Designing schools to Support Socialization Processes of Students

Abstract

This paper discusses the importance of understanding how the built environment of schools relates to the socialization processes of students. Schools can be affective systems that promote the social, emotional, and academic skills of children and youth, by serving as social microcosms of the broader society. It is widely recognized among education researchers and practitioners that social and emotional (non-cognitive) skills significantly influence student learning and performance. These skills include recognizing and managing emotions, developing caring and concern for others, establishing positive relationships, making responsible decisions, and handling challenging situations constructively. These skills serve as the foundation for a broad range of psychosocial, academic, and occupational outcomes. Subsequently, many primary and secondary schools in the U.S. are investing resources into interventions that focus on the promotion of these skills. From a socio-technical systems perspective, school interventions that aim to improve social and emotional outcomes are influenced by the social and emotional conditions for learning. There is evidence to suggest that the built environment of schools affect these social and emotional conditions and contributes to student socialization—factors that promote social and emotional skills—associated with academic learning and performance. However, research that examines the influence of the built environment of schools on student outcomes predominately focus on academic outcomes with little attention to the processes and outcomes from a social and emotional development perspective. An improved understanding of how attributes of the built environment of schools relate to socialization processes can further inform efforts to enhance the conditions for learning associated with both student learning and performance and social and emotional outcomes.