Human-Environment Interaction Research
Explored the relationship between school physical environments and student behavior, focusing on bullying prevention.
Methods
Conducted qualitative interviews with school architects to understand how spatial features contribute to bullying and student safety.
My Role
As the primary researcher, I conducted all interviews, gathered data, and analyzed findings, while consulting with another researcher throughout the process to refine the research approach.
Timeline
2 years
Tools
ATLAS.ti, Excel, Zotero
Project Overview
Process & Participants
Conducted an extensive literature review on school bullying to identify gaps in the research and establish a theoretical framework.
Conducted semi-structured, qualitative interviews with experienced school architects as key informants.
Focused on the relationship between school design and bullying prevention.
Thematic analysis was used to identify patterns and insights from the interview data.
The sample consisted of architects with extensive experience in school planning, design, and research, primarily in the U.S.
Analysis & Results
Identified key spatial features that influence bullying dynamics, such as visibility, supervision, and space usage.
Thematic analysis revealed the importance of school layout in preventing bullying and promoting student safety.
Findings emphasized the role of school size, sense of community, and environmental affordances in reducing bullying incidents.
Suggested environmental modifications, such as improved sightlines and flexible learning spaces, to foster a safer school climate.
Resulted in a peer-reviewed journal article, published in Children’s Geographies, which has been well-cited in the field.
Analysis Details
A qualitative, non-directive, semi-structured interview format was used, allowing participants to openly share ideas before probing questions focused on relevant issues. This approach facilitated the co-construction of new knowledge between interviewer and interviewee, which would not have emerged from a structured interview. Data from the interviews enriched existing research on the influence of environmental factors on social behavior, particularly in school settings. Themes explored included student safety issues in school design, the priorities and constraints faced by architects, and their views on the relationship between bullying and school environments. Interviews were transcribed and thematically analyzed using ATLAS.ti, with a data-driven approach that incorporated existing ecological psychology theories. Inter-coder reliability was assessed and achieved 98.9% on 25% of the data.
Analysis Details
The findings emphasize the impact of the school’s physical environment on bullying, highlighting both direct factors like visibility, supervision, and school layout, and indirect factors such as community sense and student engagement. School design features, such as flexible spaces and natural surveillance, were found to influence bullying behavior, suggesting that environmental changes can be key to improving school safety and reducing bullying.