High School Students' Perceptions: Purposefully Designed Spaces and Engagement in Learning

• In Event: Learning Environment and Physical Spaces

Abstract

A newly-designed high school provides students with the choice to learn in spaces designed to prepare them for energy-focused careers. The presented study aims to shed light onto the students’ perspectives about the impact purposefully-designed learning spaces have on their engagement in learning. The manuscript presents the voices of the high school students who participated in focus group interviews. The study was conducted at a PBL school, where the students are accustomed to being engaged in meaningful discourse, which facilitated the conversations during the focus groups. The findings illustrate the students’ opinions about their coursework, their teachers’ approaches, and their newly built learning environment. The students reported when and why they engage in learning and when they do not.

Authors

• Yanira Oliveras-Ortiz, The University of Texas - Tyler

• Dalane E. Bouillion, VLK Architects

• Lizzy Asbury, Transcend4