect to learning spaces: design, transition and implementation, consolidation and
re-evaluation/sustainability. Table 1 and the graph in Appendix 1 also indicate the
uneven distribution of the research literature. The coding indicates that most research
literature is located in the design phase, a little on transitioning into new spaces, more
on consolidation; and little on issues of re-evaluation/sustainability. There is little
empirical evidence associating any phase with specific regard to student learning
outcomes. Much of the literature focuses on the quality of conditions or perceptions
and not educational practices or how space is used and to what effect.

Design phase
The design phase indicates a focus upon sound architectural principles and/or
contemporary educational philosophies and principles that have been taken as
best practice from other fields of research (e.g. learning theory, identity theory, and
environmental sustainability). From this, design principles have been developed
as exemplars of the redesign process. Particular elements of design are linked to
desirable student outcomes and teacher pedagogies, leading to claims that some
spaces can be more conducive to intellectual, physical and emotional wellbeing, and
therefore have flow on effects to student learning.
Design principles
Three assumptions underpin the design principles:
• educational objectives and practices have fundamentally changed from the teacher-
centred 20th century factory model. Therefore, learning spaces must address
the educational needs of learners in the 21st century (Chism, 2006; Fisher, 2002;
Temple, 2007). The relationship between space and identity formation is embedded
historically in environmental psychology principles (e.g. Good & Adams, 2008;
Carter, 2006; Ferrer-Wreder et al., 2008), and more recently around issues about
notions of personalisation.
• design principles are open to re-interpretation according to the cultural context of
the school. Typical school buildings and classroom layouts symbolise culturally
specific understandings and philosophies of education, as well as resource
distribution (Bateman, 2009). An example is the Reggio Emilia notion of the physical
environment as ‘the third teacher’ (New, 2007; Rinaldi, 2006).
• changing learning spaces based on the above principles is likely to have subsequent
effects in influencing teacher pedagogies and student learning (Oblinger, 2006;
Sanoff, 1995; DEECD, 2009; Flutter, 2006). That is, building design has flow on
effects on teacher and student behaviours, morale and practices, and therefore
learning outcomes.
These assumptions are largely anticipated rather than empirically justified claims.
Design phase 7
The focus of the design phase literature is on built environment and space oriented to
perceived student needs, as reflected in the following outline:
The design of individual spaces within an educational building needs to be:
• flexible to accommodate current and evolving pedagogies;

• future proofed to enable space to be re-allocated and reconfigured;
• looking beyond tried and tested technologies and pedagogies;
• creative to energise and inspire learners and tutors;
• supportive to develop the potential of all learners; and
• enterprising to make each space capable of supporting different purposes.
(JISC, 2006: 3)
A more focused and learner centred approach to the design of facilities includes:
• designing learning spaces around people;

• supporting multiple types of learning activities;
• enabling connections, inside and out;
• accommodating information technology;
• comfort, safety and functionality; and
• reflection of institutional values.
(Oblinger, 2005)
Seven guiding principles to augment rather than replace existing design

principles are:
• design space for multiple use concurrently and consecutively;

• design to maximise the inherent flexibility within each space;
• design to make use of the vertical dimension of facilities;
• design to integrate previously discrete campus functions;
• design features and functions to maximise teacher and student control;
• design to maximise the alignment of different curricular activities; and
• design to maximise student access to and use/ownership of the learning
environment.
(Jamieson et al., 2000: 6-7)
The dominant theme is that learning spaces need to be flexible, pedagogically

and physically, in ways that reflect the nuances of different knowledge areas and
specialisms (e.g. Butin, 2000). Much of the literature on furniture design and
classroom settings focuses on ideal patterns and designs characterised by flexibility
and mobility of structures, the grouping of desks, computer pods and display boards
in order to facilitate multimodal pedagogies that accommodate individual learner’s
needs, and personalisation of space. Multiple exemplars exist as to ideal classroom
settings (Fisher, 2005) and enacted designs (DEECD, 2009; JISC, 2006; Bateman, in
press), but with little evidence as to their impact on learning.
Elements of design and student outcomes
Across the design literature, there is emerging an interest in the specific aspects of
design that may impact on teacher practice and student learning outcomes. These
claims can be organised into a number of key themes, which are outlined below.
Environmental impacts
Temple (2007) and Higgins et al. (2005) refer to a number of sources that describe
the ways in which specific environmental conditions impact upon student learning.
The environmental conditions described are factors such as noise, temperature, air
quality, ventilation and lighting (Keep, 2002; Higgins et al., 2005; Lackney & Jacobs,
2004; Earthman, 2004; Sundstrom, 1987; McNamara & Waugh, 1993; Weinstein,
1979). Generally, these conditions are considered as basic yet optimal conditions
in which students are best able to perform. However, there is much debate over the
relative significance of specific elements such as air quality, colour, aesthetics and
furniture. Colour and physical presentation of space are highly contested elements
(Sundstrom, 1987; Temple, 2007; Higgins et al., 2005). Good (2008) and Rinaldi
(2003) argue that aesthetics, access to resources and opportunities can work in
different ways to accentuate student learning outcomes, differing from Fisher (2005;
2002) and JISC (2006). The issue of additional resources that may enhance learning
spaces is not addressed. Furniture, plants, presentation devices and audio systems
are resources often not factored into costs. While arguably part of design, there is
no evidence to indicate whether the effect is more on comfort than learning (Heluish,
2009; Lomas, 2005; Nair, 2005). By increasing comfort for students and teachers, it is
assumed that teachers and students will be able to ‘concentrate on the task at hand’
(Bateman, in press).
A large proportion of the design literature in early years and primary (e.g. Bullard,
2010) is based on design possibilities in higher education with regard to ICT and
flexibility. Simon et al. (2007) conclude that much research linking school building
quality to child development suffers from conceptual and methodological problems
because it ignores both the quality of old and new buildings and children’s responses
to new buildings. There is little research on specific design requirements for age
cohorts.
Design phase 9
Design process
An emergent theme is the significance of the design process (Jamieson et al., 2000;
Morgan, 2000; Radcliffe, 2008; Higgins et al., 2005; Fisher, 2005). Traditionally,
learning spaces have been designed by architects and interior designers — not
teacher-practitioners. They generally mirror contemporary architectural rather than
educational imaginaries, often leading to the reproduction of the industrial model
of classrooms. Some notable exceptions to this are Reggio Emilio, Montessori and
Dewey, where the designs are derived from particular educational philosophies
(Jamieson et al., 2000; Abbasi, 2009; Ceppi & Zini, 1998).
More recent design literature suggests that a participatory or ‘generative design’
process will improve teacher practices and in turn will benefit students’ learning
experiences (Temple, 2007; Higgins et al., 2005; DEECD, 2008; Fisher, 2002). The
trend of both the architectural and educational literature is towards user-friendly
spaces and personalised learning (Chism, 2005). Design takes up the insider,
practitioner, student or pedagogical perspective as they are ‘able to articulate a
distinctive vision for their school and then work with designers and architects to
create integrated solutions’ (Higgins et al., 2005, p. 3; Fisher, 2002; Morgan, 2000;
JISC, 2007).
This trend towards participatory decision-making is mirrored in the research literature
on school improvement with closer attention being paid to listening to teachers
and students (Thomson, 2009). The input of teachers in design is said to be critical
(Temple, 2007; Higgins et al., 2005; Sanoff, 1995) because staff morale (Higgins
et al., 2005) and teacher attitudes and behaviours affect the use of space and
learning outcomes. Their lack of involvement could lead to a negative orientation to
new spaces (Temple, 2007; Fisher, 2002; Wolff, 2008). Participation in the design
process and investment in their environment, Loi (2006) argues, indicates to teachers
they are valued. Moreover, the prospect of a new environment heightened through
participation will motivate teachers (Morgan, 2000; Oblinger, 2005; Temple, 2007). In
providing a flexible facility, it is anticipated that teachers will increase and refine their
repertoire of teaching strategies (Radcliffe et al., 2008).
Anticipated effects and design processes

