Peer-Reviewed Articles – Page 4 – Education Facilities Clearinghouse

The view from a broken window: How residents make sense of neighbourhood disorder in Flint

campusNovember 24, 2015

Johansen, Neal, & Gasteyer, 2014

This paper explores how members of a neighborhood association in a post-industrial blighted community in Flint, Michigan are working to reduce disorder conditions in their neighborhood. We seek to understand how members are impacted by disorder, what they perceive to be the cause of disorder, and how they respond to disorder conditions. We argue that a disordered physical environment characterised by abandoned buildings and neglected properties is viewed by association members as giving rise to fear and incidences of crime and the impression of the loss of social control by formal authorities. As a result, association members focus their attention on interventions specifically geared toward controlling environmental factors such as neighborhood greenspace. Our findings suggest that residents are deeply and negatively impacted by the presence of disorder, and that they view such neighborhood greening initiatives as an effective way to mobilise neighborhood residents against disorder-producing conditions.

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Facilities maintenance management practices in large public schools, Texas

campusSeptember 30, 2015

The purpose of this paper is to present previous studies and reports which have shown that most school buildings in the USA suffer from inadequate physical conditions. As American school buildings become “older”, it is essential for every school district to have an effective facilities maintenance management plan of its facilities. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to identify and analyze how facilities maintenance is planned, managed and carried out by large public schools in the State of Texas, USA.

Facils Maint Management Practices_LavyBilbo 2009

Impact of Garden-Based Learning on Academic Outcomes in Schools: Synthesis of Research Between 1990 and 2010

campusJuly 26, 2015

Williams and Dixon, 2013

What is the impact of garden-based learning on academic outcomes in schools? To address this question, findings across 152 articles (1990–2010) were analyzed resulting in 48 studies that met the inclusion criteria for this synthesis. A review template with operational coding framework was developed. The synthesis results showed a preponderance of positive impacts on direct academic outcomes with the highest positive impact for science followed by math and language arts. Indirect academic outcomes were also measured with social development surfacing most frequently and positively. These results were consistent across programs, student samples, and school types and within the disparate research methodologies used. However, a common issue was lack of research rigor as there were troubling issues with incomplete descriptions of methodological procedures in general and sampling techniques and validity in particular. Recommendations for more systematic and rigorous research are provided to parallel the growing garden-based education movement.

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The impact of the classroom built environment on student perceptions and learning

campusJuly 22, 2015

Marchand, Nardi, Reynolds, & Stoil Pamoukov, 2014

The aim of this 2X2 experimental study was to investigate whether the combined environmental factors of light, sound, and temperature in a classroom built environment set to comfortable levels or just outside the comfort zone (OCZ) impacted undergraduate student learning, mood, and perceptions of environmental influence on performance during listening and reading tasks. Results indicated that participants in the OCZ listening condition had lower scores on a comprehension test than those in the normal listening condition, but that no difference was detected between conditions for the reading modality. Students in the OCZ condition reported more negative affect and believed that the sound and temperature of the room had a more negative impact on their performance than those in the normal condition. Participants in the reading conditions were more likely to attribute poor performance to the sound levels in the room than students in the listening condition.

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Framework for the analysis of the potential of the rooftop photovoltaic system to achieve the net-zero energy solar buildings

campusJuly 17, 2015

Koo, Hong, Park, and Yun, 2013

New renewable energy is attracting considerable attention as a future energy source. The photovoltaic (PV) market, in particular, has grown signiﬁcantly during the past decade. The use of the rooftop PV system in buildings in urban environments is being actively promoted. This research was conducted to develop a framework for the analysis of the potential of the rooftop PV system to achieve the net-zero energy solar buildings in terms of energy supply. To verify the feasibility

of the proposed framework, a total of 5418 elementary school facilities located in 16 administrative divisions in South Korea were selected as case studies. This research (i) collected information on the elementary school facilities, the rooftop PV system, and the meteorological and geographical characteristics by region; (ii) conducted an energy supply analysis by applying the rooftop PV system; (iii) conducted an energy demand analysis; (iv) analyzed the energy substitution effect; (v)

presented the current status of the energy supply and demand in each region using the geographical information system; (vi) analyzed the causal relationship between the energy supply and demand by region; and (vii) proposed an energy supply and demand strategy by region. This research can help elementary school facility managers or policymakers conduct an energy supply and demand analysis as well as propose an energy supply and demand strategy. It can be used as part of an educa-

tional facility improvement program. The framework proposed in this research can also be applied to any other country or sector in the global environment.

