Page 1 of 14

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP

e-ISSN: 2395-0463

Volume 01 Issue 06

July 2015

Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 266

Effect of School's Physical Facilities on Learning

and Outcomes of Students in Nepal

Bijaya Nepal1 & Prof. Dr. Ramkrishna Maharjan2

1PhD Scholar of Mewar University Rajasthan, India

2 Professors, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal, Visiting Professor of Mewar University

Rajasthan, India

E mail:bijaya_nepal77@yahoo.com,

Abstract

The present study has been designed the

perceptions of on the condition of school's

physical facilities availability and utilization

practice. School's physical facilities effect on

learning environment and students' outcomes.

The main objective of this study was to identify

effects of availability and utilization of physical

facilities on learning environment and students'

outcome in secondary schools of Central

Nepal.The data was collected from the

respondents to know the measure of condition of

school physical facilities and perception of

students' and teachers' psychological

perspective. This study was conducted between

Februarys to July 2014, open ended and close

ended questionnaire was designed to obtain

descriptive results using cross tabulation and

percentages to answer, and multi-stage

sampling methods were applied. The sample

size was taken proportionately from 3125

number of secondary school. The selected

ecological regions were Mountain, Hill and

Terai. From the universe, 32(1.02 percent)

schools were taken by using proportionate

stratified random sampling. Respondents were

divided into equally from community and

institutional school. Some of them i.e. 4 students

and 4 teachers were select from each school; as

a whole 256 student were selected out of 32

schools. The value of data Cronbach's Alpha is

0.88 within 59 variables. Analysis of data was

done by using the SPSS version 20. Chi-square

test was applied to analyze the data.

Keywords: Availability, learning environment,

Students outcomes, utilization of physical

facilities

Introduction

Since the very initial phase, human development

has done a lot to facilitate their lives with all the

physical facilities. The first need stimulated for

the human beings was the physical facilities and

comfortable environment. School's physical

facilities provide and maintain safety, cleanness,

and creativity learning environments to the

students which encourage students to perceive

high achievements and outcome. Physical

facilities strive to give students a comfortable

learning environment in which they work and

learn. In developing countries, low quality of

learning among students can partly be attributed

to poor or physical facilities of the schools.

School physical facilities are fundamental

factors for better learning environment and

Page 2 of 14

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP

e-ISSN: 2395-0463

Volume 01 Issue 06

July 2015

Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 267

achievements, and outcome of the students

(Saeed & Wain, 2011).

All physical facilities must be provided

to the schools for the students’ better, concrete,

and real experiences. The child learns through

concrete rather than abstract experiences.

Physical facilities help to enhance the learning

of the students. Research shows that availability

of the physical facilities including drinking

water, technology, compound wall, toilets,

furniture, playgrounds, libraries, and emergency

health services have a significant positive role

on the performance of the students and their

achievement (Leeper, 1968). The availability

and utilization of physical facilities in a school

had a significance impact on students’

performance and outcome. In the context to

school facilities in which the students learn is

very essential and without suitable environment

effective learning environment cannot take

place (Amanullah & Adeeb, 2014).

School building are of vital significance

to the teaching and learning process (Corcoran

et al., 1988; University of Georgia, 2000;) found

that physical conditions have direct positive and

negative effects on teacher confidence,

intelligence of personal security, feelings of

efficiency in the classroom, and on the learning

environment. In falling down schools' buildings,

leaking roofs, over sun lights, and broken toilets

are the offensive background for teaching and

learning environment (Tanner, 2009).

Lowe (1990) found that appropriate

classroom temperature is vital to the effective

performance of both students and teachers. The

age of the School's building also affects the

performance of the teachers. The research study

conducted in the US perspective found that the

condition of the educational buildings hampers

students' performance and outcome, estimated

that better facilities could lead to a 5.5% to 11%

progress on standardized tests (Edwards, 1991).

