School Physical Environment Research Articles

NP1 Adolescent Obesity Prevention Project Yields Policy, System, and Environmental Changes in Middle Schools

Objective To develop a community-based program targeting overweight and obesity prevention among adolescents in limited resource, minority communities. Description Summary of analyzed data for a tri-state, quasi-experimental project including six communities (one control and one intervention community from each state) who are responsible for creating and implementing one nutrition and one physical activity program addressing overweight and obesity among 6th to 8th grade youth. Evaluation Mixed methods approach used in collecting community food and physical activity environmental data, student health behavior questionnaire data, intervention community focus group data, steering committee annual meeting transcripts and ripple effect mapping (REM) data. Conclusion and Implications This project developed a potential framework for creating community-focused, sustainable and effective adolescent obesity prevention programs. Outcomes reported from REM data support this framework by increased student awareness and importance of positive health behaviors, as well as the willingness to adopt these health behaviors; positive changes in school culture related to collaboration, involvement and commitment to wellness; an increase in school-community partnerships; improvements in the school physical environment; and increased opportunities for physical activity before, during and after school and in the community. This implies community-centered efforts, guided by community stakeholders, educators and youth have led to changes related to policy, system, and environment which promote healthier dietary and physical activity behaviors in youth living in limited-resource communities.

Effects of primary school’s physical environment on children’s spatial perception and behavior

PurposeThe relationship between the child and his/her physical environment is an area of interaction that includes social, psychological and cultural factors along with the spatial experience, perception and behavior of the child. This study is based on the effects of spatial perception and behavior of the child within the physical environment of primary schools. In this direction, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how spatial and physical characteristics of primary school typologies affect the spatial perception and behavior of the child. Also, the parameters affecting spatial perception and behavior are examined.Design/methodology/approachThe question to be investigated is how the spatial and physical characteristics of the school’s physical environment affect the child’s spatial perception and behavior in primary schools with different typologies. Within this scope, Istanbul’s Kagithane region is selected as a case study. Schools are chosen for their similar spatial and dimensional features and similar socio-economic environment. The methodology of the study consists of a literature review, an observational study carried out to discover the interaction between the child and his/her school building and the analysis of the student’s cognitive maps. These maps were evaluated according to topological, projective, metric and imaginative parameters.FindingsThe results show spatial organization and physical characteristics of primary school buildings with a structure that allows for change and transformation, and contributes to the physical and cognitive development of children.Originality/valueThis study will provide an opportunity to develop the design of future primary school buildings that can support the spatial perception and spatial experiences of the children.

School Culture to Serve Performance of Madrasah in Indonesia

<p>School cultures grow with school ages, school objectives, social changes, and school level, whose success depends on leadership styles. This study, aims to see school cultures development and attainments of the schools. Taking in Kediri, Indonesia, this study used grounded theory and selected Senior Islamic School (MAN): MAN 1, MAN 2 and MAN Tarokan, 12 participants, and employed theme-based analysis. The study revealed MAN 2 is the best to maintain school cultures and achieve better academic attainments. School cultures are derived from (1) values, norms, and behavior; (2). school physical environment: beauty, security, comfort, tranquility, and cleanliness; (3). school system: quality based, principal leadership, discipline and order, rewards and incentives, expectations for achievement, access to information, evaluation, intensive and open communication. Schools with established school cultures achieve better academic and non-academic attainments.</p>

Assessment of Physical School Environment of Public Sector High Schools in Pakistan and World Health Organization’s Guidelines

The physical school environment influences the health and educational performance of students and staff. World Health Organization (WHO) has developed guidelines for developing countries to evaluate the Physical school environment. Hence this study analyzed the physical school environment of high schools to ascertain the extent of implementation of these guidelines in Multan. T en core indicators water quality, water quantity , water facilities , hygiene promotion practices , toilets and handwashing facilities, control of vector-borne diseases, cleaning and waste disposal system, school building conditions, school safety and supportive classroom conditions were assessed by three research tools. The responses of 10 core indicators were scored and described. The study concluded that the 10 core indicators at the district level were not meeting the WHO desirable score and the district score (1.01) was below the WHO desirable score (1.5). The development of the Physical School Environment is in the positive trend of