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Outdoor Recreation, Health, and Wellness Understanding and Enhancing the Relationship

campusJuly 17, 2015

Geoffrey Godbey (May 2009). The research literature on outdoor recreation as it relates to human health is vast and growing. To help policymakers take new and emerging findings into account when designing recreation and park services and initiatives for the 21st century, this paper summarizes the salient issues and identifies research gaps. It considers how being outside in natural surroundings may improve health and how outdoor physical activities benefit participants. Particular attention is given to children’s health problems that can be mitigated through outdoor play, sports, and nature study. The paper describes approaches to measuring physical activity and recent trends in park visitation and outdoor activity participation. It looks at variables that affect participation in outdoor activities and considers the projected demographic changes that will affect policymaking in this arena. The findings of this literature review point to potential new directions for outdoor recreation policy, as well as new policy questions to be explored.

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Specific characteristic of preschool facilities important for application of solar energy systems

campusJuly 17, 2015

Tanić, Petković, and Kondić, 2012

Current principles in architectural design emphasize the importance of application of materials and technologies that do not jeopardize the environment. Application of sustainable principles in planning and construction becomes an obligatory part of design and construction process for all types of architectural structures. This approach results in architecture that is essentially contextual and sustainable in all crucial parameters, from the construction phase to the exploitation.

One type of approach which could contribute to the creation of such architecture and solve current environmental problems is usage of solar energy. This energy is completely clean, and its source is practically inexhaustible. Solar architecture is therefore a logical continuation in development of architectural concepts in modern times. Usage of active and passive solar systems and their combination can create energetically almost autonomous buildings. The paper examines some aspects relevant for the usage of those systems in the pre-school facilities, both for construction of new buildings and the reconstruction of the existing buildings.

Location data (meteorological data, insulation, orientation towards the sides of the world, the effects of vegetation...) and elements of the building (architectural plan, the form of structure, layout and size of openings, the materialization of the building...) are pointed out as important factors that could affect the application of such systems. In addition to these factors, possibilities and economic feasibility of application of solar systems are treated given the specific architectural features of pre-schools.

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PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT FACTORS AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE COGNITIVE PROCESS AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR OF CHILDREN IN THE PRESCHOOL FACILITIES

campusJuly 17, 2015

Stankovi, Milojkovi, and Tani, 2006

The problem researched in this paper refers to the promotion of the evaluation system in the designing of the pre-school facilities, and the issue is approached from the pshychological aspect, in order to investigate the potential for improvement of this kind of structures.

In the paper, the systematization of the physical environment factors and their influence on the cognitive processes and the social behavior of children in the pre-school facilities. The conclusion is that the quality of architectonic design, that is, the quality of organization and materialization of the designed physical environment of the pre-school premises correlates with the positive developmental results of the children.

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Measurement of quality in preschool child care classrooms: An exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the early childhood environment rating scale-revised

campusJuly 17, 2015

Cassidy, Hestenes, Hedge, Hestenes, and Mims, 2005

The purpose of the current study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R) with a large sample (1313 classrooms). We explored both the seven subscales and the possibility of fewer distinct aspects of quality being measured by the scale. The large sample size allowed both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to be performed. The results showed two distinct factors, Activities/Materials (nine items) and Language/Interaction (seven items), which accounted for 69% of the variance. High internal consistency scores, a moderate correlation between the factor- based scales, and a strong correlation between the combined factor-based scales and the overall ECERS-R score suggested these were distinct factors that could serve as a proxy for the larger scale. Structural aspects of quality and teacher education were examined in relation to the new factor-based scales and the overall score. Implications for practitioners and future research suggestions are provided.

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Green Roof Valuation: A Probabilistic Economic Analysis of Environmental Benefits

campusJuly 17, 2015

Clark, Adriaens, and Talbot, 2008

Freen (vegetated) roofs have gained global acceptance as a technology that has the potential to help mitigate the multifaceted, complex environmental problems of urban centers. While policies that encourage green roofs exist at the local and regional level, installation costs remain at a premium and deter investment in this technology. The objective of this paper is to quantitatively integrate the range of stormwater, energy, and air pollution benefits of green roofs into an economic model that captures the building-specific scale. Currently, green roofs are primarily valued on increased roof longevity, reduced stormwater runoff, and decreased building energy consumption. Proper valuation of these benefits can reduce the present value of a green roof if investors look beyond the upfront capital costs. Net present value (NPV) analysis comparing a conventional roof system to an extensive green roof system demonstrates that at the end of the green roof lifetime the NPV for the green roof is between 20.3 and 25.2% less than the NPV for the conventional roof over 40 years. The additional upfront investment is recovered at the time when a conventional roof would be replaced. Increasing evidence suggests that green roofs may play a significant role in urban air quality improvement. For example, uptake of NOX is estimated to range from $1683 to $6383 per metric ton of NOX reduction. These benefits were included in this study, and results translate to an annual benefit of $895-3392 for a 2000 square meter vegetated roof. Improved air quality leads to a mean NPV for the green roof that is 24.5-40.2% less than the mean conventional roof NPV. Through innovative policies, the inclusion of air pollution mitigation and the reduction of municipal stormwater infrastructure costs in economic valuation of environmental benefits of green roofs can reduce the cost gap that currently hinders U.S. investment in green roof technology.

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