Much of the design phase literature is aspirational: that is, it assumes or anticipates
changes in teaching and learning will occur as a result of learning space design.
There is limited empirical evidence provided to support claims connecting the design
process to learning outcomes.
Gaps in the design phase literature
The design phase literature, while informed by both sound architectural and
educational principles:
• is dominated by philosophical positions without empirical evidence;
• indicates little recognition of the significance of context for each school;
• does not use primary sources about use and effect (student/teacher/parent/
community interview or other data) that can be replicated; and
• fails to consider student perceptions of relationships between neighbourhood social
disorganisation, safety, school buildings and neighbourhood culture (Bowen et al.,
2008).
Design phase 11
Implementation and
transition phase
The focus in the implementation and transition phase is on transitioning into the new
school buildings, organising services, resources and space, the nature of system
supports, developing new organisational arrangements, and establishing rules and
protocols of use. All of these in turn impact on, and are affected by, school cultures,
teachers’ work, and the pedagogical practices most likely to affect learning outcomes
in the short term. Barrett and Zhang (2009) state:
Every effort should therefore be made in the design stage to create the ideal
conditions for learning to take place. However, a variety of teachers with specific
and very different groups of pupils will subsequently inhabit and inherit these
spaces. Each teacher and each group of pupils is different, and teachers must
develop the generalised environment for specific purposes and groups. When
a new building is complete and is handed over to the teachers, the school can
only be a ‘finished beginning’ in which adaptations will occur. Only when spaces
are seen to support learning and create a positive experience, can we say it was
designed successfully (p. 4).
Much of the literature assumes that students and staff move into ’finished buildings’
rather than being phased into occupancy over months if not years, which is more often
the norm, with building still ongoing on the site (Blackmore et al., 2010). There is little
research on the immediate effects of occupancy on student learning other than a few
US case studies. Buckley et al. (2003) indicate positive effects on aggregate student
assessments once installed, except in a strictly regulated school environment where a
highly regulatory school culture meant there was no improvement in outcomes.
The implementation and transition phase raises specific issues around security and
access, temporary accommodation, changing perceptions, adaptation, managing
transition, school size and learning communities, curriculum, organisational culture
and space, and group work.
Security and access

Unfinished building sites produce unexpected (and un-costed) problems such as
no power or water, lack of security, safety issues with builders on site, frequent
movements of staff and students, transport costs between new and old sites,
building faults, and furniture, etc. Emerging evidence suggests these impact on initial
interactions between teachers and students and with communities in shared spaces
such as libraries. Blackmore et al. (2007-10) identified teacher and community anxiety
over shared facilities with regard to potentially fraught interactions between different
age cohorts and the loss of community facilities as a local library was moved onto a
school site. Shared spaces (e.g. sport facilities) can require relocation as they can be
difficult to access. The process of design therefore extends into occupancy as space
needs to become usable.

Temporary accommodation
While school systems see combinations of temporary and permanent buildings
providing system-wide flexibility, permanent school buildings are linked positively
to shaping community growth patterns, and in particular enrolments (Taylor, Vasu &
Vasu, 1999). Chan (2009) found no significant impact on teacher perception, morale,
job satisfaction, student achievement and behaviour with the use of portables.
Negative correlations between health and safety and relocatable classrooms are no
worse than with inadequate permanent buildings. Therefore, the issue is quality not
permanence. Relocatable classrooms may impact more on community perceptions
than student learning. Portables do raise management and resource issues,
however, around implementation strategies, maintenance schedules, relocation and
replacement plans.
Changing perceptions
A few US studies indicate that the location and appearance of schools, in addition to
environmental sustainability, attract particular student cohorts as schools are central
to wider patterns of spatial residential segregation and educational outcomes (Baker
& Foote, 2006). Some evidence indicates new schools can attract and retain good
teachers and a different social and academic mix of students that tends to benefit
lower achievers most (Darling-Hammond, 2002).
Qualitative evidence from Flutter’s (2006) projects indicates intangible effects.
Students like a ‘good working environment’, resources and buildings that are
‘inspiring’ and ‘exciting’, with little noise or distracting behaviour. Many students with
low expectations of schooling see it as an ‘exchange relationship’ in which schools
have to offer something tangibly better in terms of relationships and environment
(such as the quality of buildings) to indicate that they are valued (Flutter, 2006).
Bullock (2007) found a positive relationship between new and renovated buildings
and student academic achievement based on academic tests in Virginia. Similarly,
a review of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) program in England, that saw
the creation and refurbishment of buildings in schools across the country, found that
students in schools where the new buildings had been completed had a more positive
attitude about their school environment and buildings than students in schools
currently being built (PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2010).
Appearance of the school is important in terms of the negative or positive messages
students receive about themselves. Students internalise any reflections on the
buildings or school on themselves as they and their teachers identify with their
school, its image and reputation. Evidence from Victorian research indicates that
students see new uniforms as part of the ‘make over’ associated with new buildings
as they gain a sense of pride (Blackmore, 2007-10). Likewise, parental and local
community participation have positive but intangible outcomes as the physical
environment of the school reflects the culture and aspirations of the community
and indicates it is respected and valued (Flutter, 2006). Therefore, being in a new
building in itself could be expected to have an immediate effect in terms of local
perception and positive student responses. The UK BSF program was found to
have a positive impact on school engagement with local communities. Eighty-four
per cent of head teachers from schools within the program indicated that the new
or refurbished buildings created during the program are enabling their schools to
improve relationships with parents, and many also expected that the new buildings
would positively engage the wider community in educational and cultural activities
(PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2010).
Adaptation
There is a possible dissonance between how teachers and students anticipate
and then experience these new spaces. Literature indicates teachers enjoy novel
spaces, and are usually encouraged to experiment with student organisation (e.g.
individual, groups, whole class) within specific types of physical spaces. Yet there is
little recognition of the preparation required for teachers and students to effectively
transition into using new learning spaces in terms of pedagogies, as well as setting
realistic expectations and contingency planning. If teachers are not well prepared and
given leeway for risk taking and failure, particularly if disruption is ongoing, they may
revert to ‘default pedagogies’ or ‘the way we used to do things’ rather than explore
innovative pedagogies (Thomson, 2009). Furthermore, some schools have both
traditional and refurbished or new buildings, yet innovative curriculum and pedagogy
is expected of teachers in traditional spaces as well as in the redesigned spaces.
The issue remains as to how to use a non-ideal space for contemporary pedagogies
(Montgomery, 2008). ‘Design failures’ where spaces just do not work as intended also
need to be redesigned.

Managing transition
While there is some research on the benefits of participatory or generative design
(Sanoff, 1995) premised upon sound architectural and educational principles in the
design phase, there is little research on whether participation in decision making
continues to inform processes and structures established to manage the transition
into occupancy. According to the UK BSF report, most head teachers took on primary
responsibility for managing the project in their school, with deputy and assistant
head teachers the next most likely to take on the responsibility. Both groups were
heavily involved in the project. Limited literature exists on teacher and student anxiety
(Cotterell, 1984) or the type of preparation and strategies required for teachers and
leaders as to pedagogical strategies suited to new spatial configurations.
Learning communities and school size

New learning spaces are often a consequence of school restructuring and closures
that require new modes of governance (e.g. multi campus, senior/junior level, or K-12).
There are few articles considering school organisation and governance. In the US,
the trend is for new schools to be smaller than previously (particularly in the early
years), or when schools are merged to increase curriculum provision at the senior
level, towards ‘schools within schools’ models in order to develop distinctive learning
communities. These communities are often spatially separated in different buildings,
organisationally separated into houses with teams of teachers, or across different
campuses (Darling-Hammond & Ancess, 2002). But smaller schools in themselves are
not enough to have an effect on achievement. Other essential conditions appear to
include proper resources in terms of staffing, capacity for personalised units such as
mini-schools, redesigned school districts to reduce bureaucracy, greater autonomy for
schools and planning time.
Shared resources, mergers or multi-campus formations require new governance
arrangements. Darling-Hammond and Ancess (2002) found that smaller US schools
improved aspects of achievement of low income and minority students (e.g. Coalition
Campus Schools Project in New York). This was indicated by better attendance,
lower incident rates, better performance on reading and writing assessments, higher
graduation rates and higher college ongoing rates compared to the previous large
school, despite serving largely socially disadvantaged students.
Organisationally, changes in class size become an issue in open learning spaces
where multimodal approaches to pedagogy are required (e.g. small tutorials,
individual learning, mass lectures etc.). Graue and Hatch et al. (2007) in the US found
team teaching and class size were linked. A school had to change staffing patterns,
programs and space allocation to reduce teacher student ratios to 1:15 or 2:30.
Partner classes used tag-team teaching, with one teacher leading and other assisting,
but without any professional development most teachers reverted to solo practice.
Changing the organisation and structure of space and time does not necessarily lead
to changed practices.
Curriculum, organisational culture