Implementation of Funding Initiatives from Industry by Universities of The School's Physical Environment and Student Motivation Rural Areas [Implementasi Pendanaan dari Industri oleh Perguruan Tinggi untuk Meningkatan Kualitas Lingkungan Fisik dan Motivasi Belajar

Entering the era of disruption, there are many challenges faced by society, not least in rural communities. The existence of community service programs from universities in collaboration with industry is expected to be able to help to reduce the gap between urban and rural conditions, especially in the education sector, in order to improve the quality of human resources. There are many factors that influence learning achievement related to the maximum motivation to learn. One of the contributing factors is the inadequate school physical environment due to the lack of available funds. During the implementation of community service, it is also carried out research with action research methods, through practical action research approaches. The method is used to overcome the problems of the school's physical environment including conditions inside and outside the classroom and increase students' motivation to create a culture of learning and love a clean and healthy environment. The results of community service show the role of industry to improve the school's physical environment and improve student learning motivation. So that it is expected that in the future the role of tertiary institutions and industries can continue to be improved in an effort to realize a better physical school environment so as to be able to shape the culture of fond learning and maintaining environmental cleanliness in rural communities.

Opportunities for the School System to Instill Environmental Values

This study aims to reveal the opportunities for schools to educate environmental values. This research uses qualitative methods. Data collection techniques use observation, interviews and literature studies. The research subject is the teacher and focus of the research is what of availability in the school system that enables teacher to have the opportunities to educate student about values of environmental caring. Analysis uses data reduction, primary school teachers are taken randomly. Data analysis uses descriptive qualitative analysis. Technical data analysis uses data reduction, verification and conclusion drawing. The results showed that schools have a great opportunity to be utilized for the education of environmental values. These opportunities are: vision and mission of school orientation, school curriculum, extracurricular activities, educational interactions, commemoration of holidays, rewards and punishments, conventions, school physical environment, rules and norms, school slogans. It is suggested that schools in this case (school principals) socialize these opportunities and utilize the opportunities available in schools effectively and efficiently used for environmental value education.

A grounded theory on instructor’s adaptation process of school physical education environment in middle school sports club

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the Instructor’s adaptation process of school P.E. environment in middle school sports club and to develop substantive level theory. Methods For this purpose, 17 sports instructors who had worked for more than 3 years at the middle school in Seoul were selected as research participants. The method of this study is the Grounded theory(Strauss & Corbin, 1990). Results The results of this study are as follows. First, as a result of open coding, the instructor's adaptation process of the school P.E. environment was organized into 104 concepts, 30 sub-categories, and 15 categories. Second, as a result of axial coding, a paradigm model for the adaptation process of the school P.E. environment was formed. Third, as a result of the selective coding, created the storyline of the adaptation process and made the core category, ‘instructor's adaptation process of the school P.E. environment in middle school’. Four types of adaptation process such as 'Acceptance type', 'Effort type', 'Compromising type' and 'Abandoning type' are derived through the formalization applied to the hypothesis of the core category. Conclusions Based on these results, the developed substantive level theory was evaluated and summarized.

Surveillance or Safekeeping? How School Security Officer and Camera Presence Influence Students’ Perceptions of Safety, Equity, and Support

PurposeTarget hardening, or increasing the use of security measures, is a frequently used response to perceived safety concerns in schools. Studies are mixed as to their effectiveness on students’ perceptions of safety and little is known about their influence on other aspects of school climate, particularly for minority students. This study will examine the association between observed security measures in secondary schools and students’ perceptions of safety, equity, and support. MethodsSchool climate surveys were completed by 54,350 students from 98 middle and high schools across the state of Maryland beginning in Spring 2014. Concurrent observations of the school physical environment, including security measures (i.e., officers and cameras), were conducted by trained outside assessors. Multilevel regression analyses examined the association between school security officers and cameras and students’ perceptions of safety, equity, and support, while controlling for school and neighborhood characteristics. Cross-level interactions explored differential effects of security measures for Black students. ResultsGreater use of security cameras inside the school was related to lower perceptions of safety, equity, and support. A moderate level of security camera use outside the school was related to higher student perceptions of support. Security officer presence was associated with higher perceptions of safety. For black students, cameras were associated with elevated perceptions of safety and support relative to white students. ConclusionsOur findings may suggest that outside cameras and security may be perceived by students as safekeeping, whereas inside cameras may evoke feelings of being viewed as potential perpetrators who need surveillance.

