The relevance of innovative school architecture for school principals

In many cases, innovative forms of learning require innovative concepts of using space in school. However, so far there has been a lack of research concerning the perspectives of school principals as important stakeholders in the adoption of alternative school architecture. The present study examine...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:School leadership & management 2016-03, Vol.36 (2), p.184-203
Main Authors: Schabmann, Alfred, Popper, Vera, Schmidt, Barbara Maria, Kühn, Christian, Pitro, Ulrike, Spiel, Christiane
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Administrator Attitudes
Administrator Surveys
Architecture
configuration of school space
Educational Environment
Educational Facilities Design
Foreign Countries
Information
Innovation
innovative forms of learning
innovative learning arrangements
Learning
Motivation
Online Surveys
Perceptions
Principals
Questionnaires
Regression (Statistics)
School architecture
School Buildings
School principals
Self Efficacy
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Summary:In many cases, innovative forms of learning require innovative concepts of using space in school. However, so far there has been a lack of research concerning the perspectives of school principals as important stakeholders in the adoption of alternative school architecture. The present study examines the importance of alternative school architecture in a sample of 1164 principals (56% females, mean-age 52.7 years) in Austria. An online questionnaire was conducted, containing questions about the school building, innovative forms of learning, and principals' level of information, perceptions, and thoughts on the relevance of school architecture, as well as their motivation and self-efficacy. Results showed that principals are aware of the advantages of certain architectural elements, although these elements have been implemented in only a few schools. A high proportion of respondents report a lack of information about configurations of space that go beyond the traditional corridor-scheme. We conclude that although principals are in general open for the alternative configuration of space further efforts have to be made to overcome the obstacles that prevent principals from launching new concepts of using space, which are a lack of competitive resources and knowledge as well as an inadequate professional network.
ISSN:1363-2434
1364-2626
DOI:10.1080/13632434.2016.1196175