DOUGLAS COLLEGE

ARCHIVES
APPEARANCE AND COMFORT OF SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT ee eee

= Behaviour and academic attainment tended to be better when
the school was clean and tidy, with attractive pictures and

Plants.

ic They found that schools which displayed a lot of the
students’ work on the classroom walls had better academic
outcomes. This could influence the students in several
ways:

a) by stressing the academic side of school

b) by encouraging students to work well and rewarding
them by displaying their wark

c) by making the school more visually attractive

= They found an inverse relationship between the amount of

pupils’ work and other materials displayed and the amount of
graffiti observed in the building.

= The school should be physically secure and provide an
adequate environment. The question would not be "Why is the
window broken?", but, "How long has the window been broken?"
This is a reflection that those in charge care.

= Differences in outcome were not due to such physical factors
as the size of the school, the age of the building, or the
Space available. It was entirely possible for schools toa
obtain good autcomes in spite of initially having rather
unpromising and unprepossessing school premises.

= Feaple work and behave better when they are well looked
after and feel that these in charge understand and respond
to their personal needs.

= Access to telephone, availability of refreshments, and being
allowed in the building during breaks were important.

+ A school that is clean and in good decorative condition
Provides & positive model.