Technology-based learning environments
M. Arghiani; M. Saffar; M. Mahvash
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Today, learning various sciences has become one of the basic needs of humans, and there are many obstacles that reduce the speed of learning; among these obstacles, we can mention stress. Stress is a kind of response to emotional or physical changes created in the environment ...
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Background and Objectives: Today, learning various sciences has become one of the basic needs of humans, and there are many obstacles that reduce the speed of learning; among these obstacles, we can mention stress. Stress is a kind of response to emotional or physical changes created in the environment and living conditions of students, which can appear in different ways according to their age, life situation, and personality. If the learning space is designed properly, it can eliminate a lot of stress in students. Reducing stress in students can lead to discovering their hidden talents, increasing self-confidence and making the most of their potential, which will increase learning. Also, various studies have been conducted in western and other countries about the effect of architecture on reducing the stress of users, a limited number of which have been conducted on the effect of the architecture of the educational space on reducing stress with different research methods and approaches, each of which has research problems and flaws in two areas. They are thematic and methodological knowledge. The research showed that various studies have been conducted in the three fields of environmental psychology, psychology and architecture of educational spaces, but no sufficient and accurate studies were found about the interrelationship of these three topics. With quantitative and qualitative approaches, this research aims to deal with the subject in the two scientific fields of psychology (stress, stress theories) and architecture (psychology of the environment of educational spaces, architecture of educational spaces, health and architecture, etc.). The purpose of the present research is to identify the physical factors that are effective in reducing the stress of students in the educational spaces of the school, which is a factor for the scientific progress and improvement of the country and is associated with increasing the productivity of schools. This research aims to evaluate the effect of physical and non-physical dimensions of stress reduction on stress reduction in combined research (description of the survey type and logical reasoning).Methods: With the help of the Delphi method, the experts in the field of architecture were asked to categorize the practical physical factors of stress reduction. Then, the test analysis was done with the help of hierarchical analysis (AHP).Findings: After the complete hierarchical analysis, at first, the main criteria were ranked according to the goal, and then the sub-criteria were ranked in details, and the percentage of importance of each was determined. Among the main criteria, the combination of nature and environment gained the most weight, with a weight of 0.534, so it was the most important among the main criteria. The criteria for modeling nature and the spatial characteristics of the environment were also in the following ranks. A pairwise comparison of the sub-criteria of the integration of nature and the environment and their order of importance was discussed, and it could be seen that the sub-criteria of light with a weight of 0.541 took the first place, and the sub-criteria of plants and natural landscapes and ecosystems were in the following ranks.Conclusion: In designing a conservatory with the approach of reducing stress through biophilic architecture, light is the most critical design factor, and then the plants inside and outside the environment, natural landscapes, and ecosystems should be observed in the design.
Education technology - higher education
M. Arghiani; M. Mirhashemi; M. Mahvash
Abstract
Background and Objectives: One of the effective and significant concepts that has drawn designer’s attention about human and environment is sense of belonging. In environmental design field, despite the frequent use of this word, a clear definition of this concept and its elements has not been ...
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Background and Objectives: One of the effective and significant concepts that has drawn designer’s attention about human and environment is sense of belonging. In environmental design field, despite the frequent use of this word, a clear definition of this concept and its elements has not been presented yet. In this research, for the practical use of sense of belonging in the field of design, first of all, the dimensions and components of this concept, according to the needs of the field of design, have been defined and then the impact of the physical and emotional dimensions of belonging have been evaluated in different patterns of schools; in order to determine the roles of these components in the formation of sense of belonging and finally the quality of the design of educational environments. The primary goal of this study is to create a basis for quality environment in educational spaces by reinforcing sense of belonging and the secondary one is to explain the concept of sense of belonging within the framework of environmental design.Methods: The first part of this study is theoretical type and the second one in terms of goal is applied, that forms a mixed-methods research. The first part is done by using descriptive and analytical methods and examining the theoretical and technical background, and the second part is a survey based on inferential statistics. Library instruments and a questionnaire were used to collect data. The research instrument of the survey part in this study is a researcher-made questionnaire, the final version of which has been approved after several stages of qualitative validity checkup. The statistical population of this study consists of high school students in Bojnord and the samples were randomly selected. Then, the effective components on the sense of belonging have been analyzed and prioritized based on the questionnaire indicators. Questionnaires collected from two patterns of modern and traditional schools in Bojnord were analyzed by SPSS software. In this regard, linear regression correlation test has been used to investigate the relationship between independent and dependent variables. Based on this, 16 indicators have been evaluated based on 3 dimensions of belonging; environmental, activity and emotional-psychological dimensions; then the amount and intensity of the correlation has been measured.Findings: According to the obtained results, "Environmental dimensions" with a beta coefficient of 0.243 and a significance level of zero, have the highest correlation with the sense of belonging. This finding shows that the level of belonging among the research variables has the greatest impact from the physical dimensions and related indicators and the changes in this component predict about a quarter of the changes in the independent variable; the sense of belonging. The second component affecting the sense of belonging with beta 0.208 and the significance level 0.004 is "Emotional dimensions". This finding highlights the important connection between emotion and place. Also, the variable "Activity dimensions" with a beta number of 0.206 and a significance level of 0.001 is the third component which explains the sense of belonging and the promotion of belonging in the studied high-schools.Conclusion: The "environmental dimension" component; which is arising from the physical characteristics of an environment is the most decisive factor in explaining the sense of belonging, because environmental dimensions are the source of the main features of the environment. Human is directly related to the body of an environment, and human perceptions are the result of initial interaction with the physical environment. Therefore, it is necessary to address the quality of educational environments within its physical structure. Another conclusion that the research findings show is that the traditional schools can create higher level of belonging to the environment in individuals, so the characteristics of these schools can be represented in the new experiences.
