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There is an urgent need to establish classroom libraries, especially in rural areas where learners hardly come across any reading material. The purpose of this study was to investigate how teachers set up classroom libraries in rural areas of the Mogodumo circuit in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The study was qualitative in nature. Fifteen English First Additional Language (EFAL) teachers from 12 schools participated in the study. Observation and semi-structured interviews were employed to collect data. It was found that while all participants recognised the importance of reading for their learners, only 7 of the 15 teachers managed to establish classroom libraries. The study revealed that teacher self-efficacy (TSE) played a crucial role in setting up classroom libraries, given the serious challenges of funding, resources and support experienced by rural schoolteachers. Teachers with high TSE managed to establish classroom libraries by using their own time, money, and resources, while those with low TSE failed to establish classroom libraries. We recommend that school managers should make time and resources available to rural schoolteachers to enable them to establish classroom libraries.

This article addresses how those who plan education will be profoundly affected by Artificial Intelligence and suggests ways in which the potential benefits may be optimised. UNESCO's contributions to the AI debate are recognised and applauded, despite AI having, as yet, no direct voice in its discussions. Most significantly, there is a widespread unwillingness -- manifest in both UNESCO's publications and by contributors to its recent Digital Learning conference -- to accept that education is undergoing a fundamental transformation and that contemporary technology, including AI, will continue to impact upon, and necessarily react with, that evolving situation. In a similar manner, the fourth Sustainable Development Goal is now acting as a straitjacket, constraining the actions and aspirations of those seeking to confront education's worldwide challenges through the sensitive and ingenious application of contemporary technology including Artificial Intelligence. Educational planners and decision-makers are urged to keep abreast of the Education and AI debate, including the UNESCO-led discussions and UNESCO-authored publications, while applying grounded common sense, rejecting technological determinism, and maintaining a healthy scepticism throughout. It is vital that they too acknowledge that education is, along with society generally, evolving and, accordingly, recognise the limitations of reports and products which ignore that fundamental transformation. It is recommended that they start with the challenges and opportunities offered by AI and -- collectively -- demand AI support for what needs to be achieved, no matter how radical. This might extend to a shared super-goal of optimising the nature, delivery, and effectiveness of education, carefully and creatively applying AI, in order to help create a better, happier and more equitable world community.

Students' seating selection is a significant physical variable that has implications for both teachers and students. These seating preferences have been linked to students' personalities, motivation, and academic performance. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the cultural influences on these preferences. In this exploratory qualitative study, we aim to investigate the cultural factors that influence the seating choices of undergraduate students. The study participants were recruited using purposive sampling. Face-to-face interviews and scenario simulation surveys were utilized to collect data, which was analyzed using thematic analysis. The study's findings suggest that seating preferences are largely a function of individual differences and personal preferences, which often stem from personal and cultural factors. These factors are discussed under five primary themes: course academic value, gaining positive experiences, avoiding negative experiences, modesty and humility, and social belonging. These findings have implications for teaching and learning and for instructors, especially those from foreign cultures.

This research investigates the influence of color-filtered lighting in relation to biophilic design, specifically within the preschool learning environment where design elements impact early childhood development. Among various architectural design components, research underscores the pivotal role of lighting in affecting children's pleasantness and energy levels. The experiment yielded three key findings: (1) discernible differences in pleasant and energy levels were observed between existing white lights and specific color-filtered lights; (2) varying pleasant and energy levels were noted among different color-filtered lights; (3) a relation was identified between external conditions (confounding variables) and pleasant and energy levels in the context of color-filtered lights. Subsequently, the study delved into the interplay between the effects of color-filtered lighting and natural light, specifically focusing on the Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) level. There is an opportunity to refine and innovate lighting elements of learning environments through the interplay between indirect experience elements of biophilic design, attention restorative theory (ART), and perceived emotional experience. The study offers valuable insights into the relationship between specific lighting conditions and elevated energy and pleasantness levels suggesting a meaningful avenue for further research and practical application in educational settings.

