INTRODUCTION

In 2015, Education International's 7th World Congress made a resounding call to

Unite for Quality Education Better Education for a Better World (https://www.ei-

ie.org). This call aims at reminding the world of the importance not only of quality teachers,

quality learning and teaching tools, but also of teaching and learning environment for a

bright and sustainable future for all societies.

In earlier years, the Republic of the Philippines has already been in that same

direction emphasizing quality education. In fact, Philippine government has mandated the

Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Department of Education, Culture and

Sports (DECS) through Republic Acts no. 7722 and 9155 respectively to ensure quality

education at all levels. To this date, the Philippine government continues to strengthen its

commitment to quality education. Thus, educational reforms have been introduced into the

school system like K-12 program which aims to enhance learners basic skills, produce more

competent citizens, and prepare graduates for lifelong learning and employment

(http://www.deped.gov.ph).

Several educational strategies were initiated in search for right ingredients to quality

education both here and abroad, as several researches were conducted to determine best

practices that could best influence or improve students' academic performance. Studies were

conducted in search for best teaching methods or strategies, and best assessment tools and

techniques. However, only a handful of studies dealt on classroom configuration particularly

on the issue on seating arrangement.

Although it sounds like an appealing idea that seating-arrangement has a positive

effect on students academic performance, results of empirical literature are still too mixed

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to support such claim, especially that only few researches were conducted to study

classroom seating arrangement and its effect on students performance. This was also

observed by Nohayer Lotfy (2012) in her thesis entitled Seating Arrangement and

Cooperative Learning Activities: Students On-task/Off-task Participation in EFL

Classrooms.

The said ambiguity inspires me, while tracking students performance in different

seating arrangements, to investigate further the relationship between seating-arrangement

and students academic performance and its implications to teaching and learning. This study

also aims to find a mode of seating arrangement that would help students perform above

expectations. It is my hope that findings of this investigation could be shared to other

teachers and be integrated directly into the classroom configuration.

Honestly, it has never crossed my mind that seating arrangement could possibly have

a positive impact on students academic performance. Thus, I never thought of the potential

connections between classroom seating arrangement and students academic performance. I

used to believe that seating arrangement is merely a strategy to discipline or maintain order

in the classroom, monitor students attendance easily, or to familiarize students name.

Over the years of teaching, I usually encouraged free-seating arrangement in my

classes wherein students can stay where they felt comfortable because learning could be

harder if students are feeling uncomfortable with their seating location.

Since there are several seating arrangements that could be adopted, I delimit this

investigation to three most common seating arrangements, which include U-shape or semi-

circular arrangement that sometimes looks like V-shape, Traditional rows and columns, and

Free-seating.

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 It is therefore hypothesized in this present study that seating arrangement could

positively influence the academic performance of the 11th grade Accountancy, Business and

Management (ABM) students of the Senior High School of Leyte National High School,

Tacloban City during the second semester of school year 2016-2017.

The main aim of this study is to determine whether a particular seating arrangement

during a lecture class would result in a better performance of students, and which seating

arrangement is more effective in relation to students performance. These seating

arrangements include free seating, U-shape or semi-circular arrangement, traditional row

and column, and free-seating.

This present study will opt for a combination of qualitative and quantitative

approaches to evaluate the data to ensure more reliable results. Quantitative approaches will

be utilized to describe which type of seating arrangement gives more impact to students

learning performance thru scores using t-test. Qualitative data will also be obtained thru

interviews and focus group discussions with the students involved in the study.

Results of this investigation will not only shed light whether seating arrangement in

the classroom has a positive impact on students performance, but will also provide an idea

on what particular type of seating arrangement best facilitate a positive academic

performance.

It is therefore anticipated that results of this investigation will be beneficial to

teachers and school administrators to consider seating arrangement as a necessary input to

improve students learning outcomes. Thus teachers and school administrators could take

proactive actions to adopt a particular seating arrangement in the classroom that maximizes

learning experiences.

