A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON BIOPHILIC PREFERENCES OF SCHOOL LEARNING SETTINGS: A CASE OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN ASIA

Abstract

Countless studies have demonstrated evidence of the significance of nature in learning settings on children's performance globally. Children exposed to a learning setting based on nature tend to perform better than those in a typical classroom. Studies have also found that the current generation obtains indirect nature experiences through various e-learning platforms rather than experiencing nature directly in modern society. Recent studies found that an inconducive school design environment that does not fully support students’ needs and preferences is one of the main reasons for this. Hence, this paper explores children’s choices for biophilic elements in primary school design in three Asian countries: Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. The online survey questionnaire was used as a qualitative method to collect the stipulated data. The results revealed that biophilic elements are highly favourable to the students from all three countries except for the different elements they preferred. In particular, the results found that planting elements within the school area are the biophilic element most preferred by students in Indonesia and Thailand. Meanwhile, students in Malaysia prefer animals (pets and birds). The data and results presented in the present study can be used as a general guideline, particularly in integrating nature as part of the future school design elements in Asian countries. Note that each design preference shows a different result based on each school’s preferences in the three countries.