and space
There is little research considering the relationship between facilities design,
curriculum delivery and school ethos, with the exception of a study in a senior public
school specialising in environmental studies (Gislason, 2009). The school was
organised around ‘houses’ and teams of teachers who worked in shared open spaces.
The ‘culture’ of the classroom or mini-school gave students a sense of belonging and
ownership due to student-teacher interactions within the shared space and not having
teacher oriented spaces in separate classrooms. Therefore students felt socially
accepted and enjoyed school more than other high schools they had attended. The
qualification is that this school was comprised of well-motivated students with good
work habits and academic aspirations. This type of setting could be different with less
motivated students as noise and traffic could distract them from their learning.
Gislason (2009) argues that school culture is the scaffold for practice (see also
change theory literature in the review by Thomson (2009)). Overall, it was the
alignment between interdisciplinary curriculum, team teaching and the design and
use of learning spaces that then facilitated multimodal pedagogies: combinations of
formal lectures, group work and individual work. An essential condition was block
scheduling, which allowed for flexible use of space, extensive teacher collaboration
and sequencing of instruction. Bruckner et al. (1997) indicate that teachers have to
change their practice with block scheduling or they reduce their practices to lengthy
lectures or multiple lessons strung together (default pedagogies). Often new spaces
involve block scheduling, but this is not necessarily the case.

Collaboration and team teaching is, from the professional learning literature, likely
to lead to improved student outcomes (e.g. Darling-Hammond, 2002), but only
with significant teacher professional development and supportive school cultures.
Collaboration is not without issues — loss of autonomy, tension over work allocation,
greater communication and interdependence among teachers and responsibility to
others (York-Barr, Ghere & Sommerness, 2007). Overall, in York-Barr et al. (2007), the
teachers felt that the advantages of team teaching outweighed the disadvantages.
They cited inter-disciplinarity, opportunity to pool insights about individual student’s
learning and personal qualities gained from longer periods of contact as significant
positive factors.
Group work
Group work is also not contingent on space and open space does not necessarily
lead to group work. Blatchford et al.’s (2006) study in primary schools indicated that
group work for 10-11 year olds led to more active and sustained engagement, more
connectedness and more higher order inferential joint reasoning. Likewise class sizes
of less than 25 were seen to facilitate activities that were task related and increased
teacher-student interactions (Blatchford et al., 2005).
Overall, this review supports Higgins, Hall et al.’s (2005) conclusion:
The first thing that will strike you is the relative paucity of research on effective
learning environments. Not only is the evidence incomplete, particularly in areas
such as the systems and processes and communication approaches that schools
need to underpin their physical environment, but the research that has been done
seems to be largely predicated on a traditional view of ‘chalk and talk’ learning in
standardised ‘one size fits all’ institutions (p. 47).
Gaps within the transition phase
Key findings evident from this review are that there is:
• little empirical research that considers how students and teachers as well as
communities negotiate and create new relationships, organisational structures and
processes in the use of new learning spaces (Jamieson et al., 2000; Barret & Zhang,
2009) i.e. creating decision making structures and processes for ongoing ownership
of change;
• an inadequacy to address management of transition such as unexpected costs,
dysfunctional spaces, mix of old/new/temporary buildings;
• a failure to explore the significant relationships between organisational planning,
school culture and leadership, the use and meaning of learning spaces, and student
academic outcomes (standardised test scores). The architectural and environmental
psychology literature ignores empirical research from effective schools, school
improvement, leadership and educational change (Burch & Theoharis, 2010) which
indicate that culture, resources and leadership are critical conditions indirectly
influencing student learning. At the same time, the effectiveness and school
improvement literature ignores the built environment (see review by Thomson,
2009);
• no recognition of the importance stressed in critical pedagogy and effective schools
literature of the need to prepare teachers through ongoing professional learning for
use of new learning spaces; and
• little recognition of the affective (feelings/emotions) dimension. The literature
equates the affective to feelings in response to the quality of physical conditions
and not feelings about the need to change and find new ways of working (i.e.
commitment). The literature ignores a significant body of change literature that
refers to the need to address the affective dimensions of change, as well as teacher
and student anxiety when undertaking fundamental changes in practice (Leithwood
& Beatty, 2008; Cotterell, 1984).

Consolidation phase
Consolidation is what happens in practice as buildings are used by teachers and

students for the purposes of teaching and learning. There is little research on what
practices become institutionalised over time with regard to the use of space and
time, and their impact on teaching and learning. Instead, a largely US-based set of
quantitative controlled sampling studies focus on post-occupancy evaluations (POE)
designed by the building industry and largely completed by architects, principals and
head teachers. They take little account of the complexities of teaching and learning
or the lived experience of living and working in these buildings. In these evaluations,
students and teachers are at best ‘respondents’ (Comber, Nixon et al., 2006). The
notion of ‘occupancies’ takes away ownership from the schools and their communities
(compare DEECD, 2009).
The conceptual framework sought to move beyond teacher and student responses to
identify practices or what is enacted in spaces for quality learning.
Teacher practice
Changes in pedagogy
As noted by Higgins, Hall et al. (2005):
The relationship between people and their environments must be complex,
and therefore any outcomes from a change in setting are likely to be produced
through an involved chain of events. It is the defining and understanding of these
mediating chains that is the key (p. 35).
There are few studies that focus on pedagogical change and those that did were
highly general using aggregated outcomes of the whole school. DEECD (2009)
research on 162 schools, while having a strong ICT focus, outlines the ways in which
these schools have used resources for time, space and ICT to change teacher practice.
Lippincott (2009) found that while new — and newly renovated — classroom buildings,
libraries, and computing labs were highlights of campus tours for prospective
students, the buildings themselves did not result in changes to pedagogical practices
or to student learning unless teachers and students were involved in their design. The
few observational studies, — such as Sztejnberg and Finch (2006) — a multi-method

study in which trainee teachers spatially mapped classrooms, merely confirmed that if
traditional seating in rows dominates, so do teacher-centred approaches.
Collaborative planning and teaching
A considerable number of studies focus on increased collaboration when
spaces and curriculum are specifically designed for collaborative teaching and
learning,(Blatchford, Baines et al., 2006; Tolmie, Topping et al., 2010). Gislasen
(2009) found that physical design facilitated collaborative, multidisciplinary teaching
practices and that the open-plan environment contributed to the creation of social
capital. Thorne (2002), in examining schools in Western Australia, found that a wide
variety of factors contributed to collaboration, including space. This study emphasised
the key role principals take in leading their schools, and the necessity for multiple
leaders (often senior teachers or other members of staff) to be fostered in schools
undertaking significant curriculum and pedagogical change.
Ability to change space/flexibility

