by Anna Peterson A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Program in Education in conformity with

240 Pages·2016·13.48 MB·English

by  Anna Peterson

INHABITING EDUCATIONAL DESIGN

by

Anna Peterson

A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Program in Education
in conformity with the requirements for
the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Queen’s University
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
(September, 2015)
Copyright © Anna Peterson, 2015
for my mother
ABSTRACT
The natural and built environments of schools have a profound impact on our understanding of
the world and our place within it. Their role in shaping how we feel, think, and act, however, is
often underestimated. As a result, static design solutions continue to dominate the educational
landscape. Knowledge regarding the ways in which we inhabit educational design informs the
dynamic potential of school architecture as pedagogy.
The broad purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of educational design.
Research questions included: (a) What can be learned from the experiences of architects and
principals involved in the design of two exemplary public schools?, (b) How do students and
teachers experience the design of these educational environments?, and (c) How can their
experiences inform educational design? A qualitative, phenomenological, case study
methodology was chosen to investigate educational design from the perspectives of 29 students,
10 teachers, 2 principals, and 3 architects at two comprehensive schools (Grades 1–9) in
Helsinki, Finland. Students and teachers took over 1600 photographs and selected 400 for
discussion at photo-elicitation interviews. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with
principals and architects. Analysis identified the theme at the heart of the data as a lack of
congruency between the intended purpose(s) and users’ experiences of the design of their
schools. This insight led to the development of the Educational Design Intentions (EDI) Model,
which explores tensions within participant-identified design intentions and their implications for
educational design.
This study identified: (a) key insights regarding participants’ experiences of inhabiting their
schools, (b) the need for post-occupancy evaluations, especially from an educational and
humanistic perspective, and (c) how educators and architects can more fully inhabit a shared
vision of educational design. Knowledge regarding the interplay between educational
stakeholders and the design and use of their schools has the potential to facilitate change at
participant schools, increase knowledge in the field, diversify school design, and focus future
research.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This journey was made possible by the generosity of many:

To the students, teachers, principals, and architects of Latokartano and Arabian Peruskoulu who
brought this research to life, thank you, for sharing your insights and experiences of
educational design.
To my supervisory committee, Drs. Rena Upitis, Stephen Elliott, and Peter Taylor, thank you, for
your expertise and for shepherding my graduate school experience. It has been a privilege
to work with you.
To my examining committee, Drs. Anna Kristín Sigurðardóttir, Martin Hand, Richard Reeve,
Marta Straznicky, thank you, for enriching the work.
To Christopher Alexander, thank you, for leaving tracks to environments that intensify life.
To Reino Tapaninen, thank you, for your guidance and dedication to school architecture.
To Alistair Blythe and Hanna von Ahlefeld, thank you, for inviting me to join in your
international exploration of educational design and policy.
To my friends around the world, thank you. I am inspired by the compassion and creativity with
which you engage the world.
To my wonderful family, thank you, for your encouragement and unwavering support. Sharing
this experience with you has made an almost impossible dream a brave new reality.
To the financial assistance provided by the following agencies and institutions, thank you: Social
Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Joseph-Armand Bombardier
Canada Graduate Scholarship (Doctoral), the Micheal Smith Foreign Study Supplement,
the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, the Queen’s University Tri-Council Recipient
Recognition Award, Queen’s Graduate Award, and the Faculty of Education’s Graduate
Growth Funding and Alice Corry Award in Education.