The aim of this research was to study the aspects and conditions of physical space which favor or hinder the experience of university mentoring according to the perception of participants. During fieldwork, an ethnographic approach was used, based on direct and indirect observation reflected in research diaries, qualitative interviews, and an ad hoc questionnaire. A sample of 30 individuals was selected, including students and professor-mentors who were users of three spaces with different characteristics designed for individual and group mentoring. The data were collected analysed by identifying verbatim statements obtained from interviews and from accounts from the researchers' journals that were then coded and grouped into thematic categories. The results focus on the importance of factors such as natural light, comfort, accessibility, furnishings, and location; conditions such as privacy and silence; availability of materials and resources; and Internet connectivity. The participants preferred the closed space, with the open space in second place and the semi-open space third. As for other required characteristics, the preferred spaces are multi-functional and versatile, equipped with ICT tools and furniture that facilitates collaborative work and mentorship and close communication between mentor and student, and that provide necessary privacy and silence. Any spaces specifically created for mentorship should thus meet these specific criteria.

The environment shapes the foundation of healthy development and learning. The aim of this colloquium is to share the authors' recent research efforts to center children as necessary codesign partners in their built learning environments. To do this, the authors believe that it is important to reposition preschool inclusion as a bottom-up, or micro-driven, practice that begins with the child. This ecological shift acknowledges children as able-bodied, dynamic individuals who move in multiple ways and can contribute to decision-making conversations.

The teacher's gaze attention can trigger interaction with the student. So if the teacher fails to equal attention during class, students may be alienated from the interaction. According to this perspective, this study aimed to establish the pattern of the teacher's gaze during science lecture classes and whether the change of the gaze when the student's seat as an external factor changed. Eye tracking was conducted on six teachers during class, and the teacher's gaze fixation and movement were also analyzed after changing the student seat. According to the results, teachers mainly focused on the center of student seats, and the gaze blind spot was mainly biased forward. Even if the student's seat was changed, the gaze was focused on the center of the classroom, and the gaze blind spot differs within the individual, and the teacher tends to be unaware of it himself. Consequently, the teacher's gaze concentration pattern is generally similar, but the gaze blind spot varies depending on the teacher and can be affected by external factors. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a system and retrain program for diagnosis and feedback of teachers' attention to provide proper and high-quality education to students.

This research addresses the problem of the imposition of educational spaces in multicultural contexts. The research is of qualitative nature, based on an interpretative hermeneutic paradigm. It uses collective case study design. The selection of participants was non-probabilistic and intentional, and snowball sampling was used, selecting 15 teachers and 24 students. It is concluded that Chilean schools in multicultural contexts show a lack of social and cultural relevance in the construction and organization of spaces. In addition, it is concluded that educational establishments should consider the implementation of pedagogical and didactic strategies in contact with nature, given that, as has already been demonstrated, children often prefer outdoor experiences as ideal spaces for learning.

This systematic review, specifically a Meta-synthesis, aimed to synthesize the challenges and implementation of Inclusive Education (IE) in selected Asian countries. Fifteen (15) out of 792 studies were selected and screened through a set of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Academic databases such as Google Scholar, Cross Ref, Open Alex, and Scopus using Publish or Perish, and repositories such as The National University of Malaysia Journal Article Repository and Seoul National University Open Repository were used to gather relevant articles. The articles selected were organized using the PRISMA 2020 Flow Diagram. The synthesized data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's six-step thematic analysis, which emerged with eight sub-themes: insufficient resources, lack of purposeful training and professional development, contrasting IE laws and policies, weak government support, appropriate curriculum and proper classroom organization, assessment practices, awareness of IE, and constant collaboration among different stakeholders. The challenges and implementation of IE in selected Asian countries emerged as the meta-theme of the study. This study recommends that the respective governments and Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) provide adequate fund allocation and revisit and strengthen existing laws and policies, professional development programs, and administrative support.

