TY - JOUR
T1 - Academic discipline as a moderating variable between seating location and academic performance
T2 - implications for teaching
AU - Chan, Ka Long
AU - Chin, David C.W.
AU - Wong, Man Sing
AU - Kam, Roy
AU - Chan, Benedict Shing Bun
AU - Liu, Chun Ho
AU - Wong, Frankie Kwan Kit
AU - Suen, Lorna K.P.
AU - Yang, Lin
AU - Lam, Simon Ching
AU - Lai, Wallace Wai lok
AU - Zhu, Xiaolin
N1 - Funding Information:
The study was supported by the ‘Augmenting Physical Learning Spaces with Location-based Services Using iBeacon Technology for Engaging Learning Experiences’ project, from the UGC Funding Scheme for Teaching and Learning Related Proposals (2016–19 Triennium), University Grants Committee, Hong Kong.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 HERDSA.
PY - 2022/7/29
Y1 - 2022/7/29
N2 - Previous research on university students’ academic performance indicates that students’ seating locations can be an indicator of their academic performance. However, previous research on the relationship between university students’ seating locations and their academic performance is mixed, and there is a lack of research about whether students’ academic discipline moderates this relationship. This study addresses this gap in the literature through a study of 182 university students in Hong Kong. Biglan categorization was used to classify disciplines into soft (a low degree of consensus) and hard fields (a high degree of consensus). The results revealed that students from soft fields who sat at the front of a class performed better than their counterparts who sat at the back, while the performance of students from hard fields was not significantly influenced by their seating location. This article’s findings suggest that classroom seating arrangements should be tailored to academic disciplines to maximize their efficacy and that universities should redesign classroom layouts to extend the experience of sitting at the front of a class to all students.
AB - Previous research on university students’ academic performance indicates that students’ seating locations can be an indicator of their academic performance. However, previous research on the relationship between university students’ seating locations and their academic performance is mixed, and there is a lack of research about whether students’ academic discipline moderates this relationship. This study addresses this gap in the literature through a study of 182 university students in Hong Kong. Biglan categorization was used to classify disciplines into soft (a low degree of consensus) and hard fields (a high degree of consensus). The results revealed that students from soft fields who sat at the front of a class performed better than their counterparts who sat at the back, while the performance of students from hard fields was not significantly influenced by their seating location. This article’s findings suggest that classroom seating arrangements should be tailored to academic disciplines to maximize their efficacy and that universities should redesign classroom layouts to extend the experience of sitting at the front of a class to all students.
KW - academic disciplines
KW - academic performance
KW - Biglan categorization
KW - iBeacon/BLE technology
KW - Seating location
UR - https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/routledg/cher/2022/00000041/00000005/art00004
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85107470413&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/07294360.2021.1928000
DO - 10.1080/07294360.2021.1928000
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85107470413
SN - 0729-4360
VL - 41
SP - 1436
EP - 1450
JO - Higher Education Research and Development
JF - Higher Education Research and Development
IS - 5
ER -
