Does seating impact behavior and learning?

FALLBROOK – The first day of school brings many changes. Students must acclimate themselves to a new routine and curriculum, while teachers must acquaint themselves with an entirely new crop of students. The first few weeks of school are a time to ease into the coursework and get to know everyone’s strengths, weaknesses and personality traits.

On the first day of school, students may be seated in alphabetical order, but over time seating assignments may change as the teacher quickly learns who is friends with whom, which students tend to be disruptive, which may need extra motivation, and which may need to hone their concentration skills. Many teachers find that seating charts make it easier to manage a classroom and facilitate the learning process.

But a seating assignment that makes things easier on a teacher does not always benefit the student. A 2007 study by Holly Heindselman, Rhemie Mentac and Kristina Wesler at Hanover College found classroom seating arrangement can affect the level of interaction between teacher and student, which may impact test scores and learning potential.

In general, as students sit further away from the “action zone,” an area of the classroom that comprises the center and the front rows, participation declines and absenteeism increases. Various older studies referenced in the Hanover College material illustrated that the distance between a student’s seat and the teacher affected test scores.

Researchers at Montana State University found seating charts to be very effective in terms of the comfort, confidence and effectiveness of the teacher. Researchers discovered that teachers were more likely to feel unhappy and uncomfortable in classrooms in which students chose their own seats. But the right seating arrangement can benefit students. Students who were not performing well in the classroom performed better on the Montana Criterion-Reference Test after they were carefully seated by teachers. The results showed that there was a huge attainment increase for those students with lower abilities. In addition, the arranged seating did not have an adverse effect on the high ability students.

But some students prefer to sit where they feel most comfortable. Comfort may play a role in classroom performance and assisting with students’ ability to maintain their focus. But students who choose their own seats to be close to chatty friends or stare out the window are doing themselves a disservice.

Teachers need to weigh the pros and cons of seating charts to determine which method produces the best results in terms of student performance and behavior. Educators may have to experiment with a few different arrangements before finding a system that works