In another study of school building design and

student learning, Cash (1993) found that

comfortable issues showed to have more effect

on student achievement than did structural

factors. High achievement was associated with

schools that were air conditioned, enjoyed less

external noisy environments, had less graffiti,

and where classroom furniture and student

lockers were in good repair. More recent

reviews have consistently found relationships

between building quality and academic

outcomes (Earthman & Lemasters, 1996, 1998;

Schneider, 2002; Earthman, 2004; Higgins,

Hall, Wall, Woolner, & McCaughey, 2005)

(Higgins, Hall, Wall, & McCaughey, 2005).

These studies show that the criteria of

designing and making of the building hinders

the performance of teachers as well as the

perceiving power of the students. All these

factors determine human comfort, indoor air

quality, lighting, acoustical control, and

secondary science laboratories have

demonstrable impact on students' achievement.

The quality of school buildings has also been

related to student behaviour, including

vandalism, absenteeism, suspensions,

disciplinary incidents, violence, and smoking

(Schneider, 2002). There is now considerable

empirical support for the argument that a variety

of sustainable design characteristics that can

have a significant influence on student

behaviour and academic achievement.

Awareness of design options are a very

important part of improving and evaluating

educational settings; therefore, as efforts are

made to build or renovate schools and

educational facilities, urgency is created

regarding understanding designs that represent

the most effective learning environment

(Schneider, 2002).

Page 3 of 14

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP

e-ISSN: 2395-0463

Volume 01 Issue 06

July 2015

Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 268

A good school facility supports the educational

enterprise. Research has shown that clean air,

good light, and a small, quiet, comfortable, and

safe learning environment are important for

academic achievement (Cash 1993; Earthman &

Lemasters 1996; Lemasters 1997; Lackney

1999; Cotton 2001; Schneider 2002). The

condition, adequacy and management of a

school building are directly under the control of

the school district and state, hence improving

school facilities offers opportunity for

improving academic performance. A study of

the District of Columbia school system found

that students' standardized achievement scores

were lower in schools with poor building

conditions. Students in school buildings in poor

condition had achievement that was 6% below

schools in fair condition and 11% below schools

in excellent condition (Edwards, 1992).

Cash (1993) examined the relationship between

building condition and student achievement in

small rural Virginia high schools. Student scores

on achievement tests, adjusted for

socioeconomic status, were found to be up to 5

percentile points lower in buildings with lower

quality ratings. Achievement also appeared to

be more directly related to cosmetic factors than

to structural ones. Poorer achievement was

associated with specific building condition

factors such as substandard science facilities, air

conditioning, locker conditions, classroom

furniture, more graffiti, and noisy external

environments. Similarly, Hines' (1996) study of

large, urban high schools in Virginia also found

a relationship between building condition and

student achievement. Indeed, Hines found that

student achievement was as much as 11

percentile points lower in substandard buildings

as compared to above-standard buildings (Cash,

1993).

McGuffey (1982) concluded that heating and air

conditioning systems appeared to be very

important factors, along with special

instructional facilities (i.e. science laboratories

or equipment) and colour and interior painting,

in contributing to student achievement. Proper

building maintenance was also found to be

related to better attitudes and fewer disciplinary

problems in one cited study. Research indicates

that the quality of air inside public school

facilities may significantly affect students'

ability to concentrate. The evidence suggests

that youth, especially those under ten years of

age, are more vulnerable than adults to the types

of contaminants (asbestos, radon, and

formaldehyde) found in some school facilities

(Andrews & Neuroth, 1988) (McGuffey, 1982).

Several renowned authors tried to relate that

literature have written in support of school

physical facilities in school learning

environment and students' outcomes; Jago and

Tanner (1998) found that adequate lighting and

appropriate colour choices play a significant

role in the achievement of students, affecting

their ability to interpret the written word and

their attention span. Bruce (2006) claimed that

the indoor and outdoor environments should

complement rather than duplicate each other.

Easy and safe facilities, equipment, and

furnishings permit freedom of activity and

provide for creativity on the part of the child.

Concept of the learning environment makes it

essential that all physical facilities, equipment,

and materials are considered carefully in their

relationship to the total learning situation and

those they are selected and used in accordance

with the basic principles of child growth

(Tanner, 1998).

(Fisher, 2001; Schneider, 2002; Earthman,

2004) Over the past decades many studies have

been conducted to find out the effect of the