The impact of housing environment attributes on children's academic performance at school: an empirical study of Hong Kong

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the influence of physical housing environments on the learning potential of children. The authors argue for housing design which is attentive to the need for open but personal space with “sufficient physical partitions”.Design/methodology/approachThe research draws on an empirical study of students in two randomly selected Hong Kong secondary schools. The approach includes the use of multiple regression analysis to test the correlation between academic performance and a set of environmental attributes.FindingsHousing design, aspect and size of housing are significant. Academic performance is not dependent on tenure type and this is partly related to mixed tenure, close proximity of differing socio‐economic neighborhoods and the sharing of social capital to provide equal opportunity. However, densely developed high housing is not desirable for children's academic development.Research limitations/implicationsThe location of Hong Kong provides a very specific combination of small land mass, a history of high rise living and a social housing sector and the need to optimize physical space for social ends. Home ownership does not play a role of a stabilizer for children, as observed in other places.Practical implicationsThis paper prompts a reassessment, by housing providers and commissioners, of the link between housing types and long term educational opportunities and the need to devise appropriate partnerships to ensure that housing adds to academic performance rather than undermine it.Social implicationsThe study of the effects of high rise high density housing on children's learning is underdeveloped and should be reassessed in markets, such as that in the UK, where use of the private rented sector is increasingly used to house families who may in the past have been housed directly by the State.Originality/valueThis research attempts to apply quantitative techniques to provide evidence to policy makers that can be replicated in other housing contexts.