This paper reports on the study of private theories of Science, Technology, Engineering and Technology ("STEM") teachers and their learning design practices at International Schools in Hong Kong. The literature emphasises that teachers are the key to successfully implementing STEM education. However, most are unprepared and ill-equipped for the task of preparing students for a sound STEM education. Teachers' thinking is critical for their learning design, decision-making and implementation of STEM. This decision-making is underpinned by a set of private theories. Using the methodology of a qualitative multi-case study, this research focuses on five participants teaching STEM in International Schools in Hong Kong. The private theories of the cases were identified and observed for any change with the use of a learning design model for STEM education. The learning design is introduced using a novel methodology of intervention. An observable change occurs in the majority of cases after the intervention, however certain private theories remained an obstacle to the effective implementation of STEM education. To overcome the remaining private theories in effective implementation of STEM education, the study proposes a novel framework incorporating both learning design and collaboration to mediate teachers' thinking in the context of STEM learning design.

An "active learning" classroom design recognizes the importance of students becoming engaged in their own learning. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study compared student-reported data (n = 219) and used the "community of inquiry" framework to evaluate the impact of environmental features on students' experience. Students occupied traditional or active-learning classrooms, but the same course content was delivered by the same instructor. Findings indicate a preference for seating at tables versus fixed desks, appropriate personal space and sightlines to the teacher and projector screens, and gratification for forming social connections (i.e., social presence).

As spaces, physical or virtual, are change agents and can have an impact on learning, the power of built pedagogy is being acknowledged in Higher Education. Emphasis is being placed on the design of Active Learning Spaces (ALS) and its impact on pedagogy, by fostering active learning. However, the field is fragmented, due to a profusion of terms for ALS, lacking systematization. This paper presents a systematic literature review on ALS with a focus on the concepts, design principles, teaching and learning strategies, educational resources, assessment criteria and spaces typologies. It aims to map the state of the art and identify common orientations to inform the design and assessment of ALS. The results show that studies in ALS emphasize the centrality of students' learning through collaborative work and supported by technology-enhanced environments. Despite the profusion of designations, its definitions generally focus on pedagogical strategies, technology-enhanced learning principles, collaborative aspects and interdisciplinarity and transferable skills, albeit with different importance levels. It also shows that research in this area is small-scale and empirically weak. Considering the assessment of ALS usage, future research on the impact of different layouts (pedagogy, furniture, and technology) both on teachers' practices and on students' learning is highly recommended.

The study of topological policy cultures highlights a tendency in policy spaces to undo the effects of topographical and cultural distances and differences. In contemporary education policy trends, such traits are present in the attempts to reimagine classroom spaces. A case in point is Future Classroom Lab (FCL), a physical classroom concept developed and spread across Europe, which promotes the use of digital technologies and divides the classroom into different functional 'zones'. We analyse FCL as a prototype that incites open exploration in the use and design of classrooms. We argue that prototypes are sometimes equally morphing into "proto-practices," which are "practised" forms of prototypes that are in constant flux, enabling new and different functions, meanings and emotions to emerge. Prototypes and proto-practices secure the continuous transformation of policy spaces through relatively open variation, differentiation and exploration. As such, they are emblematic of contemporary topological policy cultures.

In Malaysian secondary education, typically only academically able students with learning disabilities and acceptable behaviour join mainstream classrooms for full inclusion. Social participation at school is one key indicator of inclusive education outcomes. Most Malaysian mainstream classrooms group students into small fixed peer-seating groups. This group could represent one support for social participation available to students with learning disabilities (LD) in inclusion classrooms. However, nothing is currently known about the views and experiences of social participation from the perspective of Malaysian students with LD or about the support provided by their peer-seating group in mainstream classrooms. We investigated the social participation of four focal students with LD in two Malaysian inclusive secondary schools, using a qualitative multiple case study design. The peer-seating group played a prominent role in focal students' social participation. Several themes identified in the analysis revealed the peer-seating group's facilitation of social participation (i.e. close contact with peer-seating group; working together on tasks; free time together), but other themes identified obstacles (i.e. limited or absent friendship network). This study contributes to a better understanding of the school social participation experiences of Malaysian adolescents with LD.

