School facilities
The experience changed so many things in my life and even our research topic.
Research team member
Our research delves into the world of school facilities and spaces. The main aim is to better understand these aspects and make improvements that enhance the quality of education for students, empowering them to play an active role in their environment, which is vital for their growth.
School facilities and spaces profoundly impact various aspects of a student's life, influencing the activities they can engage in, shaping their self-perception, comfort, and more. Therefore, studying and improving these spaces is crucial.
Our team firmly believes that facilities should prioritize students' comfort and personal space, support their choices, and foster deeper self-understanding beyond academic achievements. Currently, many schools have outdated facilities and lack spaces for extracurricular activities, and the research team is determined to investigate and improve this situation for the benefit of students.
The team found the research process eye-opening and learned valuable lessons from survey responses, such as the influence of teachers on students' activities. We think this research is an important channel for expressing our views and concerns.
We were shocked by their answers and the students who answered felt relieved
We began our research focusing on key themes and believed these were the most important questions to ask our peers.
• Do students think they have space to do extracurricular activities?
• What are the barriers?
• What is their perception of time at the school?
• What are the standards for student-led activities?
• How are the schools equipped in terms of amenities to support such activities?
And as any research project goes, we were full of assumptions that would later be clarified by some very succinct realizations.
Assumptions
• Schools do not adequately prepare students emotionally, psychologically, politically, socially, financially, and culturally.
• Adhere to the traditional idea of school as a center for indoctrination and does not take into account the comfort of the student.
• Refusal to change, fear for power and social status.
Realizations
• Students are not involved in the decision-making process of their schools.
• Students report suffering from physical ailments due to school furniture.
• Students report not feeling physically or emotionally safe in school.
• When asked why students do not feel safe in school, the most mentioned term was “teachers”, which shows the impact of teachers on students' well-being and positive or negative experience at school.
• Most students answered they have plenty of time in school, although this time is not necessarily being used in extracurricular activities.
• Some students want extracurricular activities and some do not; the latter group thinks of school as a place to learn and take exams only. Some contradictions.
• Lack of the importance of extracurricular activities, and ideas for such things from school and students alike.
• Lack of variety in activities and amenities offered at schools.
• Bullying was mentioned a lot in the survey answer when they asked them about issues in school, and mostly from teachers to students.
• Lack of communication between the students' needs and the teachers or admins and what they can offer.
The data that we collected
As it turns out our fellow peers are also really passionate about the environment where we spend most of our time, school obviously, and what those facilities offer us. 624 students participated in our survey and let us know what they thought of the facilities at their campuses. Of course we understand that there are some limitations to the data that we collected. So for full transparency we’ve listed those limitations here. Remember that these are just a starting point for us and you to dig into this critical issue deeper.
Data details and limitations
Representation:
77% of our respondents are from public high schools, while 23% are from private high schools. All governorates are represented: 23% of our respondents are from Hawally, 22% from Ahmadi, 19% from Farwaniya, 16% from Al Assimah, 14% from Jahra, and 6% from Muhammed Al Kabeer.
Limited Demographic Information:
The survey did not collect respondent’s gender or nationality, which limits the ability to analyze the data further.
Key insights from our data
78.8% of us do not believe that there is sufficient time to rest between classes
85.58% of us have never been involved in decision-making processes at our schools
76.9% of us do not believe that school is a physical and emotional safe space for students
52.56% of us have said that we suffered from physical ailments related to school furniture
Our conclusion
The results of our survey show that there are many gaps that need to be filled when it comes to school facilities in order to improve the physical, mental and overall well-being of students. It may be necessary to improve and upgrade furniture, increase rest time, improve how schools are administered, train teachers to be more supportive, offer a bigger variety in activities and facilities, and involve students in the decision-making process. These would help improve the experience of students at school and help them feel more supported and emotionally and physically safe at school, which is important for their overall well-being.