"Drawing" Conclusions about Public School Facility Needs: Pupil Perception of Space Illuminated through Their Art

A small, local school district in north central Ohio, in making application for state funds to construct a new school, requested parent and community input. An exploratory study asked students what kind of classroom would improve their learning. The student assessment was part of a class assignment and took the form of pencil drawings. Three hundred thirty five drawings from students in grades K-8 were reviewed, the ideas categorized and recorded, and a tally of the ideas entered into a database. Analysis examined the relationships among ideas, grade level (primary, intermediate, and middle school), and gender. Findings suggested that students have very traditional perceptions of hypothetical classrooms and that comfort is important. A surprising absence of academic ideas was evident. The usefulness of this technique for studying student perceptions of space is discussed. Appended are samples of student drawings. (Contains 2 tables and 11 references.) (Author/BT)