Thank you, Kiitos, Takk Fyrir, Merci, ᖁᔭᓐᓇᒦᒃ, Tusen Takk, Danke schön, Grazie …
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................................... ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................... iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................................................... iv
LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................... viii
LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................................ x
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1
Study Context .............................................................................................................................. 2
Purpose and Research Questions ................................................................................................. 4
Why Finland? ............................................................................................................................... 6
Public Education in Finland ..................................................................................................... 7
Overview of the Study ............................................................................................................... 16
CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................... 17
The Relationship Between Lived Experience and Architecture ................................................ 17
Common Ground .................................................................................................................... 18
Exploring Lived Experience ............................................................................................... 18
Exploring Architecture ....................................................................................................... 20
Key Aspects of the Experience of Architecture ................................................................. 22
Pivotal Developments ............................................................................................................ 26
The Languages of Architecture .......................................................................................... 26
A Seminal Pattern Language .......................................................................................... 27
Patterns of Home ............................................................................................................ 30
School Design Principles ................................................................................................ 31
The Third Teacher .......................................................................................................... 32
Key Interactions ..................................................................................................................... 33
School Architecture and the Experiences of Students and Teachers .................................. 33
School Architecture and Human Physical Needs ........................................................... 34
School Architecture and the Transformation of Space to Place ..................................... 36
School Architecture and Ecological Literacy ................................................................. 38
Challenges .............................................................................................................................. 41
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Misunderstanding of Commonly Used Words ................................................................... 41
Divergent Views of School Design .................................................................................... 42
Design Processes and Users’ Experience ........................................................................... 42
A Way Forward ...................................................................................................................... 44
Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) .................................................................................... 44
Post-Occupancy Evaluation of Educational Environments ................................................ 46
Summary .................................................................................................................................... 48
CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY .......................................................................................................... 49
Qualitative Research .............................................................................................................. 49
Phenomenology ...................................................................................................................... 50
Case Study .............................................................................................................................. 51
Emergent Design .................................................................................................................... 52
Cultural Considerations .......................................................................................................... 53
Ethical Clearance and Consent ............................................................................................... 53
Site Selection .......................................................................................................................... 54
Latokartano ......................................................................................................................... 55
Arabian ............................................................................................................................... 56
Participant Selection ............................................................................................................... 58
Methodological Overview ......................................................................................................... 60
Image-Based Research ........................................................................................................... 60
Camera Selection ................................................................................................................... 61
Observations, Field Notes and Photographs .......................................................................... 62
Steps in the Research Process ................................................................................................ 62
Photography Research Task for Students ........................................................................... 63
Photography Research Task for Teachers .......................................................................... 64
Photo-Elicitation Interviews with Students and Teachers ..................................................... 64
Semi-Structured Interviews with Principals and Architects .................................................. 66
Data Organization .................................................................................................................. 66
Data Analysis ......................................................................................................................... 67
Inter-rater Reliability .............................................................................................................. 68
Validity and Trustworthiness ................................................................................................. 70
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Summary .................................................................................................................................... 71
CHAPTER 4 TOWARD AN INTEGRATION OF EDUCATION AND ARCHITECTURE ................................ 72
School Architecture in Finland .................................................................................................. 72
Learning From Principals and Architects .................................................................................. 73
A Principal’s Experience of Educational Design ................................................................... 75
Architects’ Experiences of Educational Design ..................................................................... 79
Latokartano ......................................................................................................................... 79
Arabian: Renovation ........................................................................................................... 82
Arabian: Addition ............................................................................................................... 85
A Principal’s Post-Occupancy Experience ............................................................................ 88
Discussion .................................................................................................................................. 89
CHAPTER 5 LIVING WITH EDUCATIONAL DESIGN ........................................................................... 93
Description of Subthemes ...................................................................................................... 96
Living with Openness ................................................................................................................ 99
Comfort with Open Environments ....................................................................................... 101
Auditory and Visual Distractions ......................................................................................... 102
Safety .................................................................................................................................... 103
Classroom Organization and Use ......................................................................................... 105
Teacher Interactions ............................................................................................................. 108
Summary .............................................................................................................................. 110
Navigating Efficiency .............................................................................................................. 111
Student Lockers .................................................................................................................... 112
Staffroom Kitchens .............................................................................................................. 115
Science Classroom ............................................................................................................... 117
Dual-Purpose Classrooms .................................................................................................... 120
Summary .............................................................................................................................. 124
Essential Designs ..................................................................................................................... 124
Storage .................................................................................................................................. 125
Display Spaces ..................................................................................................................... 128
Teacher Social and Workspaces ........................................................................................... 133
Staffroom .......................................................................................................................... 134
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Workspaces ....................................................................................................................... 136
Student Social Spaces .......................................................................................................... 138
Quiet Spaces ......................................................................................................................... 141
Summary .............................................................................................................................. 143
Places of Promise ..................................................................................................................... 143
Libraries ............................................................................................................................... 144
Balconies .............................................................................................................................. 149
Courtyards ............................................................................................................................ 151
Plant Rooms ......................................................................................................................... 154
Schoolyards .......................................................................................................................... 155
Summary .............................................................................................................................. 158
Chapter Summary .................................................................................................................... 159
CHAPTER 6 DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................... 160
Inhabiting Educational Design ................................................................................................. 161
Capturing and Communicating the Experiences of Inhabiting School Architecture ............... 165
Inhabiting a Shared Vision of Educational Design .................................................................. 169
The Limits of Language ....................................................................................................... 170
Isolation Impedes Innovation ............................................................................................... 171
Study Limitations ..................................................................................................................... 173
Suggestions for Further Study ................................................................................................. 174
A Cautionary Note ............................................................................................................... 175
Significance of the Study ......................................................................................................... 176
REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................. 180
APPENDIX A ETHICAL CLEARANCES ........................................................................................... 198
APPENDIX B LETTERS OF INFORMATION AND CONSENT FORMS .................................................. 201
APPENDIX C ARCHITECTURAL PLANS FOR LATOKARTANO ......................................................... 217
APPENDIX D ARCHITECTURAL PLANS FOR ARABIAN ................................................................... 219
APPENDIX E SAMPLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ............................................................................. 223
APPENDIX F MIND MAP ............................................................................................................... 229

