The Design and Aesthetics of School Structure: A Content Analysis of National and International Perspectives

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to explore thematic and methodological tendencies of the studies pertaining to the design of school buildings by taking the national and international studies into account. To do this, 137 research papers published between 1997-2018 were pooled according to specifically established criteria and delved into through examining their descriptive contents. Thematic tendencies of the selected research incorporated three main higher order categories: individualized acquisition and spaces for education, spaces incorporating the instructional aspect of education, institution-based architecture and spaces of education. The themes obtained through the examination of international studies are as follows: environmental comfort and learning, sustainable education buildings, art, aesthetics and learning spaces, and evaluation of the school structure in relation to space and pedagogy. The methodological trends indicate that both national and international studies numerically increased in 2017 and more than 50% of these studies do not introduce research approach. In more than 60% of the national studies, the research design is not specified, but only 9.7% of the international studies do not provide information about research design. In both national and international studies, it was found that primary data sources were used predominantly, and the data source was determined as space / building. As a result, it was seen that the scientific basis of the studies conducted in Turkey was not sufficiently robust and did not have the function of transforming education. It is recommended that the data source, data collection, data analysis and reporting processes should be reported according to current research designs. In addition, it is necessary that the research should include deep investigations rather than declaring descriptive findings.