In Early Childhood Education (ECE) stage there are different models of classroom organization and different teaching methodologies. The scientific literature highlights from no planning models to more organized styles. The relationship analysis between these two assumptions is a key. To investigate this starting point, it is proposed an investigation based on the opinion of 1350 teachers of the ECE stage in Spain. To do this, we present a study which is supported by the quantitative approach and it has an exploratory and correlational intention. A designed questionnaire ad hoc has been used to access to the conceptions and practices of the teaching staff, in order to determine the existing relationships between the aspects linked to the classroom organization, teaching methodologies and the interactions set up in the classroom between the pupils of this educational stage. The conclusions invite us to reflect on the importance of using a wide variety of teaching resources to be able to energize the infant classroom. Only then, it is seem to be possible to bet on a favourable attitude towards the transformation of teaching and learning models in ECE.

This article asks whether the slow process of divesting Indian native schoolteachers of their traditional authority was only about new concepts and representations of education and knowledge. Following the methodological idea of constellations of affordances, emphasising a relational ontology, the article discusses whether changes in the shape and the relations of objects in Indian classrooms together with the arrival of new objects may have played a silent role in the process of erosion of schoolteachers' authority. Based on a wide range of official and missionary sources, but also referring to individual native voices, the article reconstructs more pervasive and subtle transformations of native elementary classrooms, focusing on surfaces for writing and on "books". The article argues that shifts in the materialities of elementary native schooling took place that repositioned old "gurus" in an unfavourable light before the take-off of teacher training institutions would provide for new definitions of their role as schoolmasters.

This paper examines the technologisation of the pedagogical space "classroom". We will discuss the development and establishment of the subject-specific classroom system in the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany, 1949-1989) by taking a closer look at organisational-structural conditions and responsibilities, as well as at the functioning and challenges that emerged during the implementation of subject classrooms. The furnishing of the subject classroom with seating, desks, teaching and learning objects including technical equipment, and storage furniture was planned down to the last detail and aligned to the requirements of the curriculum. We will concentrate on the classrooms for Physics and Music to highlight the peculiarities of this principle of school spatial organisation and its impact on social school practice. Our paper will focus on the political agenda and regulations, by drawing on sources from state-led research programmes. The article uses the concept of the classroom dispositif as a description of the programmatic claims. Thus, the subject-specific classroom could be considered as a technically shaped apparatus whose architectural structure determines pedagogical practices in their spatial, temporal, social, institutional, and technical dimensions.

This paper investigates the material complexity and relational emergence of 'teaching'. Reporting on a video-based ethnographic study of an upper secondary classroom in Norway, the paper centres on the following research questions: Which material-discursive practices 'matter' in upper secondary teaching situations, and how are participants' bodies shaping and being shaped by these practices? The paper combines sociomaterial practice theory with the agential realist concepts of material-discursivity and apparatus to trace the spatial and bodily enactment of a teaching situation. In the first part of the paper, I identify two material-discursive practices: the practice of tasks and the practice of friendship. Second, I examine the two practices' material intertwinement, proposing that they entangle and coarticulate a larger material arrangement termed the teaching apparatus that regulates the possibilities and limitations for 'doing' in the classroom. The paper offers a perspective on teaching that increases our awareness of its interconnectedness and unpredictability, allowing for a more fine-grained understanding of the embodied liveliness and material complexity of everyday teaching encounters. Finally, I propose that thinking with a spatially, bodily and relationally produced teaching apparatus offers an affirmative and agential approach to discussing educational quality.

Educational sign language interpreting services (SLIS) are vital for ensuring equal access to classroom information for mainstreamed deaf students. This study conducted interviews with 12 stakeholders, including deaf students and their parents, sign language interpreters, and resource room teachers, to comprehensively explore the status of educational SLIS in Taiwan, utilising the ecological systems theory as the framework. The findings underscore the critical importance of deaf students' sign language proficiency in the personal system. Sign language interpreters play a crucial role in enhancing their skills through additional time and support, leading to improved learning, motivation, and attitudes. At the microsystem level, parents of deaf students are key persons in advocating for the SLIS of primary school, while resource room teachers assist at the university level during the application process. In the mesosystem, interpreter stability is crucial for parents and students. Close collaboration between sign language interpreters and teachers is essential for adjusting teaching methods and seating arrangements, and interpreters should possess qualities like enthusiasm, patience, and an understanding of students' psychological development. At the exosystem level, higher education institutions offer established systems for educational SLIS, but primary schools lack clear regulations. Budget constraints limit comprehensive provision, making it challenging to attract qualified professionals. Increased funding and improved incentives are necessary. In the macrosystem, deaf parents expect early intervention with sign language learning resources to create a conducive environment for early sign language acquisition.