Learning Environment
M. Arghiani
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Creating a sense of community provides desirable conditions for students' moral, social and physical development. Understanding this sense of community has received growing attention of researchers in various fields. Sociology stresses the sense of people’s belonging ...
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Background and Objectives: Creating a sense of community provides desirable conditions for students' moral, social and physical development. Understanding this sense of community has received growing attention of researchers in various fields. Sociology stresses the sense of people’s belonging to a place, mainly by exploring social and emotional ties between people in a place, which deals with the mental perception and feelings that people have about a given place. From the perspective of anthropologists, it deals with subjects such as individual perception of place, the meaning of place, as well as aesthetic and emotional issues. In this context, belonging chiefly refers to the emotional connections between people and place. This issue is defined by anthropologists as the sense of belonging to a place or a symbolic relationship with a place, which is forged by attaching a symbolic meaning to a specific place. It further provides collective and individual perception and relationship with the environment. Landscape architects also see the sense of community as a concept closely associated with the sense of belonging to a place, contending that it is primarily cognitive and emotional. That is, this concept is explained for individuals through various common events, beliefs, experiences and cultural habits. In this regard, the present study was conducted with the aim of identifying factors affecting students' sense of community. With respect to its goal, this research is classified as an applied research. Methods: In this research, attempts have been made to use the survey method to answer the research hypotheses and measure the studied indices. To do so, by studying the existing sources, 16 components affecting the sense of community were extracted. By designing, distributing and collecting the questionnaire, the views of the research community were examined. Accordingly, 40 questionnaires were distributed among a group of university professors and the effect and priority of the obtained psychological, physical and behavioral components were evaluated. After removing incomplete questionnaires, 19 questionnaires were included in the final analysis. We used hierarchical analysis process for this purpose. Findings: The factors of security and knowing individuals and places among psychological components, the factor of spatial quality component among physical components, and the factor of collective activity among behavioral components were identified as the most important components affecting the sense of community in educational settings. Conclusion: To promote the sense of community in educational settings, the following issues should be taken into account. 1) The importance of the place of activity: encouraging students to engage in various educational activities, such as sharing ideas with others, participating in class discussions, connecting with the teacher and providing an environment for gathering (amphitheater in a convenient place with ease of access). 2) The importance of security in a place: an external danger or threat or common threats can damage a sense of community in the environment or the solidarity of individuals. To overcome the problems and issues that may arise from danger, social norms are required, especially when they provide security for individuals in the group. 3) The recognition of individuals and places: when students know each other, it fosters a social feature that leads to an improved sense of community. 4) Spatial quality: desirable and pleasant places that are visually stimulating enhance aware and environmental knowledge of people. The richer the place, the more people are encouraged to stay together.
Architecture
M. Arghiani; H. Vahdani charze khun
Abstract
Background and Objectives: In contemporary times, the concept of attachment to place has found considerable differences. Social scientists are heavily involved in the concepts of place and attachment to place. What happens to people's emotional connection to a place in a dynamic society? At the ...
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Background and Objectives: In contemporary times, the concept of attachment to place has found considerable differences. Social scientists are heavily involved in the concepts of place and attachment to place. What happens to people's emotional connection to a place in a dynamic society? At the macro level, globalization theorists offer a considerable understanding of the effects of dynamics on place and social organization in a city. They put emphasis on how economic, social, political, and cultural changes, travel and migration increase connectivity between distant places. Environmental psychologists, social scientists, and geoanthropologists distinguish between dynamism and attachment to space, and see the two concepts as contradictory. In the argumentative view, attachment to place is a phenomenon that is in the form of individual, social and place-human relations. Attachment in educational spaces is one of the most important factors affecting student attendance and consequently the prosperity and dynamics of the educational environment. Paying attention to the needs of these people with regard to their physical conditions can make their presence more prominent in educational settings. The purpose of this study was to identify the factors affecting students' attachment feeling among high school students in Bojnourd. This research is an applied research in terms of purpose. Methods: In this study, survey and correlational research were used. For this purpose, Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistical test was used to determine the normality of the distribution of research data and multiple linear regression and Pearson correlation tests were used to determine the relationship and severity and the relationship between independent and dependent variables. Findings: Findings showed that the sense of identity variable has the highest correlation with the level of attachment feeling. Therefore, the level of attachment feeling among the research variables is affected by the level of sense of identity and its related indicators. The second variable with the Pearson correlation coefficient is 0463 social bonds. The attachment sense variable was ranked third with a coefficient of 0.444, with the highest correlation being the attachment feeling question, which was 0.500 and a mean of 3.17, and the least related to being missing for this place in the attachment feeling, which was a mean of 2. 31 represents this issue, with a mean of 2.61 for quitting this place in three schools. Conclusion: Based on this, 37 indices were measured in 3 components. Summary of research results indicate that the components of sense of identity are the most important physical components affecting students' sense of attachment in educational spaces, respectively. Considering the correlation coefficients between the micro-indicators and the feeling of attachment, and to promote the sense of attachment to school, it is suggested to use architectural elements and shapes and volumes that identify the place until the sense of identity and finally the feeling of attachment is promoted. And significant components of the place are in the next ranks, in this process, preference for others and offering the school to others in the second stage through the meaning of place affects the attachment to the place.
