TY - JOUR
T1 - Building characteristics, indoor environmental quality, and mathematics achievement in Finnish elementary schools
AU - Toyinbo, Oluyemi
AU - Shaughnessy, Richard
AU - Turunen, Mari
AU - Putus, Tuula
AU - Metsämuuronen, Jari
AU - Kurnitski, Jarek
AU - Haverinen-Shaughnessy, Ulla
PY - 2016/8/1
Y1 - 2016/8/1
N2 - Objective: To study indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in elementary school buildings and its association with students' learning outcomes. Methods: Measurements of ventilation rates and temperatures were recorded during school days in 108 classrooms in 60 schools in the spring and summer of 2007; background information on 3514 school buildings was retrieved from the Finnish population register. Data on school environment and students' health were collected by questionnaires from 4248 students as well as from 1154 school principals. Results from a national student achievement assessment program were used to assess learning. Results: Upgrades to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems correlated significantly with airflow measurement, ventilation rate per student and per area, and mean temperature (rs = 0.642, rs = 0.654, rs = 0.647 and rs = -0.325 & r = 0.481, r = 0.483, r = 0.574, r = -0.271 respectively). The ventilation rate per student correlated with the number of students in classrooms (rs = -0.360 & r = -0.387) and mean temperature (rs = -0.333 & r = 0.393). Only schools with a mechanical supply and exhaust type of ventilation met the recommended ventilation rate per student of 6 l/s per person. An association was found between lower mathematics test results and schools that did not meet the recommended ventilation rate. Conclusion: Ventilation is associated with thermal comfort and students' learning outcomes. The ventilation system requires scheduled maintenance or replacement as well as ongoing ventilation adjustment to accommodate the number of students at any one time.
AB - Objective: To study indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in elementary school buildings and its association with students' learning outcomes. Methods: Measurements of ventilation rates and temperatures were recorded during school days in 108 classrooms in 60 schools in the spring and summer of 2007; background information on 3514 school buildings was retrieved from the Finnish population register. Data on school environment and students' health were collected by questionnaires from 4248 students as well as from 1154 school principals. Results from a national student achievement assessment program were used to assess learning. Results: Upgrades to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems correlated significantly with airflow measurement, ventilation rate per student and per area, and mean temperature (rs = 0.642, rs = 0.654, rs = 0.647 and rs = -0.325 & r = 0.481, r = 0.483, r = 0.574, r = -0.271 respectively). The ventilation rate per student correlated with the number of students in classrooms (rs = -0.360 & r = -0.387) and mean temperature (rs = -0.333 & r = 0.393). Only schools with a mechanical supply and exhaust type of ventilation met the recommended ventilation rate per student of 6 l/s per person. An association was found between lower mathematics test results and schools that did not meet the recommended ventilation rate. Conclusion: Ventilation is associated with thermal comfort and students' learning outcomes. The ventilation system requires scheduled maintenance or replacement as well as ongoing ventilation adjustment to accommodate the number of students at any one time.
KW - Health
KW - Indoor environment
KW - Learning outcomes
KW - Schools
KW - Thermal conditions
KW - Ventilation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84966359488&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.buildenv.2016.04.030
DO - 10.1016/j.buildenv.2016.04.030
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84966359488
SN - 0360-1323
VL - 104
SP - 114
EP - 121
JO - Building and Environment
JF - Building and Environment
ER -