As educational systems design and build new spaces aimed for learning in the digital age, small group configurations around large screens have become a highly popular spatial feature in classrooms and libraries. In this paper, we introduce the idea of intermediate indexing as occurring in the space between the knot of intertwined resources at the fine-grained level of interactions and the public knowledge building effort at the community level. Arguing that these intermediate processes occur in these configurations, we explored a classroom community that studied within a learning space designed to support knowledge building between individuals, small groups, and the community. In this paper, we report on our interaction analysis of a small group of students around a large screen as they negotiate a set of ideas that they want to make public to their community. The results of this study elucidate how collective monitoring of artifacts and documents, inclusive participation structures, and fluid turn-taking transitions in these configurations ultimately contribute to the knowledge building effort.

This article begins by considering the radical changes that occurred in architecture throughout the twentieth century due to the influence of Le Corbusier and the ensuing movement of modernism. Though the building of schools was embroiled in this architectural movement, the classrooms within them remained broadly the same as they had been in the previous century, something that might pose a limit to the forms of education that take place within. Classrooms are then explored in the article in terms of their design and symbolic functions, both of which pertain to questions concerned with light, seeing, and the gaze. The article then introduces two key concepts that are useful for considering the gaze, Foucault's Panopticon and Lacan's psychoanalysis, to engage with the classroom architecture. Finally, the article proposes a rethinking of classroom architecture to encourage new forms of learning to take place.

The problem that teachers often face in primary school is the students' low absorption in understanding a lesson. Currently, learning is still teacher-centered, which causes students to be less active in participating in the teaching and learning process. The problem in this research is how to enhance students' learning motivation through changing seats in primary school. This study is a quantitative study with a research design using a post-test-only control design. The data were collected using test and observation method and were analyzed using normality test, homogeneity test, t-test, and further hypothesis testing, which are to compare the learning outcomes of the experimental class and the control class. This study concludes that there was an increase in students' learning motivation through changing seats in primary schools, which can be seen from the results of data analysis showing that the value of t[subscript count] = greater than t[subscript table] = 2.2899 at a significant level of 5% (t[subscript count] > t[subscript table]) count 3.0030 > table 2.2899, H[subscript 0] was accepted.

Current educational research and practice urge the reconceptualization of learning spaces' design, development, and usage. However, only some research studies address the formation of innovative learning spaces in higher education. This systematic mapping review (Grant & Booth. "Health Information & Libraries Journal," 26, 91-108, 2009) focuses on identifying research trends and themes around innovative learning spaces in higher education and defining the innovative learning space as a concept. The analysis of 58 selected articles provides an overview of current literature with the identification of four themes such as 1) the design of the innovative learning spaces, 2) pedagogies employed in the innovative learning spaces, 3) students' experiences in the innovative learning spaces, and 4) change management approaches towards the campus innovative learning space. The types of learning spaces influenced by the trends in pedagogy (towards constructivist approaches, such as active learning spaces) and technology (towards less physicality, such as hybrid learning spaces) are explored in this study. The analysis finalizes the challenges and recommendations for innovative learning space integration into campus teaching and learning experiences. It sets a foundation for further thematic analysis of innovative learning spaces literature.

Active learning has been a growing trend in education for decades based on its impact on student learning and success. As such, schools, colleges, and universities have invested resources into expanding this teaching approach, including active learning classrooms. But why have some schools been successful at rapidly growing their active learning classrooms and learning spaces, while others have struggled? This article uncovers the factors that lead to successful scaling of these learning spaces and pedagogical approaches in schools, colleges, and universities, including leadership approaches, stakeholder involvement, funding methods, space planning tactics, cultural shifts, and the ties to strategic plans and missions.

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of an active learning space (ALS) in supporting student development of effective communication as a transferable skill. A fourth-year medical science course was taught in two different settings, an ALS and a fixed-row classroom, by the same instructor. Participants preferred the ALS for supporting communication skill development, despite it having no quantifiable effect on their communication apprehension. The ALS had a significantly higher impact than the fixed-row classroom on groupwork/collaboration and student-student interactions. This study highlights the importance of the physical classroom space for fostering students' development of communication and collaborative skills.

