Does furniture comfort impact learning? Examining students’ perceptions about classroom furniture

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a push in higher education to design active learning classrooms, which provide a flexible layout that promotes student engagement and collaboration as opposed to the fixed traditional lecture-style layout. However, research into how furniture supports students’ perceptions of comfort and learning is limited. Furthermore, existing studies have examined the anthropometric fit of furniture to participants rather than focusing on qualitative measurements. This study investigated the perceptions of 298 higher education students towards the furniture in three classrooms at an R1 university in the Midwest United States. Participants completed a 28-item questionnaire that aimed to gain a broad insight into student perceptions of the furniture’s ergonomic, functional, and aesthetic properties. The survey incorporated both quantitative and qualitative questions. Results indicated students’ preferences for different furniture types. Notable findings were that participants identified chair seats as too low (11.7% of female participants) and work surfaces as too high (38.6%). Additionally, students indicated that the chair's reclining ability, cushioning, and aesthetics were important variables that affected their perceptions of comfort. Students also indicated a desire for larger work surface areas (51.5%). Mobility of the furniture also influenced students’ perceptions, particularly that it supported group work and collaboration. Based on the findings, the research culminated with a suggested prototype furniture design that could better support the preferences and needs of current higher education students.