Children's Sense of Place at Elementary School

Yi, Y. & Whang, H.
The Journal of Korean Institute of Educational Facilities, Vol.21 (1). 10.7859/kief.2014.21.1.013

Objectives

This study explores how children create a sense of place at school according to their development stages.

Background

A sense of place at school is crucial for children. However, current elementary schools in South Korea provide consistent spaces, not adequately considering the various needs of different development stages of elementary children.

Methods

This study qualitatively and quantitatively analyzes 130 children's experiences using cognitive mapping and a questionnaire survey.

Results

Even though children share the same school building, students differently experience their environments as their spatial reference frames develop from egocentric to fixed to allocated reference system.

Conclusion

The finding suggests that different environmental designs should be implemented for different age groups to support their sense of place and well-being at school.

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