The goal of this study was to contribute to research on active learning by addressing the problem of disentangling the effects of classroom architecture, student characteristics, and pedagogical design as they relate to student achievement. The study utilized a quasiexperimental design where data was collected on student perceptions of their classroom, their experience in the course, and the pedagogy of the instructor, then analyzed with respect to the course grade. Results indicate that neither student perceptions of the classroom spaces nor the spaces themselves had an impact on course grade, but the pedagogy employed by the instructor and student experiences did.

The same content and learning environments offered to students from different cultural backgrounds in schools, as well as the lack of diversity, fail to address different learning needs, isolate learners from the society. For this reason, there has always been a search for alternative education models. Mixed age groups are taught together in multigrade classes, which is a primary school practice in Turkey that arises from necessity. Thus, the positive effects of this practice can be benefited from considering the multigrade class practice as an alternative education environment for teachers. This study aims to present suggestions to the educators to help them carry out their multigrade classroom activities more effectively and to draw attention to the advantages of the multigrade classroom practices. 14 pre-service teachers took part in the study as participants. The data were obtained through semi-structured interviews held in 2020-2021 academic year. The results of this study emerged in two different categories as physical arrangements and practice-based arrangements. The participants presented suggestions both for the inside and outside the classroom, and for the decoration and materials and instructional process, the institutional functioning of the school, and the type of communication in the classroom.

The importance of classroom architecture has long been recognized and supported as a significant factor in Early Years teaching and learning, garnering an explicit focus in policy and practice in Scotland. The same cannot be said of practices beyond the early years, where the explicit role of classroom architecture has been less clearly defined. In my study, I adopted an inductive approach, using a systematic literature review followed by a directed content image analysis to explore how the classroom architecture supports teaching and learning in the primary school for children ages 7-11. Within the study, classroom architecture was defined as the use and arrangement of furniture, organisation of resources, and sensory variables. The goal of the study was to better understand how classroom architecture supports teaching and learning to inform teacher practices in Scottish primary schools. Findings suggest classroom architecture is an essential element of positive teaching and learning environments for primary classrooms. Flexible and purposeful use of furniture, attention to seating arrangement, organisation and access to resources, and attention to the impact of sensory variables play a part in children's social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development and can be used by the teacher to create positive instructional environments.

Faculty and student perception of engagement in two (mobile desks or mobile tables and chairs) low-tech active learning classroom (ALC) designs were compared. Student (n = 413) perceptions of engagement were measured with the Engaged Learning Index (ELI) and the Social Context and Learning Environments (SCALE) instruments at the beginning and end of a semester in a large, multi-disciplinary department. Faculty (n = 14) rated perception of engagement using only the SCALE instrument. Perceptions of engagement from faculty and students using SCALE were significantly more positive for both ALCs compared to perceptions of traditional classrooms. There was no clear evidence of differences in student and faculty perceptions of engagement between the two ALC designs. No or small differences between the two ALC designs means departments might consider cost, maintenance, and other pragmatic factors in ALC design.

This paper presents a theoretical discussion about space-time as a curricular element which the student learns certain dynamics and positions to knowledge. The interactions to student's whit curriculars elements are necessary to build knowledge, like other curricular elements, the perspective of use of this element is important to type of learning that is built. Both the organization the space-time and the position and orientation of the bodies in classroom can favours different types of social interactions and learnings in students. Traditionally, the disposition of classroom has followed a technical paradigm and has developed an organizational structures and space-times focused on effectiveness. This perspective propose activities and learnings hierarchical which teachers is the centre of knowledge and they expertise and experience are important to learn. In this sense, students have a secondary plan of action based to assimilation and repetition learning. However, other perspectives focus to the distribution of the classroom for build a space-time and bodies focused on construction of horizontal relationships between peer through activities that "use" the space-time to suggest common interaction and learnings. This work is focussed to analyses these organizations to classroom and explain the embodied symbology, the communicative relationships, and the possibilities of knowledge construction that we build through the use of the space-time in classroom.