Often spaces need to change their usage over time and a good design initially enables
this ‘without burdening the taxpayer’ (Locker & Olsnen, 2003; Locker, 2007). The
requirements placed on a space may vary throughout the school day or year to year
with changing demographics and student needs. Herman Miller Inc (2009) explored
and found how space can be adapted to multiple functions in support of the learning
experience, but no investigation was made as to whether improved satisfaction was
connected to improved learning outcomes.
Students
The OECD (2005) argued that governments have a responsibility to invest in quality
educational spaces because of the important role of quality spaces in increasing
access and equity for all in education, improving educational effectiveness and
promoting the acquisition of key competencies, as well as optimising building
performance and operation. Little empirical research was cited in this OECD report.
Engagement in learning
Considerable evidence correlates poor conditions with negative outcomes on students
and teachers (Price Waterhouse, 2003; Fisher, 2002; Filardo, 2008). Rudd, Reed et al.
(2008) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (2010) found that student engagement increased
in newer, well-designed buildings. Greene, Miller et al.’s (2004) research noted that
student perceptions of classroom structures were important for their motivation,
particularly if current class work was instrumental for future success. This included
how the curriculum was reshaped in the new buildings. Of the few studies of outside
school spaces, Black’s (2007) studies of the city as a classroom reported a learning
experience that makes education a public activity outside schools with a positive
sense of engagement.
Quality learning
Collaborative learning experiences
There is a reasonable body of literature on the facilitation of collaboration through
appropriately designed physical spaces. Numerous studies argue for the particular
role of libraries in collaborative learning (Bridgland & Blanchard, 2001; Keating &
Gabb, 2005; Folkestad & Banning, 2009). Wolff’s (2002) systematic analysis of how
physical environments support and encourage collaborative project-based learning
found that it was extremely difficult to determine the essence of what was important
in terms of the design; concluding that it was the interrelationship between the
design elements that was significant. Dahey (1994) found that putting students into
groups does not necessarily lead to co-operative learning unless there is a shared and
common goal leading to positive interdependence, face to face interaction, individual
responsibility, social skills and group processing with a clear pedagogical focus. For
students in groups that meet the above conditions, Dahey (1994) cites Slavin’s study
that 63 per cent of those students in co-operative learning groups increased their
achievement scores. This has implications for use of space in terms of class size,
group size, space, personalisation, comfort, safety and classroom furniture.
Personalisation
Personalisation has various meanings. In the architectural paradigm, personalisation
is about making a space feel like home, familiar, a place of one’s own, a sense of
ownership, implying safety and/or privacy as achieved through photographs, art,
physical dividers etc. Much of the literature on personalisation focuses on non-
educational workplaces rather than schools. Wells and Thele (2002) found that while
psychological studies tend to suggest personalities that are creative have high need
for affiliation and low need for privacy, this was not linked to personalisation of space.
A person’s status and type of workspace are more likely to impact on the level of
personalisation.
Open staffrooms can raise issues of privacy, confidentiality and security for teachers.
In the educational paradigm, personalisation is about developing good personal
relationships with students; about social inclusion by recognising student diversity
(gender, race, class, religion, ability); and addressing individual learning needs
and preferences. A pedagogical repertoire based on personalisation ranges from
individual computer-based instruction to basic skill acquisition through to individual
learning plans, e-portfolios and mapping pathways (Jenkins & Keefe, 2001).
Strategies of personalised learning include multimodal approaches to teaching and
flexibility in classroom settings conducive to learner-centred and project-based
interdisciplinary pedagogies. Some examples of this include individual computer
assisted skills learning, learning-style-based instruction, self-paced learning, contract
learning, guided practice through coaching, co-operative learning in small groups and
project based or topic study.
In order to enhance this pedagogical repertoire, multiple activity centres are
created to facilitate individual, group and whole-of-class and lecture-style learning.
Personalisation is sometimes linked to small classes to facilitate teachers as coaches
and advisers able to diagnose student learning characteristics, as well as to a school
culture of collegiality, flexible scheduling and pacing (Jenkins & Keefe, 2001). Again,
it is implied but not addressed that each strategy requires different types and use of
space and time. There is some discussion around early childhood, personalisation
and safety (Dahey, 1994). Killeen et al. (2003) examined how the permanent display
of student artwork in educational spaces provides a sense of ownership arising from
personalisation, sense of control, territoriality and involvement.
Privacy and space

Using ‘booths’ set up for privacy in the classroom, Ahrentzen and Evans (1984)
sought to examine the environmental features of elementary school in relation to
distraction and privacy. They found that when children wanted to be alone, they prefer
to be in secluded study areas or corners, rather than the total privacy of the booth,
while maintaining visual contact with others. Visually open and accessible teacher
staffrooms also meant changes in ‘staffroom talk’ about student progress (Gordon &
Lahelma, 1996).
Spaces
Maintenance
Buckley, Schneider et al. (2004), in a study that focused on teacher retention,
observed school conditions — facility conditions and maintenance variables including
conditions of lockers, visible graffiti and frequency of cleaned classrooms — in
Los Angeles and Milwaukee in the US. They controlled for public and neighborhood
socio-economic characteristics, school size and student reported motivation levels.
They found higher reading scores among elementary and high schools students in
better-maintained schools (p. 65). Poor school buildings had a negative effect on
teacher retention.
Assessment of effectiveness
A Canadian study by Roberts (2009) found that engineering assessments of facilities
are unrelated to the Quality of Teaching and Learning Environments (QTLE) in schools
but that the educators’ assessments of school facilities are systematically related to
the QTLE in schools. This highlights the fact that the educational purposes of schools
need to be taken into account in order to understand the place and importance of
facilities with relation to learning outcomes. A focus on educational relevance is more
important than a purely engineering-based assessment. More research needs to be
done in order to develop sound tools for measuring school facilities in terms of their
educational relevance.
Intangibles
Abdul-Samad and Macmillan (2005) argue for improved understanding of the impact
of design on a range of outcomes and new valuation methods (e.g. measures of
affect, visual methodologies) for capturing the ‘intangible’ outcomes. These include
engagement, social cohesion and feelings of wellbeing as measures of design quality
and desirable outcomes. Eclipse Research Consultants (2005) state that evaluations
could be improved if measurements of intangibles as ‘an adjunct bundles of value’
are included.
Comber, Nixon et al.’s (2006) study examined the redesign of an outdoor area in a
low-SES South Australian community ‘being improved for someone else and someone
else’s children’ due to gentrification (p. 232). Teachers and children were repositioned
from being ‘responders’ to architectural designs to being the designers of new
spaces. Children were involved in collaborative projects that allowed them to become
the negotiators, designers, and imaginers of new inclusive spaces. This promoted
identity, while also providing tangible material outcomes for the school community.
During this project researchers were repositioned from being novices to learning new
architectural concepts, vocabularies and practices. In addition, architects had to learn
to consult with children as clients rather than informants.
Environmental sustainability: Green schools

A key aspect of new school design is modelling environmental sustainability, as
with the UK’s Sustainable Schools initiative, yet the link between participation in
designing schools and sustainable behaviour is complex (Wheeler, 2008). The design
of outdoor spaces is informed by a number of factors such as site and location. This
in turn impacts on the scale and type of outdoor area, the natural resources of the
school and the commitment to environmental sustainability and outdoor learning. In
some instances, the principles of environmental sustainability have been integrated
into the school design and are expected to be sustained by having children involved
not only in the design but also in the care and use of the outdoor space in teaching
and learning. The UK Futurelab’s projects such as Fountaineering and Super Sleuths
encouraged teams to be involved in problem solving, which was then integrated
into classroom work (Lee, 2007). Young people are expected to discuss what it
means for community relations and social cohesion and reconcile this with their
own consumption and that of friends. Teachers are expected to embed issues of
sustainability in and through their pedagogies.
Gislason (2009) found that in a senior environmental college the school’s design
was a scaffold for the curriculum and interdisciplinary pedagogies. An outdoor pond
and outdoor classroom were springboards to curricular units and nurtured a pro-
environmental attitude. The students indicated that a ‘natural environment’ (which
included facilities) and applied learning had positive psychological effects over the
confines of the classroom.
Information and Communications Technology (ICT)
Much of the most recent literature is driven by the need to incorporate technologies
of various forms within learning spaces and how this both demands new teaching
practices and creates new possibilities. In 2001, there was little systematic research
on how the integration of ICT facilitated or enhanced learning outcomes. Instead the
focus was on technical expertise rather than pedagogical use, and on technical pre-
requisites in the use of space (Blackmore et al., 2001; Morton, 1999). Contemporary
computing or other technology education is more ubiquitous since it is integrated
across and into the curriculum. Computer use due to mobility of laptops, netbooks
and wireless is pervasive and connectivity means blurring the lines between school/
leisure/work/home spaces. Spatially, design has moved from enclosed computer labs
to computer pods integrated into classroom layouts. Now mobile laptops or netbooks
are one of many pedagogical tools producing interactivity and connectivity with other
learning technologies such as whiteboards. The issue now is how to facilitate the
use of mobile technologies throughout schools, in transition spaces and in internet
cafes where educational and social interactions can be encouraged while privacy and
safety are addressed (Cilesiz, 2009). Again the focus of the literature is on different
configurations that facilitate easy access to ICT and use by individuals and groups,
and the integration of ICT into the curriculum (e.g. Moulds & Harper, 2008) with less
reference to outcomes.
Libraries as community spaces

