The Importance of the Classroom's Window View

Abstract

Many studies point out the importance of the window views to the surroundings, as they have a significant impact on children's well-being, living comfort and learning performance. Nevertheless, this aspect is overlooked and usually not included as one of the main criteria for designing school facilities in an urban area. The purpose of the study was to find out how the students are responding to the potential of classroom’s window views. To collect data a questionnaire was implemented in three Slovenian primary schools (in the third triad). The respondent were pupils from three different Slovenian regions. The results were processed with the statistical package SPSS for Windows and with the MS Excel tool. The pupils answered consistently to the questions in the survey. They like their classroom because of the large windows with lots of light and because of the window view of green areas. Most pupils prefer to sit by the window because they like to look outside at the surroundings. Otherwise, they would prefer to look at water, greenery, and nature. The least they would like is the view of neighbouring buildings nearby, especially if the view is without greenery, or of a busy street. They like to look out the window, even if sitting by the window is sometimes unpleasant if too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter. The noise passing through the window clearly does not bother them. The result of the study can be helpful in designing school facilities in an urban environment.