Flexible Furniture to Support Inclusive Education: Developing Learner Agency and Engagement in Primary School
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| Title: | Flexible Furniture to Support Inclusive Education: Developing Learner Agency and Engagement in Primary School |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Julia E. Morris (ORCID |
| Source: | Learning Environments Research. 2025 28(2):223-248. |
| Availability: | Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 26 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Inclusion, Student Needs, Furniture, Classroom Environment, Space Utilization, Classroom Design, Student Empowerment, Learner Engagement, Teaching Methods, Self Management, Student Centered Learning, Teacher Attitudes, Peer Teaching |
| Geographic Terms: | Australia |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10984-024-09522-z |
| ISSN: | 1387-1579 1573-1855 |
| Abstract: | To ensure quality and equitable education requires an understanding of how all learners function within a learning environment, and the ways in which teachers' pedagogy can support inclusive practice. Drawing on research from a rural school in Western Australia, this paper identifies how furniture can be used as a tool to support student agency and opportunity to meet individual learning needs. Across two years, the study employed a single-subject research design to explore the impact of differing furniture arrangements on students' agency and engagement, as well as teacher pedagogies. It used both quantitative and qualitative repeated measures with 9 teachers and their classes (over 500 students aged 7-11 years), as they changed from flexible to traditional furniture arrangements and back again (an A-B-A design). The study found students self-manage their physical, psychological and learning needs through furniture. It found teachers were more student-centred in their pedagogical practice in flexible furniture arrangements, and they believed the flexible arrangement supported more inclusive practice compared to the perceived individualised and isolated learning experiences in the traditional furniture arrangement. The data suggest that all learners, including those with additional needs, are more empowered by flexible environments, having autonomy to personalise their learning, and effectively offering/receiving support to their peers as they work together in the learning environment. It further suggests that teachers' ability to support learners is impacted when they can move effectively around the classroom, or when peer support is diminished in the learning environment. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1486006 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| Abstract: | To ensure quality and equitable education requires an understanding of how all learners function within a learning environment, and the ways in which teachers' pedagogy can support inclusive practice. Drawing on research from a rural school in Western Australia, this paper identifies how furniture can be used as a tool to support student agency and opportunity to meet individual learning needs. Across two years, the study employed a single-subject research design to explore the impact of differing furniture arrangements on students' agency and engagement, as well as teacher pedagogies. It used both quantitative and qualitative repeated measures with 9 teachers and their classes (over 500 students aged 7-11 years), as they changed from flexible to traditional furniture arrangements and back again (an A-B-A design). The study found students self-manage their physical, psychological and learning needs through furniture. It found teachers were more student-centred in their pedagogical practice in flexible furniture arrangements, and they believed the flexible arrangement supported more inclusive practice compared to the perceived individualised and isolated learning experiences in the traditional furniture arrangement. The data suggest that all learners, including those with additional needs, are more empowered by flexible environments, having autonomy to personalise their learning, and effectively offering/receiving support to their peers as they work together in the learning environment. It further suggests that teachers' ability to support learners is impacted when they can move effectively around the classroom, or when peer support is diminished in the learning environment. |
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| ISSN: | 1387-1579 1573-1855 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10984-024-09522-z |