A grounded theory on instructor’s adaptation process of school physical education environment in middle school sports club

A grounded theory on instructor’s adaptation process of school physical education environment in middle school sports club

NP12 - Community-Based Participatory Research Targeted Toward the Prevention of Adolescent Obesity: Ripple Effect Mapping Outcomes

Objective: To conduct an analysis of the impact of a five year, tri-state, community-based adolescent overweight and obesity prevention program, Ignite: Sparking Youth to Create Healthy Communities, in three minority, limited resource middle schools and surrounding communities using ripple effect mapping (REM). Description: REM is a guided focus group method involving six to twelve participants per session centering around one topic and collecting responses from questions; each question addressing a different ripple of impact at different levels of the community. Seven REM sessions among three intervention communities were conducted by trained moderators. Participants included both target youth (6–8 graders), former students, and adults. Evaluation: REM was conducted at post-assessment to capture perceived qualitative outcomes contributed to Ignite programming in addition to quantitative methods used to evaluate changes pertaining to community food and physical activity environments, student health perceptions and behaviors, as well as indicators of youth empowerment. Conclusions and Implications: The project aims to identify a potential framework for creating community-focused, sustainable and effective adolescent obesity prevention programs. Outcomes reported from REM data support this aim. Some outcome trends included an increased student awareness and importance of positive health behaviors, as well as the willingness to adopt these health behaviors; positive changes in school culture related to collaboration, involvement and commitment to wellness; an increase in school-community partnerships; improvements in the school physical environment; and increased opportunities for physical activity before, during and after school and in the community. Resource capitals predominantly cited for these changes were the value placed on people and the community culture, as well as the importance of social, financial and political resources. Funding: 2012-68001-19619.

The Association of Rural Elementary School Environmental Characteristics with Children’s Physical Activity Levels at School

Background: The importance of school settings for obesity prevention efforts may be most critical in low-income rural areas where healthy eating and physical activity (PA) resources are scarce. This study examined the association of rural elementary school environmental characteristics with children’s PA behaviors at school. Methods: Analyses were based on objectively measured height, weight, and PA data from 1443 first to sixth graders attending six rural elementary schools in Oregon. The School Physical Activity and Nutrition Environment Tool (SPAN-ET) was used to measure elementary school PA policy, practice, and physical environments. Multivariable linear regressions were used to examine associations of 29 SPAN-ET PA measurement criteria, with total PA (light, moderate, vigorous; min/d), and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA; min/d), adjusting for child sex, age, and BMI z-score. Results: Our final sample included 755 boys and 688 girls (9 ± 1.7 years); Of them, 16% were overweight and 21% obese. Total PA was positively associated with 21 SPAN-ET PA criteria (unadjusted P value ranged from 0.7 to 0.001; adjusted P < 0.0125); 15 criteria were positively associated with MVPA (unadjusted P value ranged from 0.313 to 0.001; adjusted P < 0.00625). Conclusions: Characteristics of rural school environments are associated with children’s PA behaviors at school. Structured physical education, classroom-based PA, PA messaging, and adequate indoor/outdoor space are important correlates of PA in rural schools.

Predictors of Self-Esteem in Physical Education: Self-Determination Perspective

This study aimed to explore the relationship between basic psychological needs, motivational regulations, and self-esteem in Turkish high school physical education environment. Nine hundred and fifty seven high school students (505 girls, 452 boys) were applied the questionnaire pack in physical education lessons. Students' general self-esteem, basic psychological needs and motivational regulations toward physical education were assessed. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis results revealed that Turkish high school students' autonomy, competence, and relatedness need satisfaction in physical education positively predicted students' global self-esteem. Physical education teachers were recommended to consider creating need supportive lesson environment for adolescents to enhance their optimal psychological functioning and well-being.