Learning Environment
M. Arghiyani; seyed abass agha yazdanfar; M. Feizi
Abstract
Background and Objective:Given the basic needs of humans in various social, emotional, intellectual and physical aspects, the current learning environment is far from reaching the living and active space, the place to encounter, experience, and so on. various studies show that collective sense has the ...
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Background and Objective:Given the basic needs of humans in various social, emotional, intellectual and physical aspects, the current learning environment is far from reaching the living and active space, the place to encounter, experience, and so on. various studies show that collective sense has the greatest impact on the participation of individuals in the performance of the environment. the collective sense is multidimensional, and the place must be somewhere for a collective sense among users. One of the missions of designers and architects is to create a proportionate relationship between humans and the environment around them. To achieve this goal, the creators of space must have a correct understanding of human behavior in different environments to strengthen the connection between man and place. Studies of learning environments have grown significantly over the past 30 years and many studies have been done on the relationship between the classroom environment and student learning. The history of studies of educational spaces shows that these environments have been less studied from sociocultural aspects. The school environment has been studied as a social learning environment for the last four decades. This indicates that the spatial features of the school building can increase or decrease opportunities for interaction between students, which in turn affects the level of socialization, awareness and knowledge of others and the level of collective feeling. Methods:Based on available literature, the five-dimensional model of the richness of place, social ties and interaction, collective activity, security, and sense of belonging and identity were extracted as the most effective criteria for revealing collective sense. to evaluate the theoretical model, three schools were selected from among high schools in Tehran and appropriate questionnaires were distributed among them. the research sample consisted of 750 people who have been selected by random sampling method. content analysis method was used in theoretical part to categorize the views and the case study was used for doing the research. the research method is factor analysis. Findings: The factor load of each measure in the theoretical model was determined and finally, 11 final strategies for designing the educational environment were explained. Conclusion: This study seeks to evaluate the relationship between collective sense and the quality of educational spaces. Closed educational spaces are the platform for social interactions between users, so it is necessary to review and pay special attention to the design of educational closed spaces as a collective space in many types of education today. The results of this study emphasize the importance of spatial features on the evaluation of collective feeling in place. Accordingly, the mental-psychological and behavioral-activity dimensions are other effective criteria in the collective feeling among users. The presented results are the first step in analyzing and evaluating the closed educational space. The results of this research can be considered as the starting point to evaluate and review the closed educational spaces and become the basis for developing a design guide to improve the quality of the closed educational space.
Educational Technology Psychology
M. Arghiani; M. Feizi; A. Yazdanfar
Abstract
The existing educational space in schools has been accused of assuming a passive role for children and creating negative effects on their mental development. Although this educational environment initially paved the way for introducing the modern educational program, it lacked the required ability to ...
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The existing educational space in schools has been accused of assuming a passive role for children and creating negative effects on their mental development. Although this educational environment initially paved the way for introducing the modern educational program, it lacked the required ability to mobilize and activate a child’s mind, and create motivation for learning. Due to the significance of active learning, its effective elements are first described in this study. From among the 3 effective elements in active learning, “participation” was selected. Subsequently, the effective factors on a child’s participation in the learning process were determined in the form of two models, namely, the social model and the activity model. The research typology is a quantitative method through a surveying study The theoretical content analysis method was used to classify the different perspectives and the interview and observation method was implemented for the selected case study. The objective of this study is to examine the effect of class room size on the students’ participation in the learning process. The statistical population of this study was the middle school children in Bojnourd, Iran, in the 2014-2015 academic year. Subsequently, 279 students were randomly selected from among the above population for completing the questionnaire. The results showed that the majority of the students preferred smaller classrooms, therefore, the overall conclusion in this study is that, to promote participation in the learning process, the following criteria must be considered in designing closed educational spaces: 1) socialization; 2) individual and group activity, and 3) involvement and experience in learning.
