Graduation Date
Summer 2024
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Arts degree with a major in Education
Committee Chair Name
Tristan Gleason
Committee Chair Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
James Woglom
Second Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Third Committee Member Name
Sara Wilmes
Third Committee Member Affiliation
Community Member or Outside Professional
Keywords
LGBT, Queer, Science education, Classroom design, Spatial layout, LGBTQA+, Classroom of averages, Classroom layout, Education, Science education, Perception, Student perceptions, Student input
Subject Categories
Education
Abstract
The physical design of science classrooms is a leading factor in determining the uses of the classroom and the comfort and engagement of students in the classroom, and if a science classroom is designed with only the majority of students or the average student in mind, the classroom design may have a negative impact on the comfort, engagement, and perceptions of minority groups of students, such as queer students. The purpose of this research is to identify how a science classroom’s design impacts the perceptions, engagement, and comfort of queer students, and to use student suggestions to identify science classroom design changes that would positively impact queer students and science class as a whole. High school science students were surveyed and interviewed about their perceptions of science, their experiences in their science classroom, and their suggestions for possible changes to the design of the science classroom. The results of this research indicated that different classrooms and classroom designs can cause differences in the queer and non-queer student perceptions of science, and also showed that suggested classroom design changes by queer students, though diverse, often focus on creating spaces that are more welcoming, inviting, familiar, and safe than those currently present. These findings reveal that queer identities contribute to the way that students perceive and experience the science classroom and motivates further research into what specific factors of classroom design cause variations in queer perceptions of science and what classroom design factors may uphold heteronormativity in the classroom.
Citation Style
APA
Recommended Citation
Lewis, Abraham A., "Analyzing science classroom design ideas of high school students: variations amongst LGBT-identifying students" (2024). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 785.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/785