School Happiness: Parents’ Opinion on Required Qualifications for School Happiness

In this study it was aimed to determine the parents’ opinions on the required qualifications for students’ happiness in school. This study was designed as a qualitative research design. Study group consists 20 parents. A semi-structured grid form was used as a data collection tool. The main-themes for school qualifications were physical equipment, learning environment, school environment, teacher qualifications, communication and collaboration, learning activities, social activities, school management, and education policy. The participants’ views focused on hygienic school environment, fair assessment, job enthusiasm of teachers, and the appealing school. In addition, school-parent cooperation should be increased, learning activities should be compatible with talent, and social activities should be sufficient for school happiness. School administrators should have leadership skills and school education should be continued based on democracy and laicism.

Student's Perceptions of School Safety: It Is Not Just About Being Bullied.

This study examined the relationship of students' perceptions of school safety and school avoidance related to feeling unsafe with predictor variables: bullying victimization, student/teacher/parent/administration relations, rule clarity and consistency, school physical environment (negative and positive), and student's belongingness. In a public high school sample ( n = 585), 24.7% of students felt unsafe and 14.4% avoided school due to feeling unsafe during the past month. Being female and experiencing bullying was associated with feeling unsafe. However, after accounting for demographics and bullying victimization, perceptions of safety increased when students reported positive student and teacher relations, consistent rules, a clean school that is also crowded/noisy, and a sense of school belonging. Avoiding school because of safety concerns was related to decreased school belonging and teacher/student relationships, but not bullying. Focusing on enhancing the school climate/environment, facilitating student belongingness, and reducing bullying are ways school nurses can help promote safer schools.

Creating Welcoming Schools: A Practical Guide to Home-School Partnerships with Diverse Families

The connection between the school life of students and their home lives is extremely important in today’s world. Learning must be extended beyond the walls and doors of the physical school environment. In order to impress this point upon children, parents must be fully involved in the educational process. When families feel a sense of detachment towards the stakeholders in their child’s learning, a sense of apathy towards school-related items can begin to occur. This must avoided at all costs. JoBeth Allen delves into the various ways that schools, communities, and parents can come together to form an optimal pedagogical environment. Allen places well-developed narratives throughout her book to allow the reader to reflect and understand the complexities that exist within the challenges of forming these vital home-school-community bonds. The ideas contained in Creating Welcoming Schools: A Practical Guide to Home-School Partnerships With Diverse Families are useful for a vast range of age and grade levels, and the recommended strategies can be gradually employed according the comfort and experience level of the individual educator who is implementing them.

Structural change from physical foundations: The role of the environment in enacting school change

Educational change is known to be challenging and therefore research exploring the conditions that seem to facilitate change is important. The literature relating to school level change shows some awareness of the part played by the physical school environment, but the role of the school premises in change is rarely the focus of research rooted within this literature. This is a notable omission. The history of innovation in school design parallels the recognised challenges of school reform and change. Educational leadership practice and certain historic policy initiatives suggest awareness of how the physical environment may encourage or constrain, and so is potentially an important part of a change process, but this understanding is not developed. This paper brings together our research concerning school environments and our work with schools attempting pedagogical change to develop such an understanding of the place of the physical setting in initiating, supporting and sustaining school level change. It is a conceptual exploration of the role of the physical environment in enacting change using an empirical base to illustrate our argument. We present a narrative account of two schools’ approaches to change and use the theoretical framework of culture, structure and individual action, where the physical environment is part of the structure within which change is attempted. It becomes clear that although the physical setting is intimately related to other school structures, particularly certain organisational features, there is a qualitative difference in the way the physical setting, as a tangible and visible entity, contributes to change processes. As well as contributing to the development of conceptualisations of educational change, our exploration has implications for the wider understanding of structures within human society, and their relationship to culture and individual agency.

Examining the physical environment of Ghanaian inclusive schools: how accessible, suitable and appropriate is such environment for inclusive education?

ABSTRACTThe extent to which inclusive schools can physically and pedagogically include children with disability and special educational needs or otherwise is also identified to depend largely on the physical environment. This descriptive, mixed methods study reports empirically driven data on the nature, accessibility, suitability and appropriateness of the physical environment of inclusive schools, and how these impact inclusive education (IE). A purposively selected sample of 164 teachers, with wide-ranging teaching experience was surveyed through a questionnaire. Observation data were also collected to complement the survey data. Study findings revealed that the physical environment of most ‘inclusive schools’ was of a poor quality, less accessible for children with physical and other sensory motor disability, and less suitable for most physical activities, including sports, and physical education for all children. Teachers, therefore, called on Government and the Ghana Education Service to urgently improve ventilation systems, decorations and colour in inclusive schools. They also highlighted the need for good architectural designs to facilitate effective natural and artificial illumination in classrooms and buildings, modification of facilities, and redesigning the physical landscape of schools to promote accessibility and use for all children, regardless of disability. The findings have implications for universal design environments for IE.

