The Influence of Seating Location on Student Engagement, Experience, and Course Performance

• In Event: 18.054 - New Approaches to Assessing Learning Environments

Abstract

This study investigates whether student seating location (i.e., sitting in the front, middle or back of the classroom) affected students’ engagement, attention, experience, and performance in a large undergraduate lecture course. Two cohorts of participating students (N = 319) participated in the Experience Sampling Method (ESM), reporting on their engagement, attention, and quality of classroom experience twice during three observed classes throughout two successive semesters. Results showed that sitting in the back of the class had a negative effect on course grade, engagement, and quality of experience. Students reported feeling less successful, less valued, and less connected when sitting in back. Furthermore, the effect of seating-based proximity to the instructor on course performance was mediated by student engagement and experience.

Authors

• David J. Shernoff, Rutgers University

• Alexander J. Sannella, Rutgers University - Newark

• Lina Sanchez Wall, Fairleigh Dickinson University

• Roberta Y. Schorr, Rutgers University

• Denise Bressler, Stevens Institute of Technology

• Suparna Sinha, Rutgers University

• Erik Ruzek, University of Virginia

• Beheshteh Abdi, Northern Illinois University