CLASSROOM SEATING ARRANGEMENTS

Eugene Matusov (ematusov who-is-at udel.edu)
Fri, 3 Sep 1999 18:11:30 -0400

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Hi everybody--

Thanks a lot for helping me to find references for my class regarding
influences of classroom seating arrangements on instruction. I want to share
with you what I found.

I have assigned for my class the following two papers:

Getzels, J.W. (1975). Images of the classroom and visions of the learner. In
T. G. David & B. D. Wright (Eds.) Learning environments. Chicago: Chicago
University Press.

Vogt, L., Jordan, C., & Tharp, R. (1987). Explaining school failure,
producing school success: Two cases. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 18
(4), pp. 276-286.

The first paper discusses issues of seating arrangements and ed philosophies
continuing Dewey's quote cited by Linda
> One of my favorite descriptions of the importance of seating
> arrangements for
> learning is one John Dewey gave to parents at the U. Chicago Lab School in
> April 1899, incorporated in the beginning of the 2nd chapter of
> his _The School
> and Society_. (My copy is Dewey, J. (1900/1956). _The child and
> the curriculum
> and The school and society_. Chicago: U. Chicago Press, p. 31):
>
> "Some few years ago I was looking about the school supply stores
> in the city,
> trying to find desks and chairs which seemed thoroughly suitable from all
> points of view -- artistic, hygienic, and educational -- to the
> needs of the
> children. We had a great deal of difficulty in finding what we needed, and
> finally one dealer, more intelligent that the rest, made this
> remark: 'I am
> afraid we have not what you want. You want something at which the
> children may
> work; these are all for listening.' That tells the story of traditional
> education. Just as the biologist can take a bone or two and
> reconstruct the
> whole animal, so, if we put before the mind's eye the ordinary
> schoolroom, with
> its rows of ugly desks placed in geometrical order, crowded
> together so that
> there shall be as little moving room as possible, desks almost
> all of the same
> size, with just space enough to hold books, pencils, and paper,
> add a table,
> some chairs, the bare walls, and possibly a few pictures, we can
> reconstruct
> the only educational activity that can possibly go on in such a
> place. It is
> all made 'for listening' . . . ."

As Linda points out, Jacob Getzels continued Dewey's insights in his
research.

The second article discusses cultural issues of activity settings (including
seating arrangements).

Below is a list of interesting articles reporting research on classroom
seating arrangements:

====================================================

CLASSROOM SEATING ARRANGEMENTS

Schmidt,-Robert-E.; Stewart,-John-P.; McLaughlin,-T.-F. (1987). Effects of
two classroom seating arrangements on classroom participation and academic
responding with Native American junior high school students. Techniques.
Vol
3(3): 172-180
ABSTRACT: Examined the effects of free vs integrated seating arrangements
with 5 junior high Native American students in a class composed of 24
students. Data were collected for academic responding, frequency of
participation, attendance, and assignment completion, using an ABAB design.
During the 1st and 3rd phase, students were allowed to seat themselves
freely
in the classroom. During the 2nd and 4th conditions, students were assigned
by the teacher, who utilized an integrated pattern. Results indicate that
seating arrangement had no effect on academic responding. Increases in
classroom participation were found for 4 of the 5 students, and class member
acceptance of the Ss as friends increased during integrated seating.

McNamara,-E.; Evans,-M.; Hill,-W.. (1986). The reduction of disruptive
behaviour in two secondary school classes. British Journal of Educational
Psychology.; Vol 56(2): 209-215.
ABSTRACT: Used a 5-component behavioral intervention package with 2
disruptive secondary school classes (a 2nd- and a 3rd-yr remedial
mathematics
class). Data were collected for pupil on-task/off-task behavior and for
teacher positive and negative verbal behavior in a multiple-baseline
across-groups design. Intervention consisted of altering the classroom
seating arrangement, posting classroom rules, having the teacher make
evaluative statements, rewarding good student behavior, and soliciting
self-assessment by students. Levels of pupil on-task behavior were
significantly increased in both classes. Concomitant changes in teacher
behavior were also reported, and it is suggested that increased levels of
pupil on-task behavior may have elicited higher levels of positive verbal
behavior from the teachers. (19 ref)

