This thesis addressed the production of media literacy practices in physical environments. It reflects a specific trajectory through a design space. The work is founded on four studies including design sessions and expositions in primary schools and in an art museum. The focus is on how to devise practices and make sense of media literacy tasks. the thesis addresses research problems of interaction design and media studies by:(a)configuring interactive tangibles and audiovisual media, to give different perspectives on media literacy within the same physical environment; (b) developing a set of practices which are attuned to how participants collaborate when accessing and producing media texts; (c) developing the design method by employing practical knowledge from theatre practices. The thesis tackles some specific design problems. One is that the qualities of the practices and qualities of the tools need to be addressed at the same time. Also, aesthetic and technical aspects often are indistinct. The thesis seeks help in some specific traditions in the performing arts. Some terms such as 'participatory theatre' and 'masked performance' are redefined in order to address both aspects of practices and tools. Terms such as 'gendre', 'framing', 'packaging', 'authoring', 'deconstruction', 'media agenda setting' are also redefined frm literature on media studies, through the production and study of collective activities. The thesis aims to contribute to the integration of findings in interaction desugb abd nedua stydues by (1) applying advances from interaction design for the support of new media literact practice in the physical environment; (2) applying the perspectives on media literacy which emerge from these integrations in order to contribute to current reesearch on interaction design. The thesis applies practices from the performing arts in order to enable a participatory design of physical environments for media literacy. The focus is on the role played by audience groups when they adopt media contents and artifacts.

The study described in this report attempted to describe some high school classrooms in terms of such physical features as lighting, acoustics, thermal comfort, furniture design and spatial arrangements. It also sought to explore the possible associations between student seating preference and such "ecological features". The study first tried to confirm some previous research findings with regard to the existence of "zones of participation", associated with student personality traits including academic ability. The researcher then explored whether the "physical conditions" prevalent in classrooms were as much the determinants of student seating choice, as much as the student's personality traits and relationships with his peers and teachers. It further sought to confirm whether seat selection was consistent and to explore whether it was characterised by a range of factors which could be identified and classified. The study lastly aimed to obtain anecdotal data about the students' perceptions of their classroom environments. Information was obtained from one thousand and eighty-six completed questionnaires from students in years seven to ten, in two different types of classroom, in two separate high schools in the Australian Capital Territory. The results in general supported previous findings regarding associations between central and peripheral seating locations and a student's personality traits and academic achievement level. The results, furthermore, suggested some possible dependence upon the classroom's dimensions and opportunity for teacherstudent eye contact as a crucial factor in the relationship between seating location and student achievement level. The data further confirmed that a number of physical as well as social factors were determinants of a student's choice of seat. These factors were found to be consistently identifiable over various age groups, in different kinds of classroom, in different subject areas and between separate schools. The anecdotal data further established the degree of concern and importance attributed to the physical environment by the students.

Abstract The public space is often perceived as more unsafe for women than for men and it is therefore a question of gender equality. Opinions differ on how the public space should be changed to improve women’s feelings of security. This case aims to discuss the possibility to change the physical environment to create a safer public space for women. This study is a case study focusing on the so called Stationstunneln located on Järnvägstorget in Umeå municipality. Stationstunneln was inaugurated in 2012 and had the aim to increase both women and men´s perceived safety in the public space. The tunnel has with its shape, lighting etcetera, aimed to increase security. This is as mentioned a gender issue and the topic is important to be able to continue the work for a more equal society. The result of this study is based on six semi-structured interviews and has a qualitative approach. The interviews were conducted with six female respondents who all have a relation to Stationstunneln in Umeå municipality. Three of the respondents also had a relation to the previous tunnel located on Järnvägstorget called Hagatunneln. The interviews have been analyzed through thematic analysis. The results of the study demonstrate that light and people in motion is the key factors in what makes the respondents feel safe in public spaces. All of the respondents agreed that Stationstunneln compared to Hagatunneln was seen as bright and had people in motion and that was some of the reasons why they felt safe in Stationstunneln. They also thought the place felt welcoming and safe when it comes to the trafic which also made them feel safe in and around the tunnel. However, many of the respondents said that they didn´t feel safe in and around the tunnel during the evenings because of the people occupying themself there at night. Overall, the respondents agreed that the design was important for their perceived safety in the public space. Keywords: Public space, safety, women, physical environment, tunnel, gender equality.