Australian research on libraries and space is less systematic and national and is
mostly focused on primary schools. There is some indication that library effects
reduce in upper secondary levels as students go to the library to play games, read,
research, do leisure reading and for privacy (Lonsdale, 2003). Mobile technologies
and wireless connectivity have now changed the design of libraries to make them
more learner rather than equipment centred and they require only basic infrastructure
(i.e. power points, storage and broadband). The issue is how these facilities are used
interactively (Lonsdale, 2003; Brook, 2009). Libraries have been remodeled to be
sensitive to student behaviour, independent work and problem solving. Lonsdale’s
(2003) review of literature argues that the changing nature and use of libraries means
that a librarian’s work is characterised by teaching information literacy, using shared
facilities, telecommunications and multimedia, managing digital resources and
being web managers. Lonsdale (2003) concludes that a strong well-resourced library
program with a strong computer network, a high quality collection and collaborative
relationships between teachers and librarians in planning units, which is supported
by professional development for teachers, can lead to higher student achievement
regardless of the socio-economic or educational levels of the parents.
Outdoor spaces, physical activity, health and wellbeing
The importance of play as pedagogy is foregrounded as important in acquiring social,
cognitive and physical skills. Indoor and outdoor spaces need to be designed with
play in mind. Critical to outdoor design is student safety and security, as well as
privacy. Other issues around physicality of design include:
• scale (i.e. low door handles to welcome smaller children (Meek & Landfried, 1995);
• transitional spaces such as external pathways and internal corridors;
• location of specialist buildings near certain areas e.g. school gardens close to
technology or kitchen areas (hospitality) or ponds near science buildings
(Tanner, 2000);
• developmental needs in early childhood (e.g. Head Start program in US); and
• access and needs of students with a disability (White Hutchinson, 2010).
There is limited research on effects of these designs in secondary schools, with the
primary focus being on early years and preschool (e.g. McNaughton, 1996; 1998).
However, research in the UK on playgrounds indicates there are positive effects on
learning that playtime and informal use of playgrounds provide. Play contributes
to physical, social, emotional and intellectual development as it allows students to
practice the skills of conflict resolution, co-operation, sharing and problem solving
(Steinhagen & Iltus, 2004; Clements, 2001). Reggio Emilio schools have been
developed on this principle (Ceppi & Zini, 1998). But the capacity to gain such benefits
depends on the quality of the play environments as well as how they are used and
supervised. Conflict or withdrawal is more likely when playgrounds are overcrowded
and equipment and materials limited or when there is space but not enough activities,
leading to boredom and aggression (Malone & Tranter, 2003). This is particularly
the case in secondary schools when there is inadequate seating and where there is
territorial domination by older pupils (Titman, 1999).
On a positive note, in primary schools, Susa and Benedict (1994) found that
pretend play that correlates with creativity occurs in modular equipment with
linked multipurpose structures more often than traditional playgrounds with
swings and slides. Where there are a variety of spaces and activities, the intensity
of play increases and leads to improved social relationships around respect and
responsibility as well as a sense of belonging (Moore & Wong, 1997). Some schools
though undervalue their educational use and the importance of playtime as part of
children’s social world. Free play can be problematised as risky due to concerns about
physical safety and bullying rather than seen to have positive benefits (Armitage,
2005). In the US, there is a trend to delete recess due to increased pressures of
accountability and curriculum demands, as well as fear of litigation (Thian, 2006).
Built environments can create new play spaces such as bounded spaces, walls for ball
games, and open spaces for fast-moving games, although they may also reproduce
cultural and gender boundaries (Davies, 2003; Rendell, 2000; OECD, 2009). Studies
have indicated that girls tend to sit in groups around the periphery while boys occupy
most of the outdoor and indoor playing spaces (gyms) unless there are structured
activities or dedicated times allocated for use by girls or less active boys in particular
spaces (e.g. basketball courts, ovals, gyms). While boys tend to play longer in more
competitive, goal-oriented games, girls tend to undertake a range of games, some
of them sedentary and often more co-operative and rhythmic (Shilling, 1991). Girls
tend to play active games less as they move into secondary school, particularly in
co-educational environments but there is little research on how space may influence
these activities (e.g. privacy for older girls).
Furthermore, there is little research on the type and use of space required for sport
and physical activity despite significant empirical research linking few extracurricular
activities, low levels of physical activity and childhood obesity to poorer learning
capacities and often disadvantaged communities; (e.g. Davidson’s (2007) review of
childhood obesity prevention and Dagkas & Stathi’s (2007) study of 52 urban 16 year-
olds. Thian (2006) concludes that school playgrounds that support physical, social-
emotional and cognitive development have three characteristics:
• developmentally appropriate activities for the age and ability range of students;
• diversity of the types of spaces and range of activities supported; and
• interesting spaces.
There has been a recent trend to develop ways to improve school grounds (e.g.
Growing Schools Programme in UK; Boston Schoolyard Funders Collaborative;
Seattle’s Grey to Green Program). Most recently, many of these initiatives link to
environmental education. In the UK, the 120 Forest Schools provide a program
modelled on the Scandinavian idea that children’s contact with nature is important
developmentally. A participative exercise reviewed the program’s impact on children
and found improvements in the following areas:
• confidence developed with freer time to learn about space and demonstrate
independence;
• social skills as children gained greater awareness of actions on peers in team
activities;
• communication in terms of language development prompted by sensory
experiences;
• motivation and concentration as the woodland led to a keenness to participate;
and
• physical skills in terms of stamina and gross and fine motor skills, as well as
knowledge and understanding of natural surroundings and respect for the
environment.
In addition, teachers gained a new understanding of the students and there were
ripple effects as children talked about their experiences at home. Titman’s (1994)
research found students want a space for doing (to undertake a range of physical
activities), thinking (to be intellectually stimulated and enjoy discovery), feeling (to
appreciate colour, beauty as well as ownership) and being (to be themselves with
some privacy).
Effect of spatial on attitudinal, behavioural, learning,

affective outcomes
Environmental psychology has dominated attempts to assess the effectiveness of
learning spaces on student outcomes with the emphasis on quasi-experimental
reduction models (Weinstein, 1979). Few of these studies show any direct causal link
between positive achievement in standardised tests and improved or new learning
spaces. Many show negative correlations between specific aspects of building
quality and outcomes. Most studies cite that mediating factors are the absent or
uncontrollable factors (Tanner & Lackney, 2006; Gifford, 2002; Weinstein, 1979).
Dudek’s (2000) work on the historical development of educational architecture and
design provides the strongest body of evidence to date as proof of the links between
space, pedagogy and outcomes. Gifford’s (2002) theoretical framework for examining
educational settings (based on Weinstein) states:
…the personal characteristics of students (past school experience, attitudes
toward learning, age, gender, personality) interact with physical features of the
learning setting (its size, noise level, climate, population density and design) and
the social-organizational climate (rules, curriculum, teaching style, progressive
or traditional orientation) to produce learning-related attitudes (satisfaction with
school, dissatisfaction with classroom, commitment to learning) and behaviours
(class participation, attention to learning materials, questioning, appropriate
or inappropriate activity, persistence, creativity and, of course, learning and
performance) (p. 298).
Gifford’s (2002) analysis of environmental psychology findings for educational
settings indicates that:
• interior architecture has an influence on whether students are distracted or if they
retain and recall information;
• aesthetics has a positive effect on grades but this is often subject to gender and age;
• European studies show aesthetic appearance can offer subtle messages to staff and
students around the transmission of cultural values as well as stimulate or subdue,
aid in creativity, slow mental perception, and cause fear and joy;
• scale of building and structural shape impact on behaviour;
• noise interferes with learning and may be gender specific (girls more affected than
boys). Noise also has a negative effect on students with autism;
• incandescent lighting is preferable to fluorescent lighting. Although inconclusive,
studies have found adverse effects on learning outcomes from fluorescent lighting;
• performance is best in cool but not humid classrooms. Air flow, temperature and
air quality all have implications for learners in terms of health and well being but
multiple mediating factors are involved — clothing, culture, home, etc.;
• the amount and arrangement of space is very important for classroom performance
and related behaviours. This is directly related to teaching strategies. Open learning
spaces have positive effects on outcomes where teacher pedagogy is matched, and
there are fewer behavioural problems;
• space also affects teacher and learner feelings. This is specifically related to density,
flow and furniture; and
• increased density leads to increased aggression that can be counteracted by
pedagogy, layout and programs. Students need a degree of privacy and ownership
to feel a sense of belonging.
Research by the 21st Century School Fund (2009) and Schneider (2002) on school
facilities provides a substantial body of evidence relating outcomes to the quality
of the space. Many of these studies have used regression modelling and in and of
themselves are inconclusive but combined give a strong indication of the links. They
conclude that the following factors are important design considerations:
• Indoor air quality (IAQ) – mould and airborne bacteria have adverse effects on
children’s and teachers’ health.
• Temperature and humidity – creates conditions which lead to Sick Building
Syndrome, relative absenteeism and lowered mental acuity.
• Ventilation and air flow – is an occupational health and safety issue because
children require more air in proportion to their body weight than adults. Studies
indicate that air flow from windows is inadequate in schools to remove or prevent
the build-up of carbon dioxide. Poor air flow leads to poor performance of tasks.
• Thermal comfort – there is an optimum temperature for learning, retention, task
performance and job satisfaction.
• Lighting – both natural (day) and artificial lighting have considerable effect on
learner performance. Natural light optimises student achievement and aesthetic
perception.
• Acoustics – good acoustics (quality rather than amount of noise) are fundamental to
academic performance.
• Building age, quality and aesthetics – affect student and teacher perceptions of
safety and well-being. Building age is not as important as the quality of building
conditions. Students generally perform better in modernised or new environments
but it is difficult isolating mediating factors, and therefore inconclusive.
• Furniture and carpets – dampness and pollutants can lead to health problems
e.g. asthma.
• School size – the trend toward larger schools in some countries has been based
on economies of scale. Restructuring for smaller neighbourhood or multi-campus
schools and learning communities is having a positive effect on student outcomes
and size can be the best predictor of test scores.
• Class size – studies are inconclusive due to the variability of methodology rather
than lack of findings. Pedagogy, environment (arrangement), age and stage,
flow, density, crowding and privacy are mediating factors which are unable to be
accounted for in many studies of classroom environments.
• Classroom design – issues are around viewing the teacher, board, etc., but again
largely focused on obstructions and not linked to specific outcomes. There are
indications that overcrowding or high spatial density reduces achievement but not
pedagogical strategies, social relationships and outcomes. Research on use of
furniture in relation to crowding has been in offices rather than schools.
• Health and safety – compliance with health and safety regulations was positively
related to academic outcomes.
The Price Waterhouse research report (2003) provides a rigorous and expansive study
with 2000 schools in the UK being evaluated for building performance and student
outcomes using mixed methods, including three years of quantitative statistical data.
However, they highlight the same mediating anomalies in their study that Gifford
and others recognise and no measure of teacher practice is included within the data
although they recognise that this is a sustaining factor.
Gender and space

