ERIC Number: ED348153
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1992-May-5
Pages: 57
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Seating Arrangements: Changing with the Times.
Wengel, Marni
A study was conducted at a new elementary school in central Virginia to investigate influences on teachers' choices of seating arrangements and to determine the best seating arrangement to use. Four classroom teachers, each with an average class size of 20 students, volunteered to be observed and interviewed. The teachers taught at different grade levels between 1st and 4th grade, had teaching experience ranging from 5 to 21 years, and used different seating arrangements. The teacher of a combined 1st and 2nd grade class used a horseshoe seating arrangement. The 2nd grade teacher changed her room arrangement frequently, most often using moveable desks placed in rows. Desks were grouped in clusters of four to five by the 3rd grade teacher. The 4th grade teacher used a random design. Interviews with teachers covered such topics as teachers' backgrounds, the type of instruction used, typical classroom activities, and teachers' views on seating arrangements. Classroom observations used a time-sweep approach to measure on-task interactions, individual behavior, and the frequency of students' absences from their seats. Observation results indicated that while some seating arrangements were effective for the particular classroom activities observed, none was as effective as changing seating arrangements to match teaching goals would have been. Results also suggested that there was no best overall seating arrangement and that arrangements should be made in accordance with class needs and teaching styles. Other considerations in room arrangements include room logistics, student personalities, and amounts and types of interaction. (AC)
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A