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STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This present study aims to determine whether a particular seating arrangement could

positively influence the academic performance of the 11th grade students, who are enrolled in

Empowerment Technologies under the Accountancy, Business and Management (ABM)

strand of Leyte National High School, Tacloban City during the second semester of school

year 2016-2017.

The following specific questions will be answered:

1. What is the profile of the subjects in terms of:

a. Age; and
b. Gender?
2. What is the level of perception of students on the impact of the following

seating arrangements on their performance:

a. Free seating arrangement
b. U-shape seating arrangement
c. Rows and Columns seating arrangement
3. Is there significant difference between free-seating and other types of seating

arrangements in relation to students academic performance as perceived by

the students?
4. Which seating arrangement best facilitates positive academic outcomes for

11th grade students who are enrolled in Empowerment Technologies under the

Accountancy, Business and Management (ABM) strand?

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROBLEM

The significance of this research problem is universal. Every teacher around the

globe with more than 35 students in the classroom must deal with where the students will be

located. If the class is arranged in a way where there is statistical data to show poorer

performance, then probably students are truly not getting the best education possible. But if

results of the study will show that seating arrangement could possibly influence students

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academic performance, then teachers must consider seating arrangement as a vehicle to

effective learning.

Results of this study will contribute directly to the advancement of knowledge in the

educational system, particularly in the configuration of the students seating arrangement.

Specifically, the result of this study will be of significant value to the following:

Teachers. Results of this study will provide them valuable information regarding the

best class - configuration or seating arrangement of students in the classroom in order to

enhance effective teaching and learning.

Students. They are the reasons why this study is conducted in order to find the best

class - configuration. Hence they are the ultimate beneficiaries of this study.

Researchers. This study will serve as a springboard for a more sophisticated and in-

depth investigation on the best seating arrangement in the classroom that facilitates effective

learning.

SCOPE AND DELIMITATION

This study will investigate at least four common seating arrangements which include

free-seating, traditional rows, rows-in-pair, V-shape, and U-shape. This study will be

conducted to an estimated number of two hundred (200) 11th grade students under the

Accountancy, Business and Management (ABM) strand of Leyte National High School

during the second semester of school year 2016-2017.

There are five sections of 11th grade ABM students who will be involved in this

study. Only empowerment technologies subject will be included in this present study.

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 This present study will only focus on two fundamental questions: Is seating

arrangement affecting students performance? Is there a particular seating that facilitates

better learning? But whether the difference in performance will be affected by students age,

and gender will not be discussed in this present study.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

For the clarity of terms used in this study, operational definitions are provided

herein:

Free-seating. This type of seating arrangement allows students to stay where they

feel comfortable in the classroom. Chairs are usually arranged in straight rows facing the

teachers table.

Rows and Columns. In this traditional arrangement, chairs are placed in several

rows facing towards the front of the classroom. There is a gap between each chair vertically

so the teacher can walk back and forth without moving anything. Before setting up this

arrangement, teacher needs to analyze student behavior and decide who should sit at the

back and who should sit at the front.

Rows-in-pair. This type of seating arrangement consists of two armchairs placed

together. Each pair of chairs is away from other pairs. Students are faced towards the front

of the class in this setting. So they can easily see the instructional aids.

Seating Arrangement. This refers to the class configuration where students seating

location will be determined.

U-shape. This is also known as semi-circle seating arrangement consists of

armchairs touching each other placed in a semi-circle shape where all chairs are faced in

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front of the classroom. In this arrangement, both teacher and students can see each other.

Since the seats are faced front of the room, students can see the instructional aids clearly as

well.

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 CHAPTER 2

Review of Related Literature and Studies

This chapter presents the review of relevant ideas and findings various literature and

studies that provided necessary information and valuable insights relative to the

development of the framework of the study.