Well-established literature discusses how space is gendered historically and
experienced in culturally different ways (Massey, 1983; Gordon & Lahelma,
1996). Research indicates that the use of indoor and outdoor spaces is still largely
monopolised by boys, particularly for sport activities. Dedicated time/space use
is one strategy to balance this out. Weis and Centrie (2002) indicate that whereas
schools can represent cultural affirmation and advancement for a cultural group,
spaces within schools have the same capacity for recognition of difference and
cultural affirmation, e.g. a girls’ room or a homeroom for Vietnamese students. There
is little contemporary evidence on whether and how culture and gender are factors in
the use of space and place attachment (Proshanky et al., 1983), and spatial identity
(Fried, 2000) or if there are differential effects in terms of learning outcomes.
Gaps in the consolidation phase
Overall, when it comes to what practices are enabled through new learning spaces
and with what effects, Fisher (2005) argues that the existing literature linking
learning spaces to student behaviour and learning is overly general and only around
the key measures of building conditions. Gifford (2002) outlines the strengths and
weaknesses of environmental psychology methodologies by identifying three levels:
fundamental processes (perception, cognition and personality), social management
of space (personal space, territoriality, crowding and privacy) and the complexity
of behaviour within space (working, learning, daily life and community). Perceptual
studies utilise methods that include self-reporting, time sampling, behaviour
inference, psychophysical estimating and phenomenology. Spatial cognition utilises
sketch maps, model construction, distance estimation and observation with the
understanding that age and stage biases will affect how this data is presented
and collected. The difficulty with perceptual studies is that researchers ‘sacrifice
experimental control but in return are able to investigate the perception of real,
complex settings that perceivers move through and feel connected to’ (Gifford, 2002,
p. 23).
There is little research on the role of the mediating variables of teacher professional
development and other intangibles such as pedagogy. Research is lacking in the
consolidation phase in the following areas:
Context factors
• What is the relationship between school buildings, effective school environments
and complex interacting factors such as location and social mix that impact on
learning and outcomes?
• Do changes in student achievement, populations, and social mixes result from new
schools rather than new school buildings (i.e. indirect rather than direct effects)?
• What is the relative importance of key determinants in changing pedagogical
repertoires — new learning spaces; student needs; imposed versus bottom up
reform?
Ownership
• Does the ownership of staff and students over built environments have long term
benefits?
• How do teachers and students shape space for themselves pedagogically by using
patterns of movement and circulation and patterns of daylight and views?
• Is there a specialised language that empowers people to create multiple spaces?
• What are the relationships between spatial/temporal elements, individual learning,
social mix and cultural contexts central to issues of personalisation, ownership,
identity and inclusion?
• What are teachers’ and students’ voices about learning spaces and how have they
changed attitudes and practices and with what effect?
Relational factors
• What are the relationships between spatial/temporal elements, individual learning,
social mix, and cultural contexts that are central to issues of personalisation,
ownership, identity and inclusion?
• How does generative or participatory redesign impact on conducive learning
environments?
• How do learning spaces work in relation to each other and make a difference in
terms of effective practice: ‘bundles of value’?
• Do flexible learning spaces improve student behaviour and if so, what are the
outcomes?
• How do teachers use innovative pedagogies in traditional classrooms inappropriate
for new integrated curriculum and inquiry-based approaches?
• How does the flexibility of space and mobility of technology and furniture impact on
the use of space and learning by teachers and students?
• What cultural and gendered messages and values are imparted through built space?
• Does the use of internal and external physical space by boys and girls vary by age,
space, and over time?
Structural flexibility
• When testing the value of good design quality on outcomes, does it plateau over
time?
• How do we test the impact of innovative design for new ways of teaching and
learning, and the interaction of design features?
• How do we understand the relative value of investment in different areas e.g.
relative benefits of capital investment in different aspects of school design such as
refurbishment, rebuilding and ICT?
• What are the issues around safety and privacy in transitional spaces (indoor/
outdoor)?
• What structures and processes sustain the quality of a learning environment (built
and socio-cultural)?
• How do structural factors such as space allocated per student, openness of space,
size of space and school, building utilisation rates, support facilities (storage) and
availability of specialist instructional facilities (labs) impact on learning?
Intangibles
• What are the best ways of assessing how spaces and the relationships between
different aspects of the spaces work together, e.g. furniture and activities?
• What are the spatial and temporal factors that assist collaborative learning?
Sustainability/
re-evaluation phase
There is little recent literature that focuses on the long-term effects of new physical
spaces and built environments. One exception is a major technical report on the UK’s
Building Schools for the Future (BSF) program (Price Waterhouse, 2003) and the three
annual reports of the program (PriceWaterhouseCoopers, 2006, 2008, 2010). While
there is some evidence that new schools can attract and retain students and staff
with an initial rise of morale and student attainment, there is no research to indicate
whether this is ongoing. In addition, while the standardised templates of school
design used in some building programs may be cost effective relative to student
outcomes, Critchlow (2007) suggests the short-term cost gains of standardisation are
lost in the long-term if buildings are not a good fit.
Langer (2005) indicates in US studies that a lack of ongoing funding for ‘green
schools’ means many sustainable strategies (e.g. reduced energy bills, less
emissions, improved indoor quality) are limited, thus compromising both the design
and opportunities to make schools into ‘living labs’. Likewise, lack of maintenance and
care for appearance has a negative effect in the long run.
One of the few longitudinal studies on the effects of neighbourhood, schools, peers
and families on school success for middle years students was done by Bowen et al.
(2008). They found that longitudinal data of 4,071 student perceptions on social
environments (people and places) indicated improvement in school engagement,
trouble avoidance and grades.
After buildings are made adequate (and what that means is contestable), is there
a limit to which the built environment factor alone may affect student and learning
outcomes? The literature suggests that improvement would plateau but again
there is little evidence. It also depends on what element(s) of design are being
considered — light, air quality, scale, and usage — in relation to what outcomes
(social, affective or cognitive) for what students.
Overall, there is a lack of evidence of the various research paradigms (engineering
architectural, psychological, critical pedagogy) talking with and learning from each
other, even though all are concerned about improving student learning.
Sustainability/re-evaluation phase 35
Gaps in the sustainability/re-evaluation
phase
There is little to no research on the sustainability/re-evaluation phase in the following
areas:
Design
• What types and degrees of participation in serial redesign are most beneficial?
• What are the patterns of use impacted on by outside/inside visual and spatial links?
• What are the budget considerations of building programs’ impact on schools’
capacity to maintain and upkeep learning spaces: i.e. furniture, technologies and
general improvements?
• What design features have the greatest impact — aesthetics, technology, physical
quality, or age of building?
• How do socio-spatial features of school design work together and with what tangible
and intangible effects? Some examples include transitional spaces (indoor/outdoor),