Master of Science / Architecture / R. Todd Gabbard / The purpose of the research study was to explore the role that the physical classroom environment plays in fostering student creativity in the combined fourth and fifth grade USD 475 gifted program. The research focused on answering the primary research question: Does the proposed environmental modification of the physical classroom foster creative behaviors in students? Secondary research questions included: 1) How does function-based classroom design affect both students and the classroom teacher in terms of creative process? 2) How does adaptability of the designed classroom environment affect both students and the classroom teacher in terms of creative process? A review of the literature led to the development of the author’s Framework for the Modification of Creative Learning Community Physical Environments. The study utilized a two-phase, experimental embedded research design that assessed the effects of an environmental modification to the physical classroom. Quantitative data collection methods included an environmental assessment and student survey utilizing a Likert scale. Qualitative data collection methods included participation observation, video observation, expert interviews, and open-ended student survey questions. The study found that the environmental modification of the physical classroom produced precursory creative behaviors in students. The emergent themes from the data analysis included facilitative physical environment, increased environmental acuity, leadership and self-esteem development, and improved teacher classroom management – all attributes found to be conducive to creativity development. These findings suggest further development of similar in-depth studies across a greater diversity of classroom learning environments is needed to establish reliability of the Framework for the Modification of Creative Learning Community Physical Environments.

Doctor of Philosophy / Hospitality Management / SooCheong Jang / Deborah Canter / The physical environment may be an important determinant of customer satisfaction and subsequent behavior when services are consumed primarily for hedonic purposes and customers spend moderate to long periods of time in the physical surroundings. An example of this phenomenon would be in an upscale restaurant setting. This study explored the domain of the physical environment in an upscale restaurant context to develop a DINESCAPE scale. Relevant literature was reviewed on architecture, environmental psychology, psychology, operations management, and marketing, highlighting empirical and theoretical contributions. Conceptualization and operationalization of the DINESCAPE dimensions is presented, and the procedures used in constructing and refining a multiple-item scale to assess DINESCAPE in an upscale restaurant setting are described. DINESCAPE is a six-factor scale that was developed to measure facility aesthetics, ambience, lighting, service product, layout, and social factors. Evidence of the scale’s reliability, validity, and factor structure is presented, along with potential applications of the scale. The second phase of the study attempted to build a conceptual model of how the DINESCAPE factors influenced customers’ behavioral intentions through their emotions. The Mehrabian-Russell environmental psychology model was adopted to explore the linkage of the six dimensions of DINESCAPE to customers’ emotional states (pleasure and arousal) and the linkage between pleasure and arousal with customers’ behavioral intentions. Structural equation modeling was used to test the causal relationships among the hypothesized relationships. Results revealed that facility aesthetics, ambience, and social factors affected the level of customers’ pleasure and ambience and social factors influenced the amount of arousal. In addition, pleasure and arousal had significant effects on subsequent behavioral intentions in the context of upscale restaurant. Finally, implications for restaurateurs and researchers were discussed.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to document the nature of elementary writing instruction and classroom physical environments in eight Utah school districts. One hundred seventy-seven full-day observations were completed throughout a one-week period. Results indicated teachers included at least one of the following types of writing: writing workshop/writing process, non-process writing, and writing conventions and mechanics. Process writing time was dominated by instruction from the teacher. Other elements of the writing workshop were implemented, but in a fragmented way. Only five teachers combined aspects of the workshop simultaneously. Non-process writing activities were dominated by prompts and formulas that resulted in one-draft products created with limited teacher assistance and no expectation for revising, editing, or publishing. Conventions of writing were taught regularly, but always in isolation, rather than being integrated with other aspects of writing. Classroom physical environments were generally not literacy rich, showing more evidence of traditional resources instead of resources to support the writing process. Process-oriented teachers had richer environments than those focused on conventions. In fact, classroom environment could be better predicted by the kind of writing the teachers and students did rather than the amount of time spent writing.

<p> A detailed land-use study is performed in a small rural area in Central Ontario. The physical characteristics of the study area are classified as five distinct land units. The land-use patterns are mapped and described using panchromatic aerial photograph flown in 1954 and 1971. Using the sequential photography, land-use changes are identified and described. In order to evaluate the hypothesis that the land-use changes are related to the study area's physical environment, a numerical analysis is performed. Statistical tests indicate a strong relationship between the land classification and the types of land-use change. The research results concur with previous observations in physically similar areas. </p> / Thesis / Bachelor of Arts (BA)

No description available.

The physical environment in schools is an important factor that benefits the educational quality and has an essential role in the student's learning process. In the Philippines the physical environment is underdeveloped in the schools, since the main focus is on developing a basic foundation and on making sure that every child can go to school. This thesis studied the classrooms' physical environment in three selected schools in the Philippines. It presents improvements of the classroom’s physical environment. This study can be used as indicative guidelines when designing classrooms in the Philippines. This study is supported by the Minor Field Study scholarship, founded by SIDA.