A design framework and principles for co-designing learning environments fostering learning and wellbeing

Abstract

Increased understanding of the complex synergetic influences of psychosocial and physical learning environments (LEs) on learning and wellbeing has drawn attention to their careful design. Contemporary learner-centred educational paradigms emphasise the importance of learner involvement in the LE design. A gap exists, however, between the theoretical discourses of LE design and their application into educational practice. Furthermore, a lack of shared conceptual understanding among studies conducted in different cultural and disciplinary contexts undermines the comparability, generalisability, and build-up of a coherent body of knowledge on the LE design. This educational design research responds to the need for development of a theoretically, empirically, and practically sound design framework and principles for participatory LE design that involves learners. The constructs and contents of the design framework developed based on a literature review at the outset of the process were refined in three substudies. Substudy 1 focused on the 7 to 14-year-old Finnish learners’ (n = 80) perceptions of LEs conducive to learning and wellbeing, while substudy 2 extended the scope to include Spanish learners’ perceptions (n = 76) in the same age range. Numeric, written, visuospatial, and oral data collected using a survey, scale model construction, and group discussions were used to develop a Learning Environment Design (LED) framework and design principles. In substudy 3, the constructed framework guided the analysis of an LE redesign process involving Finnish learners (n = 186) aged 16 to 19 by means of co-design activities, written student feedback, professional design evaluation, and a student satisfaction survey. The LED framework and principles developed in this study draw attention to the importance of flexibility and functionality as well as balancing of critical LE dimensions, in particular communality with individuality, comfort with health, and novelty with conventionality. The results also suggest that learner involvement enhances LE design quality, fosters a participatory culture, and can have positive impact on learner-centred learning processes as well as learner wellbeing. The LED framework developed in this study can be employed to guide planning, information gathering, and evaluation of individual LE co-design initiatives, and to compare and generalise findings between them.