Facility design and learning Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Facility design and learning - Research Paper Example Free education as we know it today did not come into existence until the 1840s, when a popular movement began with education reformers Horace Mann and Henry Barnard. Working in Massachusetts and Connecticut, these two men helped to create statewide â€Å"common-school† systems that would provide education for everyone. (â€Å"Honor America’s Schools†, 2002). Aided by common-school advocates, they worked to establish a free elementary education accessible to everyone and financed by public funds. (â€Å"Honor America’s Schools†, 2002). Public education across the United States remains much the same as the common-school movement that was started in Massachusetts and Connecticut over a century ago. Public education is still free to those that wish to use it; however, American students are scoring lower than other countries in subjects such as science and math (â€Å"Associated Press†, 2007), and the very buildings that were constructed for their education are now being examined as the cause behind the lower test scores. The first cause that is being examined in the correlation between learning and learning facilities are the buildings themselves. According to a study conducted by the Tennessee Advisory Committee on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) in 2003, school facility factors such as building age and condition, among others, can affect student health, safety, sense of self, and psychological state. Further evidence of this was determined by Glen I. Earthman in his 2002 study entitled School Facility Conditions and Student Achievement. In this study, Mr. Earthman stated that, when the socioeconomic factors of a classroom were controlled, researchers frequently found a difference between 5 and 17 percentile points between achievements of students in poor quality school buildings when compared with students in standard quality school buildings. Though the terms of poor quality and standard quality were not specifically defined in the study, the evidence was clear – the quality of the building affected the ability of students to learn. The elements of facility design that can affect learning go far beyond the ‘brick and mortar’ approach to a school. Perhaps the biggest contributor inside a school to a student’s learning is the air that they breathe. According to the National Center for Education Statistics 2003 Planning Guide for Maintaining School Facilities, Indoor Air Quality, commonly referred to as IAQ, encompasses almost anything and everything that affects air in an educational building, from mold and pollens to dust, paint odors and other allergens. In 1995, the General Accounting Office (GAO) found that fifteen thousand schools in America suffered from poor IAQ, which affected more than eight million children in the American public school systems across the country (Schneider, 2002). Poor IAQ has been linked to a number of issues that affect student performance. Among the issues are eye, nose, and throat irritation, fatigue, headache, nausea, and sinus problems (Szuba, & Young, 2003). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in a 2000 study, referred to these symptoms in total

Preferred Learning styles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Preferred Learning styles - Essay Example This study was based on descriptive study. Quantitative data was collected from the closed ended questionnaires where the number of students were tallied and presented in a table form. The findings of the study showed that there is no perfect learning style as they have some fault. The study thus recommends that the learning institutes should recommend the best learning style based on the personal traits of the individual. CHAPTER ONE 1.1 Introduction This report focused on analyzing learning style in the learning process. The study focused on analyzing how the learning styles in a classroom set up is influenced by the gender or sex of the students. The study also focused on how the extroverts react to learning styles in a classroom set up. More so, this study focused on how social aspects of the students influence the learning styles. This report focused its premises on the Honey & Mumford learning style in its theoretical framework. In the independent variable, the study had the le arner’s gender and characteristics. 1.2 Literature review This reports based its arguments on the recent literature reviews. The literature in this scope of study shows how learning style concepts have been accepted. It is alleged that several studies that have proved that learning styles area true measure of students’ self evaluation (Rosenberg, 2009) though there is a disagreement on the best way of measuring the various learning styles. It is also alleged that there are several researches that have been done on learning styles but most researchers have not agreed on the importance of designing learning programs (Hall, 2009). In addition, Coffield et al (2004) concludes that provision of correct learning strategies, contexts and methods is better as compared to matching individual student preferences. Marzano (1988) posits that tactile and graphic presentation of subject matter produced noticeable effects the outcomes of learning regardless of attempts to match the g raphic and tactile methods with learners’ modalities. In a recent by Baker (2002), visual studies were quite advantageous among all adults despite the rate of learning style with preference to the visual images. It was also advantageous for learners with strong preferences in the verbal process. According to Merrill (2000), instructional strategies should be determined first by focusing on the goals of the instructions and the learners’ learning preferences and styles are used to adjust the fundamental learning strategies. CHAPTER TWO 2.1 Research methodology The descriptive research design was used in this study. Hypotheses were set and later test made on the participants. The study was conducted in a workshop and follow up activities in the classroom set up. The study involved one classroom and all the students were participants in this study. Questionnaires were administered and the responses were analyzed in a table form. The test score for the various theories was analyzed in a table. The questions were aimed at critically analyzing the self evaluation of the respondents by determining the learners’ style. There was no time limit to this questionnaire. The accuracy of the results depended on how honest you were. There was no right or wrong answers. If you agreed more than you disagreed with a statement, you had to put a tick next to it. If you disagreed more than you agreed a cross was put beside it. 2.2 Participants The research participants were students in a classroom set up.