Welcome to this edition of Researching education: 5 further readings. In this series, we take a look at some further readings available on a particular topic, including open access research papers from various online catalogues, and Teacher archive content you might not have come across yet.
Many of you might be starting to turn your mind towards the beginning of the next school year. A big part of getting ready for a new school year is, of course, setting up your learning spaces. From inside the classroom to the school’s outdoor spaces, there’s plenty to consider. In this edition of Researching education: 5 further readings, we share 5 resources on the topic of learning spaces.
- School gardens and student engagement: A systematic review exploring benefits, barriers and strategies. This paper published in the Issues in Educational Research journal presents findings from a thematic literature review on the topic of school gardens. Their findings encompass benefits of school gardens, such as their positive impact on student learning and wellbeing, and the barriers to building and maintaining a school garden – for example, limited funding, time and staffing. In light of these findings, the authors discuss how barriers to school gardens could be alleviated.
- School microclimates. As we head into summer, you might be thinking about how you’ll support yourself and your students through upcoming days of high temperature. This report, which presents findings from a study of microclimates around a school in Western Sydney, is intended as a guideline for those that plan, design, maintain and manage schools. It provides 20 practical recommendations for reducing the impacts of outdoor heat in schools, such as the use of light colours, ensuring natural air flow is unobstructed, and the use of trees for shade.
- The connections between learning spaces and learning outcomes: People and learning places? The key question the authors of this paper were seeking to address is whether new learning spaces are a catalyst, and/or merely one element in a range of school and systemic reform imperatives that change teaching practices and student responses in ways that improve learning outcomes. In conclusion, the authors write: ‘If the focus is on a wide array of learning outcomes, social, psychological, affective, physical as well as cognitive, then the literature indicates that new learning spaces can, but do not necessarily, improve student learning.’ Therefore, they recommend longitudinal studies that focus with greater specificity on different teacher and student practices in different spaces.
- ‘It would give you a space to be yourself’: Increasing a sense of belonging for Aboriginal students in boarding schools. In response to the fact that a person’s sense of belonging can be impacted by the design of their built environment, the researchers of this study investigated the impact of the interior design of boarding schools for Aboriginal students in Australia, who commonly report feelings of homesickness and loneliness. The research involved consulting Aboriginal student boarders and boarding staff members. Four themes emerged that suggest a role for interior design in increasing student sense of belonging; for example, ensuring flexible spaces and involving students in the design process.
- My suburban life. In 2024, South Australia’s Commissioner for Children and Young People visited 24 primary schools where 728 students participated in an activity where they described how they engage with people and places across their communities through an illustration task. This report summarises the findings from this exercise, and notes that the use of school facilities for the benefit of a local community is supported by research, and that many schools across South Australia are doing this successfully and sustainably.
Some of the resources featured in this article can be found through Cunningham Library Catalogue and EdResearch Online. At the links below, you can search for more resources on the topic of learning spaces in these 2 online databases.
You can also browse other education topics at this page.