Hue Ming-Tak and Li Wai-Shing (2008), in their book Classroom Management:

Creating a Positive Learning Environment, stated that conventionally classroom

management was viewed only as an exertion of control of the teacher over the learners, but

now viewed as an art of establishing a good climate and managing instructions effectively

(http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1xw9ng). This is an observation that shows the vital role of

classroom management vis--vis seating arrangement to make learning and teaching more

effective, as they highlighted the transition of purpose of seating arrangement from simply to

organize the students and set up rules for a disciplined classroom into a strategy of

coordinating a complex environment. Although Hue Ming-Tak and Li Wai-Shing (2008) did

not recommend a specific seating arrangement, they have pointed out that a good seating

arrangement is one which facilitates specific learning tasks and activities, which implies

that seating arrangement should be designed to make learners more involved in the class to

make seating arrangement more effective.

Nohayer Lotfy (2012), in her thesis Seating Arrangement and Cooperative Learning

Activities: Students On-task/Off-task Participation in EFL Classrooms, stated that semi-

circle shaped was preferred by the students over traditional rows and columns rows. Further,

the analysis of data also shows that students preferences of different seating arrangements

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are determined by their views of how shy/talkative they are inside the class. However, their

preferences changed after experiencing.

Changing seating arrangements can help students interact with different people

stated Jim Scrivener (1994: pg- 87).

Jim Scrivener suggested circles, squares and horseshoes rather than parallel rows

to increase student interaction. He backed up his point by saying, in a circle or horseshoe,

learners can make eye contact with everyone else in the group and thus interact much more

naturally. Moreover, students who are weaker have less chance of hiding themselves and

students who are stronger have less chance to dominate in the class in this seating

arrangement, which shows a much greater sense of equality.

In many studies, it is seen that seating arrangement is a very important factor in the

process of beginning a lesson smoothly and promptly. Additionally, it depends on the type

of lessons taught and the type of furniture in the class. Marland agrees with the fact that

proper seating arrangement takes care of students disruptive behaviors in the class and says

it not only helps to avoid the disruptive behaviors of the students but also helps the teachers

to remember the names of the student quickly. Francis stated that it helps to reorganize

children for different task and activities, increase involvement and decrease distraction but

the teacher needs to be concerned about the fact that the change of the seating arrangement

is under his/her control.

Teachers position in the classroom is another very important factor of classroom

management which is also related to seating arrangement. To communicate with all the

students in the class, teachers sometimes need to move from one place to another which

requires some free space in the class. Jones (2000) affirmed that leaving sufficient space in

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the classroom is very important to give teachers easy and efficient access to different groups

of students. He adds that the daily routine movement areas of the classroom should be free

from congestion to avoid disruptive behaviors.

Jeremy Harmer (1998: pg- 31, 32) proposed three types of seating arrangements.

These are: (a) Orderly rows: In orderly rows seating arrangement, both teacher and students

can see each other clearly and can have eye contacts. Maintaining discipline is easier in this

seating arrangement. Teacher can also walk up and down if there is an aisle and can have

personal interaction with the students. This type of arrangement is suitable for watching a

video, using the board, explaining a grammar point, demonstrating text organization etc

where the teacher can work with the whole class. Teacher needs to engage the whole class

while working with them in this arrangement and for this teacher must move round. Orderly

row is best suited for medium to large classrooms. (b) Circles and horseshoes: This type of

seating is preferable in smaller classrooms. There is a slight difference between circles and

horseshoes, that is, in horseshoe; teachers position is at the open end of the arrangement

where the blackboard is situated, whereas in circle, teachers position is between the circle.

In circle seating arrangement, there is a feeling of equity among the students since the

teachers position is among them. In horseshoe, it may not be true since the teacher stays at

the centre of the classroom although there is a greater chance to get close to the students.

The most important advantage of this type of seating arrangement is that, all the students can

see each other which are not possible in orderly row arrangement; (c) Separate tables:

Separate table is more informal than other seating arrangements where students are seated in

small groups in separate tables. In this arrangement, teacher work as a facilitator who moves

around and monitors the students activity. The atmosphere of the class is less hierarchical in

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this arrangement compared to the others. When the teacher works with the students of one

table, the other students get on with their own works. The negative sides of this arrangement

are that the students may not want to work with the same peers all the time. Another

problem of this arrangement is that it is difficult to teach the whole class since the students

are more scattered and separated.