The concept of 'flexible seating' has emerged as a possibility to meeting the goals of an active learning classroom. Recent scholarship has suggested that numerous student learning predictors are enhanced when interacting with flexible seating. This study aims to fill a gap in the literature by investigating the effects of flexible seating from a physical perspective in the higher education setting. Seventy-five participants engaged in mixed-method data collection and analysis strategies that included observations and field notes, a validated online survey, and open-ended question prompts. A thematic review and descriptive analysis revealed almost 80% of the respondents indicated that the flexible seating had a positive effect on their experience in the course related to the following themes: (a) Movement Opportunity; (b) Back Pain & Comfort; (c) Anxiety & Restlessness; and (d) Focus & Engagement. This research provides evidence that physically comfortable classrooms promote a sense of well-being, keep minds focused, and limit distractions, and that physically comfortable classrooms with increased movement opportunities for students make possible mental and emotional health benefits, as well. Results indicate the need for campuses to (re)consider the purposes and roles of seating styles within the 21st century classrooms, with seating selection based on principles of universal design.

The aim of this research was to get the opinions of primary school teacher candidates about flexible classrooms in which technology is integrated, the flexibility in the physical arrangement of the classrooms and the modern approach to classroom structuring, as opposed to the traditional classroom structure, and the role of teachers in these classrooms. The research study group consisted of 3rd-year pre-service teachers studying at a state university education faculty from 2021-2022. In the research, the data were obtained with a semi-structured interview form. For the analysis of the obtained data, the MAXQDA 2022 program and a content analysis technique were used. One of the main conclusions of the research was that the participants associated their definitions of the flexible classroom with the physical arrangement the most. According to their drawings, they preferred a u-shaped seating arrangement, and they defined the teachers of the flexible classrooms sociologically.

This is a predictive study aiming to determine the extent to which pre-school teachers' classroom management (CM) skills predict thinking-supportive behaviours. Within the study, 183 preschool teachers participated. The data of the study was collected using Pre-school Teachers' Classroom Management Skills Scale (CMSS) and Thinking Supportive Teacher Behaviours Scale (TSTBS). In the analysis of the data, Pearson correlation analysis and multi-linear regression were used. In light of the strong predictive relationships obtained from the current study, it can be said that pre-school teachers should effectively manage their classrooms in order to display behaviours that support thinking in learning environments. The subdimension of Communication and Behavioural Regulations yielded the highest correlation with teacher behaviours that support thinking and was found to be a significant predictor. While there is no relationship between the Plan-Program Activities sub-dimension and the predicted variables, Time Management significantly predicted the clarity needed to support thinking, and Classroom Physical Arrangements significantly predicted reflection through documentation.

This research explored the best shapes and layouts of seating arrangements for fostering process performances of students in studio-style learning spaces, which have emerged in the development of collaborative learning environments in higher education. We conducted a design case study to explore both team and individual process performances during a small-group activity in a round-shaped and a crescent-shaped seating arrangement. Evaluators observed and measured the individual process performance of each group member together with the team process performances of each group. All factor scores of the individual process performance were higher in the crescent-shaped seating arrangement than in the round-shaped seating arrangement, with substantive effect sizes. In the group process performance, the factor scores of 'planning and process' and 'independence and leadership' in the crescent-shaped seating arrangement were substantially higher than those of the round-shaped arrangement, indicating that the crescent-shaped seating arrangement fostered students' ability to collaborate responsibly in their project work. Video analysis revealed that groups in the crescent-shaped layout tended to have more eye-contact and to spend less time planning, which indicates that such sociopetal effects have the potential to promote efficiency in the discussion between people seated in a crescent-shaped arrangement. We discuss the necessity to take students' seating arrangements into consideration regarding the sociopetal, as well as a proximal focal point and less-disparate distance between the leader and other participants to allow them to engage in their own work better.