anthropological and social aspects of design, sensory stimulation, context, schools
within schools, harmony, views and vistas, functional zones, circulation patterns
and supervisable spaces.
Community
• How do shared spaces such as libraries and leisure facilities change community
relations and perceptions over time?
• Do shared community spaces (libraries, sporting centres etc.) increase the type of
parental involvement which may affect student learning outcomes?
Student Outcomes
• What are the learning outcomes arising from the pedagogical practices in new
learning spaces, such as how playgrounds or leisure facilities are utilised, new
technologies, etc.?
• How do practices in schools built to model environmental sustainability translate
into student learning (i.e. raising environmental awareness)?
• How does classroom design, furniture and pedagogical use interrelate and with
what effects on student learning?
• How long is learning improvement due to buildings sustained over time?
• How does the changing role of libraries in schools impact on outcomes, e.g.
information literacy?
• Which building investments are most likely to lead to improvements in social,
affective and/or cognitive student outcomes? Is it outdoor spaces, indoor spaces,
refurbishment, informal social space, or new buildings in general?
Teachers
• How is teacher professional identity affected by new physical spaces?
Emergent themes
While there are multiple fields of research (architectural, interior design, pedagogical,
organisational, psychological, environmental) exploring the connections between
learning spaces and behaviour, each provides a different paradigmatic perspective
that frames what is significant in the relationship and how one evaluates effects on
student learning. Despite this, the different paradigms are converging on agreement
as to the need to focus on the relationships between contextual, organisational,
pedagogical and social practices of different learning spaces. Woolner et al. (2007)
states that ‘while the research indicates the parameters of an effective environment,
there is overall a lack of empirical evidence about the impact of individual elements
of the physical environment which might inform school design at a practice level to
support student achievement’ (p. 47).
In alignment with this approach, new conceptual frameworks provide a range of
possibilities. First, the emergent literature suggests that if educational systems listen
to and work with children and teachers they can transform both learning spaces and
pedagogical approaches, creating possibilities for rethinking all aspects of school
design through the focus on spatial pedagogies (Comber et al., 2006). Although
not supported by longitudinal studies, this review indicates that design is ongoing
(serial redesign) (Blackmore, 2008). Higgins et al. (2005) found the ‘process of user
involvement must be continually refreshed and iterated to support ongoing change’
(p. 3). This puts the focus onto school organisation, whole school culture, as well as
teacher and student practice.
Second, buildings alone are not enough; it is about relationships and changing
cultures and practices. Higgins et al. (2005) and others argue that participatory or
generative design involving students and teachers needs to continue throughout all
phases — from design to evaluation — in order to achieve sustainable impact within a
rapidly changing context. Temple (2007) suggests that locally governed processes of
change and engagement are also necessarily dependent on a process of renewal as
staff and students move on. Higgins et al. (2005) conclude:
It is important, therefore to beware of ‘architectural determinism’ of plans
for renewal and development that do not allow for both local variation and
ownership and of programs which do not budget for an ongoing investment in
and iteration of school environments (p. 6).
This review suggests key interconnected elements necessary to sustain innovation
and ongoing improvement of student learning in relation to the spatial dimensions of
schooling, including:
• the school organisation and whole school processes and practices that inform an
ethos or culture of inquiry and learning; and
• sustaining teacher, community and student voice gained through participatory
design, and embedding participation into everyday practice and decision making,
thus enhancing teachers’ and students’ sense of self efficacy and agency
Emergent themes 37
Third, the review highlighted the critical role of teacher professional learning and
pedagogy as key mediating factors. Unless teachers are prepared and are provided
with the necessary professional skills, tools and resources to change their practices,
then new built spaces will not move them to innovative pedagogies.
The first generation of teachers or initiators who may have been part of the design
process tend to feel ownership over the space and pedagogical initiatives; the second
generation entering schools with new learning spaces are expected to sustain and
improve any initiatives in practice; and the third generation of teachers transitioning
from pre-service teacher education expect to find redesigned pedagogies, schools
and classrooms to be the norm but may be confronted in reality with wide variability.
Teacher educators, therefore, have to be prepared to address how new pedagogies
can be mobilised across a range of classroom and school design patterns.
Fourth, researchers need to explore the differentiating aspects of spatial pedagogies
that recognise the complexity of teaching and learning and the difficulties of creating
permanent structures and processes. This requires a new grammar of socio-spatial
practice that gets beyond the tangibles to consider the intangibles, such as going
from the language of occupancy to that of ownership, or from student and teacher
response to student and teacher agency. Overall, where there is research, it is
largely based on aggregate school outcomes and quality of buildings and lacks any
specificity in regard to:
• differential use of specialist/generalist spaces by students and teachers; and
• different needs and use of space for each age cohort or social group.
Finally, the significance of different relationships for teaching and learning need to
be explored between physical and virtual learning spaces; context, system supports,
and organisational factors (culture, patterns of communication, resource use,
professional support); in and out of classroom settings; and formal and informal
social interactions.
Heppell et al. (2004) argue that ‘no one knows how to prevent ‘learning-loss’ when you
design a space ‘pedagogically’, whereas we know lots about designing for minimum
‘heat loss’. Not only is the evidence incomplete, particularly in areas such as the
systems, processes and communication approaches that schools can use to underpin
how they organise and use their physical environment, but the research that has been
done seems to be largely predicated on a traditional view of ‘chalk and talk’ learning in
standardised ‘one size fits all’ institutions (Higgins et al., 2005). The social practices
of teaching and learning are closely associated with issues of identity, ownership and
agency in relation to use of space and time as well as the intangibles that include the
affective, cognitive, and social aspects of teaching and learning, and organisational
change.
These emergent frames will inform future research on learning spaces and student
outcomes, giving the Department a sound basis for planning its research program.
The Department has adopted an overarching research question to guide its
research into learning spaces:
What are the benefits, challenges and unintended consequences of new
learning space design in relation to pedagogy, school organisation and
student learning outcomes?
To view the Department’s learning spaces publications, please visit our website:
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/researchinnovation/resources/default.htm
Emergent themes 39
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Appendices
Appendix 1
Below is a graphical representation of Table 1.
Appendices 55
Coding Terms Practitioners Learners Spaces
Design Consultation in design DPP1 Personalised needs DPL1 Principles and philosophical DPS1
aspects of design (includes
physical environment and
influences on well-being)
1st generation users DPP2 Voice through DPL2 Specialist use of space DPS2
consultation
Preparation for DPP3 Access/availability to DPL3 Contemporary approaches DPS3
pedagogical change resources and trends within education
broadly
Availability of resources DPP4 Social DPL4 Policy DPS4
Achievement DPL5 Infrastructure DPS5
Furniture DPS6
Time DPS7
Transition Orientation to space IP1 Needs of different IL1 Governance IS1