Axelrod,-Saul; Hall,-R.-Vance; Tams,-Ann. (1979). Comparison of two common
classroom seating arrangements. Academic Therapy.; Vol 15(1): 29-36.
ABSTRACT: 17 underachieving 6th graders were observed under 4 conditions:
sitting at tables, sitting in rows, sitting at tables again, sitting in rows
again. The dependent variable was study behavior. There were 6 observation
periods, for which interrater agreement was 92% or higher. The results show
that study behavior was more frequent in the row arrangement. A 2nd study
involved 32 adequate achievers in the 7th grade. Talk-outs was the dependent
variable. The students were observed sitting at tables, in rows, and at
tables again. There was less talk-out behavior under the row condition than
under either table condition. It is concluded that the row arrangement
reduces number of distractions, thereby increasing study behavior.

Granstroem,-Kjell. (1996). Private communication between students in the
classroom in relation to different classroom features. Educational
Psychology. Vol 16(4): 349-364.
ABSTRACT: Investigated the extent of private communication in different
kinds of lessons and at different school levels. Ss were students in 4
classes in junior school (aged 7-9 yrs), middle school (aged 10-12 yrs), and
senior school (aged 13-15 yrs). During observations of 70 lessons, peer
interaction, class size, forms of work, and seating in the classroom were
noted. Results reveal that every lesson was filled with internal
communication between Ss. Even if this interaction was mostly out of
teachers' conscious control, it was not random. Results do not provide any
evidence to support an assumption that chatter between peers will increase
in
larger classes. The Ss' participation in private interaction may to some
extent depend on their position in the classroom. Factors of greater
importance and highly relevant to peer interaction may be the age of Ss
(school level) and the form of work.

Raviv,-Amiram; Raviv,-Alona; Reisel,-Ellen. (1990). Teachers and students:
Two different perspectives? Measuring social climate in the classroom.
American Educational Research Journal. Spr; Vol 27(1): 141-157
ABSTRACT: Compared teachers' and classes' perceptions of the actual and
preferred classroom environment in 78 6th-grade classes in Israel. The
Classroom Environment Scale (CES) was administered, and similarities between
the perceptions of teachers and classes were found, particularly pertaining
to the preferred or ideal classroom. Teachers and classes differed most in
their respective perceptions of the real classroom. The validity of the CES
and the relationship between the organizational factor of classroom seating
arrangement and the environment perceptions are explored.

McKee,-William-T.; Witt,-Joseph-C. (1990). Effective teaching: A review of
instructional and environmental variables. In Gutkin, Terry B. (Ed);
Reynolds, Cecil R. (Ed); et-al. The handbook of school psychology (2nd
ed.).
(pp. 821-846). New York, NY, USA: John Wiley & Sons.
ABSTRACT: (from the chapter) this chapter is based on the following
premise:
that variables operative in the classroom environment, such as the specific
behaviors of the teacher and the manner in which the classroom is arranged
(e.g., seating arrangement, noise level), influence student behavior and
student learning / behavior is influenced by the environment /// review the
literature pertaining to variables within the classroom environment that
have
been shown to have a marked impact on student achievement / focus primarily
on variables over which the teacher has control because school-based
consultants are most interested in manipulable variables (i.e., those that
can be changed) in the development of interventions that improve student
learning /// reviews three theoretical and conceptual models that help to
provide a context with which instructional and environmental variables can
be
viewed relative to other factors that influence learning.

