This study assessed the effect of room design on small-group communication patterns. Twenty-seven groups of three subjects each were assigned to nine types of rooms that differed with respect to shape, interior decoration, and other environmental elements. Subjects discussed a standard group-discussion topic. Data indicated that room design had no…

The purpose of this study is to examine the organization of play space and the effect which this organization has on children's productive and disruptive behavior in an indoor nursery setting. A second purpose was to develop a category system for recording the productive and disruptive behavior of young children in a free play situation. The…

An exploratory field study was conducted in 42 self-contained, elementary grade classrooms in 18 school buildings. Subjects were 1,030 fifth-grade students. The purpose of the study was to determine the range of physical environmental conditions in the classrooms; and how students' perceptions of the physical environment (1) describe the…