A variety of research studies reveal the advantages of actively engaging students in the learning process through collaborative work in the classroom. However, the complex nature of the learning environment in large college general chemistry courses makes it challenging to identify the different factors that affect students' cognitive and social engagement while working on in-class tasks. To provide insights into this area, we took a closer look at students' conversations during in-class activities to characterize typical discourse patterns and expressed chemical thinking in representative student groups in samples collected in five different learning environments across four universities. For this purpose, we adapted and applied a 'Community of Learners' (CoL) theoretical perspective to characterize group activity through the analysis of student discourse. Within a CoL perspective, the extent to which a group functions as a community of learners is analyzed along five dimensions including Community of Discourse (CoD), Legitimization of Differences (LoD), Building on Ideas (BoI), Reflective Learning (RL), and Community of Practice (CoP). Our findings make explicit the complexity of analyzing student engagement in large active learning environments where a multitude of variables can affect group work. These include, among others, group size and composition, the cognitive level of the tasks, the types of cognitive processes used to complete tasks, and the motivation and willingness of students to substantively engage in disciplinary reasoning. Our results point to important considerations in the design and implementation of active learning environments that engage more students with chemical ideas at higher levels of reasoning.

As schools strive to instill college and career readiness within students, the academic success of students continues to be a priority of educators and administrators alike. The classroom learning environment utilized by students was examined throughout this study. Specifically, this study examined how the spaces within the classroom are utilized by students and how classroom spaces impact interactions between students and teachers. This qualitative study employed classroom maps and recording logs to gather data from students in second and fifth grade classrooms. With the data collected, the relationship between classroom environment and student engagement was examined. From the research, many common trends emerged. Common themes included that students prefer a specific seating choice in the classroom, flexible seating options were selected more than traditional seating options, and some students needed teacher directed instruction on modifications needed with seating choice or reminders how to sit in a specific choice. With these findings, it promoted a more collaborative work environment in the classroom.

While the interior design of classroom spaces has evolved to support active learning methods, few studies have isolated environment changes from curriculum changes to understand the impact of space on behavior (Brooks, Walker, & Baepler, 2014). Adapting an observation instrument from the Brooks (2012) study, "Space and Consequences", this research extends previous work in a unique circumstance that allowed the observation of a course which alternated class meetings between two differently designed spaces. We gathered perspectives from 296 students and 9 instructors along with classroom observations which highlighted eye contact as important to both instructors and students in promoting engagement.

This study draws on the analysis of 56 hours of classroom video recordings and daily room usage checklists as well as interview data from students and faculty teaching in a large, flexible, technology-rich, and collaborative classroom, "Collaboration Café." The goal is to explore faculty practices and student perspectives to increase our understanding of pedagogic interactions and the use of space and technology in active learning spaces. Informed by the updated version of Radcliffe's Pedagogy-Space-Technology (PST) framework, we argue the pivotal role of actors (i.e., faculty and students) in an active learning environment to use technology, space, and pedagogy in ways which foster learning. The discussion highlights that the faculty's choice of instructional technique shapes active and collaborative learning behaviors in the classroom. Also, student perspectives provided evidence for satisfaction with room features such as fluidity versatility, and scalability.

This paper focuses on a UK higher education institution (HEI) which redesigned three lecture theatres as 'Collaborative Lecture Theatres' (CLTs). Using Radcliffe's framework for designing and evaluating learning spaces and using his three related components; pedagogy, space and technology it will explore how the redesigned rooms (space) and the introduction of "technology" has influenced "pedagogy." The study utilises surveys and interviews with staff in different contexts within this institution, using the redesigned rooms. The data show that changing the design of the room and the technology within it does not necessarily lead to a change in pedagogy for all.

The aim of the research is to determine pre-service preschool teachers' views on creating learning environments in preschool classrooms. Qualitative research methods were used in the research. The study group was composed of 35 pre-service preschool teachers. In this study, a semi-structured interview form was chosen as data collection tool. The data of the research was evaluated using content analysis. As a result of the research, pre-service preschool teachers stated that some physical and educational features should be taken into account while creating the learning environment. Preservice preschool teachers also state that learning centers are the most important elements in the preschool learning environment. Pre-service preschool teachers consider the existence of learning centers to be important in preschool classroom. Also, pre-service preschool teachers stated that there are points to be considered while creating learning centers. In conclusion, pre-service preschool teachers have sufficient information about creating an effective learning environment.