learners
Rethinking practices for IP2 Gendered spaces IL2 Community-shared spaces IS2
teaching
Professional learning IP3 Reorienting/ IL3 Access IS3
positioning as learner
within space
Adoption of space IP4 Privacy and safety IL4 Security IS4
Challenges of space IP5
Consolidation Changes in pedagogy CP1 Engagement in CL1 Management SP1

learning
Responses to space CP2 Quality in learning CL2 Maintenance SP2
experiences
Collaborative planning CP3 Collaborative learning CL3 Flexibility SP3
and teaching experiences
Enacted curriculum CP4 Personalised learning CL4 Fitness of purpose SP4
Privacy and ethics CP5
Sustainability/ Creativity and learning SP1 Creativity and SL1 Possibilities of redesign SS1
Re-evaluation design problem-solving
phase Virtual within the virtual SS2
Innovations SS3
Sustainability SS4
Appendix 2
Databases such as ERIC, Ebscohost, SAGE, Science Direct, Inforword, ISI Web of
Knowledge, Newsbank, national and international libraries, government (local,
national, international) and Google scholar. Subject/discipline areas searched were
Education, Health, Architecture, Urban Planning, Social Policy, Brain Science, and ICT
Websites of most use include:
National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities www.edfacilities.org
Learning through Landscapes www.ltl.org.uk
Design Share www.designshare.com
Educational Design Institute www.edi.msstate.edu
Council of Educational Facilities Planners International www.cefpi.com
Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment www.cabe.org.uk
Futurelab Innovation in Education www.futurelab.org.uk
Educause www.educause.edu
Space Management Group www.smg.ac.uk
American Institute of Architects www.aia.org
Centre for Teaching: Learning Spaces www.vanderbilt.edu/cft
Appendices 57
Keywords & Themes:
Design Specialised Spaces Time-Space
aesthetics art classroom design asynchronous
architectural models computer laboratories temporality
between spaces gymnasium schedules
building design multipurpose spatiality
buildings performing arts spaces synchronous
classroom design science laboratories time-tabling
classroom diversification specialist spaces time-use
classroom practice technology spaces
Usage of Space
ecology
Student interaction building sharing
environmental psychology
co-operative learning building usage
environmentalism
extracurricular activity community spaces
environmental models
learning outcomes external environment
environments
personalised learning forest spaces
flow
student engagement green spaces
furniture
student mobility flexible environment
hallways
student responses learning environment
indoor
student space physical environment
intangibles
student teamwork physical space
learning spaces
Teacher interaction outdoor spaces
open planning
collaboration shared spaces
outdoor
collaborative teaching sharing spaces
school design
professional learning space
sustainability
teacher education utilisation of learning space
transitions
teacher mobility
water tanks Well-being
teacher responses
emotional safety
Planning teacher space
physical safety
classroom plans teacher strategies
well-being
classroom strategies teacher teamwork
curriculum planning Other
Technology
lesson planning relationship
ICT
pedagogy
interactive
smartboards
technological design
technologies
whiteboards
Appendix 3
A)
Adapted from Lackney, 1999
B)
Adapted from Lackney, 1999
Appendices 59
Appendix 4
Principles of Learning Space Design (Fisher, 2005)
Principle 1 Describes types of spaces and spatial qualities that

Individual settings support individuals and research that are essentially
for self-directed learning. Student home-base,
individual pod.

Group settings support groups. Movable furniture allows spatial
organisation to be controlled, facilitates small group
collaborative and cooperative learning activities
such as collaboration incubators, presentation
spaces, display spaces

Activity rich settings support activity. These spaces will be technologically
enhanced and contain a range of services and other
resources according to the studio space type. Project
space plus wet areas, specialised focus laboratory.

Informal learning settings support informal learning: problem-based learning
and collaborative team-based activities in non-
timetabled spaces scattered across the campus in
corridors, verandas, cafeteria and library... outdoor
learning, break out spaces

Staff settings support activity that should not be isolated from
students. Adult learning approach supports staff
taking time out... teacher meeting, resources, in a
supply plus school
Appendix 5
Fisher’s (2005) synthesis of assessment tools
Transition phase:-
• Sannoff’s Assessment Tool (2001)
This tool includes a six factor school building checklist which is a post occupancy
evaluation walk-through. This looks at the key elements of context, massing,
interface, wayfinding, social space and comfort. There is also a School Building
Observation Form which allows first time visitors in particular to give initial
impressions of the buildings and spaces. The third element of the process is a
School Building Rating Scale which is qualitative assessment took which rates
physical features, outdoor areas, learning environments, social areas, media access,
transition spaces and circulation routes, visual appearance, and safety and security.
It uses 55 statements which can be rated by students, staff and community. There
are also photo questionnaires and interviews in which users can assess positive
and negative reactions or feelings regarding each space using a Space Rating Scale.
Also included is a poem template for students to respond called I Wish My School….
Finally a facilitated dialogue between stakeholders using Relating Objectives for
Learning to Education (ROLE).
• BREAMM Building Evaluation Assessment Method — a computer generated post-
occupancy evaluation tool which requires specialist training and analysis but
adaptable to include use by students. It looks at management, health & wellbeing,
energy, transport, water, materials, land use, ecology and pollution. The focus of
this tool is on conditions and not outcomes or pedagogy, but could be adapted to
develop projects associated with environmental sustainability and health.
Consolidation phase:-
• OECD/PEB EQES (Evaluation of Quality in Educational Spaces) 2009 — asks 5 broad
research questions regarding the 22 Quality Performance Objectives (QPO). These are:
– Which QPOs are considered important in the educational mission of the school or
(if it exists) in the design brief for the school?
– Which QPOs are effectively met in the everyday functioning of the school?
– What school-related factors are affecting the ability of the school to meet its
performance objectives?
– What local factors are affecting the ability of the school to meet its performance
objectives?
– What (national or regional) policy-related factors are affecting the ability of the
school to meet its performance objectives?
Appendices 61
QPO are agility (flexibility), openness to the community, accessibility for people
with disabilities, external/internal accessibility, student current and future
capacity, teacher space, support spaces, furniture, internal/external noise, lighting,
temperature/humidity, maintenance, symbolism, appearance, learning resource,
healthy environment, safe environment, social spaces. The tool itself is used in
conjunction with teacher, student and community interview data, and student
achievement data and measured against policy and socioeconomic contexts.
• Fisher’s Matrix Linking Pedagogy and Space links pedagogical activity and attributes
to spatial constructs and layouts, process and behavioural steps. While developed
to inform design it could be used to reflect on and evaluate space.
• Wolff’s Problem Based Design Model : 32 design features of learning spaces which
can support individualized and collaborative learning using space, furniture,
layout, technology that adhere to best practices around flow, physical conditions,
interaction, privacy, flexibility and functionality. Addresses issues around group
size, physiological and psychological support, furnishing, adjacencies, functional
spaces and structural aspects.
Sustainability phase:-
• DesignShare Awards Criteria — 6 design criteria are predicated on three main
conditions that learning is a lifelong process, design is always evolving, and
resources are limited.
– enhance teaching and learning and accommodate the needs of all learners;
– serve as a center of the community;
– result from a planning and design process that involves all community interests;
– provide for health, safety, and security;
– make effective use of available resources;
– be flexible and adaptable.

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©State of Victoria (Department of Education

The copyright in this document is owned by the State of Victoria

An educational institution situated in Australia which

Authorised by the Department of Education

Authors Jill Blackmore, Debra Bateman, Jill Loughlin, Joanne O’Mara,

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Elements of design and student outcomes 9

Gaps in the design phase literature 11

Security and access 13

Learning communities and school size 16

Curriculum, organisational culture and space 17

Gaps within the transition phase 19

Gaps in the consolidation phase 32

Gaps in the sustainability/re-evaluation phase 36

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development recognises that

The focus on better understanding the connections between built learning

Background and context 1

Practitioners Learners Spaces

Implementation Orientation to space 44 Needs of different 41 Governance 7

Consolidation Changes in pedagogy 41 Engagement in 57 Management 7

Sustainability/ Creativity and learning 5 Creativity and 7 Possibilities of redesign 10

Background and context 3

Background and context 5

The design of individual spaces within an educational building needs to be:

• flexible to accommodate current and evolving pedagogies;

• designing learning spaces around people;

Seven guiding principles to augment rather than replace existing design

• design space for multiple use concurrently and consecutively;

The dominant theme is that learning spaces need to be flexible, pedagogically

Anticipated effects and design processes

Security and access

Implementation and transition phase 13

Implementation and transition phase 15

Learning communities and school size

Curriculum, organisational culture

Implementation and transition phase 17

Implementation and transition phase 19

Consolidation is what happens in practice as buildings are used by teachers and

Ability to change space/flexibility

Privacy and space

Environmental sustainability: Green schools

Libraries as community spaces

Effect of spatial on attitudinal, behavioural, learning,

Gender and space

Achievement DPL5 Infrastructure DPS5

Transition Orientation to space IP1 Needs of different IL1 Governance IS1

Consolidation Changes in pedagogy CP1 Engagement in CL1 Management SP1

Adapted from Lackney, 1999

Adapted from Lackney, 1999

Principle 1 Describes types of spaces and spatial qualities that

Principle 2 Describes types of spaces and spatial qualities that

Principle 3 Describes types of spaces and spatial qualities that

Principle 4 Describes types of spaces and spatial qualities that

Principle 5 Describes types of spaces and spatial qualities that

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