Adger,-Carolyn-Temple. (1985). Improving conversational engagement in the
culturally diverse classroom. Paper presented at the Annual Ethnography in
Education Research Forum (6th, Philadelphia, PA, March 1985).
ABSTRACT: A study of communication in a culturally diverse first grade
classroom focused on one discourse device, conversational repair, and its
use
with one kind of conversational difficulty, protest sequences, or arguments.
The data collected concerned the children's use of either non-response or
conversational engagement following a fellow student's protest, and the
evolution of this use in the course of the school year. The non-response
frequency curve across the school year suggests that protesting is
constrained by a solidarity factor, affected in this case by the classroom
seating arrangement and changes made in it. When solidarity is low, as at
the
beginning of the year or after a seating change, protest is not called for,
but when solidarity is high, protest occurs and conversational engagement
increases over non-response. It is suggested that if the solidarity concept
is extended to include shared culture, it is apparent that cross-cultural
conversations are less eligible for the repair they are likely to require
because the participants lack shared culture. The implications for
culturally
diverse classrooms include the suggestion that teachers group children in a
way that they will spend a lot of time working and talking with children
from
culturally contrasting backgrounds, to establish ties enabling them to
repair
conversations.

Banerjee,-Haimanti. (1997). Cultural consciousness in a language class.
Working Papers in Educational Linguistics; v13 n1 p23-30.
ABSTRACT: Acknowledging that the Suggestopedia approach is not very
popular,
this paper focuses on the use of Suggestopedia's distinctive features to
promote awareness of the linguistic and cultural features of the target
culture in a language class. The role of the classroom environment in this
approach is also examined. The context considered here is a heritage
education class for adult first-generation Indian-Americans. The student
population is described, and the choice of the Suggestopedia approach for
this class is explained. Classroom procedures using the approach are
described briefly. The significance of the seating arrangement, the role and
conduct of the non-native teacher, rationale for selection of the syllabus,
and selection of audiovisual materials are considered. It is concluded that
when appropriately used, adapted to the learners' needs, and integrated with
the curriculum, the Suggestopedia approach has significant potential for
language teaching and learning. Some limitations of the approach, including
limitations with young children and lack of communicative language use, are
noted.

Wheldall,-Kevin; Lam,-Yin-Yuk. (1987). Rows versus tables. II. The effects
of two classroom seating arrangements on classroom disruption rate, on-task
behaviour and teacher behaviour in three special school classes.
Educational
Psychology: An International Journal of Experimental Educational Psychology;
v7 n4 p303-312.
ABSTRACT: Investigated the effect of row versus table (clustered desks)
seating arrangements in three classrooms with children having emotional and
moderate learning difficulties. Results showed on-task behaviors doubled as
conditions changed from desk clusters to rows. Rate of disruption was three
times higher in the desk cluster seating arrangement.

Adams,-Raymond-S.; Biddle,-Bruce-J. (1970). Realities of teaching;
Explorations with video tape. New York, N.Y., Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Edwards, C. H. (1997). Classroom management & discipline. 2nd Ed. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.

Williams, P. A., Alley, R. D., & Henson, K. T. (1999). Managing secondary
classrooms: principles & strategies for effective management & instruction.
Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Rinne, C. H. (1997). Excellent classroom management. Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth.

Jones, V. F., & Jones, L. S. (1998). Comprehensive classroom management:
Creating communities of support and solving problems. 5th Ed. Boston:
Allyn
and Bacon.

Paine, S. C., Radicchi, J., Rosellini, L. C., Deutchman, L., & Darch, C. B.
(1983). Structuring your classroom for academic success. Champaign, IL:
Research Press.

Evertson, C.M., Emmer, E. T., Clements, B. S., & Worsham, M. E. (1997).
Classroom management for elementary teachers. 4th Ed. Boston: Allyn and
Bacon.

Emmer, E. T., Evertson, C.M., Clements, B. S., & Worsham, M. E. (1997).
Classroom management for secondary teachers. 4th Ed. Boston: Allyn and
Bacon.

Take care,

Eugene

----------------------
Eugene Matusov
School of Education
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716
Office (302) 831-1266
Fax (302) 831-4445
email ematusov who-is-at udel.edu
Website http://ematusov.soe.udel.edu/
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