ERIC Number: EJ1165869
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1541-0935
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Does Seat Location Matter? A Review of the Proximity Effect in Large and Small Classrooms
LaCroix, Kim; LaCroix, Sean
Community College Enterprise, v23 n2 p58-69 Fall 2017
The proximity effect--whether distance from an instructor correlates with grades--has been the topic of many articles dating back nearly 100 years. Despite this attention, a cleavage in the literature remains. Some authors argue that increased proximity to the instructor negatively relates with academic performance while others maintain no proximity correlation with grades. This paper posits that a consensus does exist: seat location influences grades in larger classrooms but not in smaller ones. To support that position, these authors offer a review of previous literature and add to that body by analyzing student performance in six relatively small community college economics classes. In that analysis, seat location bore no statistical correlation with student performance, supporting the conclusion that proximity affects grades less often in small classrooms than in large.
Descriptors: Proximity, Classroom Environment, Space Utilization, Literature Reviews, Community Colleges, Two Year College Students, Correlation, Statistical Analysis, Grades (Scholastic), Class Size, Classroom Design, Economics
Schoolcraft College. Community College Enterprise, 19600 Haggerty Road, Livonia, MI 48152. Fax: 734-462-4679; e-mail: cce@schoolcraft.edu; Web site: http://www.schoolcraft.edu/ccE
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses; Reports - Research
Education Level: Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A