Analysis of Health Promoting Schools: Focusing on Large-sized Elementary Schools in Urban Areas

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the operational status and operational problems of health promoting model schools, particularly of the large-sized elementary schools in urban areas. Methods: The study analyzed the data of 14 large-sized elementary schools in urban areas selected from 85 health promoting model schools, an initiative led by the Ministry of Education from 2012 to 2014. Results: The study examined the operation process of health promoting schools in five stages; system development, needs survey & current status survey, school health policy development, program development & execution, and evaluation. In addition, the study discovered three key factors in operating health promoting schools and examined the status of each factor; connection with the curriculum, connection with the community, and consensus among members. Four problems were identified as operational problems: lack of research on faculty health issues, school physical environment and community resources, inadequate presentation of performance indicators, no close coordination in core task development and lack of linkage with the curriculum. Conclusion: It turned out the concept of health promoting school suggested by WHO was relatively faithfully realized in this study. Compared to small-sized elementary schools in rural areas, health promoting schools in this study showed better aspects overall. The connection with the community was good, but the connection with the curriculum was poor.

Perspectives of children and adolescents on the perceived determinants of physical activity during recess

Promotion of healthy lifestyles in youth focuses on school-based interventions with the aim to increase physical activity (PA) during school days. Drawing on seventeen focus group discussions from three purposively selected Estonian schools, we explored factors that perceivably affect students’ recess physical activity (RPA). Both inductive and deductive principles of data analysis were used to extract major and subthemes related to factors that inhibit or enhance RPA. Participants identified barriers and facilitators to recess PA as originating mainly from physical and organizational school environment. Also, unsuitable weather was described as a barrier to being active. Additionally, feelings, behavioral and normative beliefs were described as constraining or facilitating RPA. Results highlighted two culture-specific unique perceived determinants of RPA that need to be addressed during the development of school-based interventions to increase PA.

The Effectiveness of Geography Learning and its Effect on Disaster Response at the State Senior High Schools in Padang City

This research was aimed to describe and analyze the effectiveness of Geography learning at state senior high schools in Padang City and its effect on disaster response. The research method was Mixed Method. The data were collected through observation, interview and documentation. The analysis of the data suggested that the effectiveness of Geography learning at state high schools in Padang city was effective to very effective. It was influenced by teachers’ ability in opening the lesson and motivating the students, teachers’ strategies and supported media. Learning evaluation consisted of student’s knowledge evaluation ( written test and task), behavior evaluation (peer’s observation and self-assessment), and skill evaluation (Practice, Project, and Portfolio.) Students’ learning activity and response at state senior high schools in Padang City were categorized as effective to very effective. This was influenced by school social environment, student’s socio-economic factors and school physical environment. Regarding students’ learning mastery, it was found that schools located in the centre and the outskirt of the city obtained &gt; 75 for individual learning mastery. Furthermore, for classical learning mastery, the schools in the downtown achieved 97.5% or more than 75 (completed). Meanwhile, the shools located in the outskirt had yet to score more than 75 or it only scored 74%. The cause was the difficulty in lesson planning, for example preparing media for learning. In addition, the difficulty was also affected by technlogical factors (smartphone) and student’s social environmental factors. Moreover, from the evaluation, it was found that the significant problem was time allocation for assessing the learning outcomes so it had an effect on disaster response in school, namely student’s readiness in receiving learning materials, teacher’s competence and the availability of learning facilities and infrastructures. Some prior policies regarding the effectiveness improvement are the use of learning media, the development of learning strategies, the development of learning model and method, improving learning facilities and supporting infrastructures as well as increasing teachers’ interest in participating in the forum of subject teachers (Musyawarah Guru Mata Pelajaran).&#x0D; Key words : Learning Effectiveness, Disaster Response, Geography Learning