Privacy Preferences and Classroom Seat Selection

Abstract

The relationship between privacy preferences and the location of selected seats in a classroom was investigated. Subjects were 17 men and 34 women in an undergraduate psychology class. The location of the seat selected in a rectangular classroom was described according to depth: front, middle, and back. Privacy preferences were measured using Marshalls (1974) Privacy Preference Scale. Those who opted to sit in the back were significantly higher on the Not Neighboring and Seclusion scales.Research on the relationship of personality characteristics to classroom seating choices may be traced back many years (Waller, 1932). However, most of the studies on classroom seating location have not involved personality variables. Usually, investigators have examined the relationship of seating location to classroom behaviors, such as class participation, academic performance, teachers' perceptions of students, and the effects of free-versus assigned-seating on classroom behaviors.There has been limited research on the personal characteristics of students who select various seating areas. Waller (1932) reported that students seated at the front tended to be overdependent and zealous, while those at the back tended to be rebellious. Totusek and Staton-Spicer (1982) found that students in central seats were more creative, assertive, aggressive, and competitive than those in the left or right sections. Students with good study habits, a liking for school, and a greater success in doing things than most people sat at the front (Pedersen, 1977;Walberg, 1969). High school students with high self-esteem preferred to sit near the front (Morrison & Thomas, 1975), and students in peripheral sections had poorer self-concepts than those in central locations (Dykman & Reis, 1979).

Desempenho Acadêmico Inferior Dos Alunos Do “Fundão”: Mito Ou Realidade?

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Materialita školskej triedy v procesoch pedagogickej komunikácie

“…Dané výskumy zdôrazňujú fakt, že zóna dominantnej účasti, je zaznamenateľná v triedach len v momentoch, kedy si žiaci môžu miesto vybrať a tak sa komunikatívnejší a asertívnejší žiaci rozhodnú pre predné a stredné pozície, zatiaľ čo žiaci s nižším záujmom o interakciu s učiteľom sa budú snažiť zaujmúť miesta v zadných radoch lavíc (Pedersen, 1994).…”

The Impact of Outdoor Views on Students’ Seat Preference in Learning Environments

“…In environmental psychology, territoriality refers to how people use space to communicate occupancy of areas or possessions [10]. In practice, learning space arrangements with well-defined areas can have a positive influence on students' social interaction as well as on task behaviors [9,11].…”