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Education system in Finland (Sahlberg, 2011, p. 40). .................................................... 8
Figure 2. Variance within and between schools in student reading performance on the 2009
PISA study (Jetsonen, Johansson, Nuikkinen, Sahlberg, 2011, p. 23). .......................... 9
Figure 3. Average net teaching hours per school year in Finland, the United States, and in OECD
countries (Sahlberg, 2011, p. 91). ................................................................................ 12
Figure 4. Structure of the Literature Review. .............................................................................. 17
Figure 5. Dining hall and assembly area at Latokartano. (PESARK press image). ..................... 55
Figure 6. Student entrances at Arabian. ....................................................................................... 57
Figure 7. Participant photographs for discussion. ........................................................................ 65
Figure 8. Overarching theme, sub-themes, and parts of each sub-theme. ................................... 97
Figure 9. Glass walls between classrooms at Latokartano. (PESARK press image). .................. 99
Figure 10. Audio/visual distraction and glass walls. ................................................................. 102
Figure 11. Overlap of old and new classroom technology. ....................................................... 105
Figure 12. Limited options for teacher space in classrooms. ..................................................... 107
Figure 13. Student lockers. ........................................................................................................ 114
Figure 14. Dirty mugs on staffroom counter. ............................................................................. 116
Figure 15. Science classroom at Latokartano. ........................................................................... 117
Figure 16. Overlap of resources in science classroom at Latokartano. ...................................... 118
Figure 17. Original music classroom at Arabian. ...................................................................... 120
Figure 18. Music classroom on the stage at Latokartano. .......................................................... 121
Figure 19. Combined cooking and textile arts classroom at Latokartano. ................................. 122
Figure 20. Improvised teaching space for textile arts at Latokartano. ....................................... 123
Figure 21. Storage for musical equipment at Latokartano. ........................................................ 125
Figure 22. Additional storage in the loom room at Latokartano. ............................................... 126
Figure 23. Senior students wish for atmosphere found in younger students’ classrooms. ........ 129
Figure 24. Glass display case at Arabian. .................................................................................. 130
Figure 25. Kindness tree on the library glass wall at Latokartano. ............................................ 132
Figure 26. Staffroom at Latokartano. ......................................................................................... 134
Figure 27. Staffroom and workspace at Arabian. ...................................................................... 136
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Figure 28. Workspace adjacent to staffroom at Latokartano. .................................................... 137
Figure 29. Student sofas at Arabian. .......................................................................................... 138
Figure 30. Student sofas in home areas at Latokartano. ............................................................ 139
Figure 31. Quiet place in the art classroom at Arabian (foam in corner). .................................. 142
Figure 32. Library at Latokartano. ............................................................................................. 144
Figure 33. Library at Arabian. ................................................................................................... 144
Figure 34. Art in the library at Arabian. .................................................................................... 145
Figure 35. Empty bookshelves in the library at Latokartano. .................................................... 146
Figure 36. Balcony at Arabian. ................................................................................................... 149
Figure 37. Balcony at Latokartano. ............................................................................................ 150
Figure 38. Courtyard at Latokartano. ......................................................................................... 151
Figure 39. Courtyard at Arabian. ............................................................................................... 151
Figure 40. Stylized flower in the courtyard at Latokartano. ...................................................... 152
Figure 41. Plant room at Arabian. .............................................................................................. 154
Figure 42. Schoolyard at Arabian. ............................................................................................. 156
Figure 43. Forest adjacent to the schoolyard at Latokartano. ..................................................... 158
Figure 44. Student playing on the sofa. ..................................................................................... 166
Figure 45. Image of student artwork on the glass walls. ............................................................ 166
Figure 46. Students as part of the architecture of their schools. ................................................ 167
Figure 47. Educational Design Intentions (EDI) Model. ........................................................... 178

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