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The study shows that rigorous research methods embedded in the design of produces) and contextual solutions result in measurable improvements.
INTRODUCTION
THE SUCCESS OF A STUDENT IS INFLUENCED byamyriadof variables ranging from socioeconomic background to internal motivation; a variable often underemphasized is the role of the built environment. Studies show that factors in the built environment affect retention, attention, motivation, learning, and academic achievement (Blincoe 2008; Durán-Narucki 2008; Earthman 2004; Kumar, O'Malley, and Johnston 2008; Schneider 2002). What is missing in these studies is a post-occupancy evaluation that assesses whether or not an intentionally designed intervention had an effect on student outcomes in the classroom. This knowledge is important in designing evidence-based educational spaces that connect intentional learning behaviors and pedagogical practices.
In this study, Steelcase Education Solutions (SES) researchers focused on student engagement using a content analysis process to synthesize information from multiple sources including brain and learning sciences (Jensen 2005; Wolfe 2010), the National Survey of Student Engagement (2012), and one author's longtime research in this area (Scott-Webber, Marini, and Abraham 2000). The research team had three goals: (1) generate and test a post-occupancy evaluation instrument focused on student engagement, (2) ensure that the instrument was valid and reliable for future use, and (3) determine, through use of the instrument, if the evidence-based design solutions used as an intervention impacted student engagement. This article will discuss the background, methods, results, and implications for future initiatives of this study.
BACKGROUND
Research on student engagement and its effect on learning outcomes is not novel; multiple areas of research from numerous disciplines work to understand this particular phenomenon (Appleton, Christenson, and Furlong 2008; Jones 2008; Kahu 2011). What is new is an instrument connecting evidence-based product and spatial designs to student engagement factors. SES developed this instrument to understand how evidence-based, intentionally designed formal education spaces (i.e., the classroom) could perhaps impact and/or influence student engagement. The instrument was created by
» incorporating research on the impact of space in learning settings (Scott-Webber, Marini, and Abraham 2000) to guide the identification of student engagement factors;
» using a validated two-step decision model survey structure as a template (Baudouin et al. 2007; Hiebert 2012); and
» incorporating secondary research materials from the National Survey of...