Abstract
The aim of this article was to determine the mismatch between the existing desks and chairs in elementary schools and the anthropometric measurements of students in several regions of Central Java, Indonesia. Based on the mismatch, recommendations are given to improve the fit of the desks and chairs with the students’ anthropometry. Five critical dimensions of desk and chair were included in the analysis: seat height (SH), seat depth (SD), seat width (SW), desk height (DH), and under-desk clearance (DC). The analysis provided three critical chair dimensions and two critical desk dimensions with a high degree of mismatch. ANOVA and Tukey tests were performed to determine the grouping of students’ anthropometric data. Four sizes of chair and three sizes of desk are proposed based on the results of the analysis. The proposed dimensions lower mismatch more than the existing dimensions.
Highlights
Desks and chairs are important pieces of furniture in elementary school
This study was conducted in Central Java, Indonesia, where, from prior observation in several elementary schools, we found that the dimensions of the existing desks and chairs had the same dimensions for all students from Grades 1 to 6
We analyzed the mismatch of students to the desks and chairs in several public elementary schools in Central Java, Indonesia
Summary
Desks and chairs are important pieces of furniture in elementary school. Students spend most of their time in class using this furniture. School furniture is used extensively by students during the vital period of human physical development, and 80% of the time, students were in forward sloping positions (Knight & Noyes, 1999). According to Agha (2010), anthropometric measurements were an important factor that should be taken into account when designing school furniture. Omitting the students’ anthropometry from the design will result in inappropriate furniture for the students. Several negative effects were found due to the omission of anthropometry. The omission led to poor posture in sitting, writing, or typing, which was determined to be the cause of pain in the back, shoulders, legs, and eyes (Domljan et al, 2008; Gierlach, 2002)
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