Besides, teachers need to consider the nature of the students while arranging the

seats. They should arrange the seating in such a manner so that the teaching and learning can

occur in the class as effectively as possible. They also need to ensure the participation of all

the students in the class. It should not happen that students who are seated in the front or at

the centre of the classroom are interacting and participating in the activities more than the

students seated in the corner or back of the classroom.

According to Alexandra Ramsden (1999), The best arrangement depends on the

situation of the class and teacher. In his paper, he discussed six common types of seating

arrangements which can be used by the teachers. He also pointed out the positive as well as

the negative sides of the arrangements. Some of these are discussed below:

Clusters: This seating arrangement consist of four to five desks together facing each

other. Each desk consists of a group of four to five people. Its not arranged in any linear

position. Clusters are scattered in different places of the classroom and there is enough space

between two clusters so that the chairs do not smack each other and teachers can easily

move from one place to another and can work with each group.

Cluster is very favorable for the class where there is a lot of group work. Students in

a group can easily make eye contacts and work with each other and can help each other as

well. Before setting up a cluster, the teacher needs to think about the group of students

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whether they are able to do group work or not. Students have to be from different levels in

each group so that they can help each other. The idea of this arrangement is to promote more

collaborative learning. Teacher in this arrangement helps and guides the students.

Students are also allowed to do individual work in this arrangement. It is a general

knowledge that the teachers, being the focal figure in education, play varied and vital roles

in the classroom. Teachers are considered the light in the classroom. Teachers are entrusted

with so many responsibilities that range from the very simple to most complex and very

challenging jobs. It requires a variety of teaching and teaching techniques just to capture

students' interests.

This investigation will evaluate the relationship between classroom seating

arrangement, and academic achievement and on-task behavior among students in the 11 th

grade. The study focused on the achievement of students and compared several groups of

students from 11th grade at Leyte National High School, Tacloban City. Both groups will be

instructed with identical lessons in Empowerment Technologies, and will have identical

resources and assessment. One group will experience a seating change from cluster seating

to paired columns for a five week period for one hour per day during Empowerment

Technologies instruction. The seating arrangement in the second class remained unchanged

during Empowerment Technologies instruction.

Changing the seating arrangement from cluster seating to paired columns over a five

week period will increase the on-task behavior of 24 common branch second grade students

at PS X during math class, and lead to increased scores on math assessments.

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 are there positive effects of Classroom Seating on Students' Performance in a High

School Science Setting

http://www.campaignforeducation.org/en/news/global/view/656-better-education-for-a-

better-world-education-international-s-7th-world-congress

investigators compare the mean performance of two or more groups on an appropriate test.

The independent variable is the feature that is different between the groupsfor example,

The dependent measure is the score that is used to compare the performance of the groups

for example, the score on a reading test administered at the end of the year, the change in

performance on academic tests from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, or the

score on a final exam in the class. When researchers compare two or more groups on one or

more measures

The same teacher will be handling the subject, the controlled group will be randomly

selected, the same subject with exactly the same competencies, students within the same

strand, class size is more or less similar,

Seating arrangement would be the independent variable, and academic performance would

be the

Experimental research is generally recognized as the most appropriate method for drawing

causal conclusions about instructional interventions, for example, which instructional

method is most effective for which type of student under which conditions.

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Mayer states, when properly implemented, they allow for drawing causal conclusions, such

as the conclusion that a particular instructional method causes better learning outcomes (p.

75)

to determine whether a particular instructional intervention causes an improvement in

student learning, then one should use experimental research methodology.

oncerning theory, experimental research may be able to tell that one method of instruction is

better than conventional practice, but may not be able to specify why; it may not be able to

pinpoint the mechanisms that create the improvement. In these cases, it is useful to derive

clear predictions from competing theories so experimental research can be used to test the

specific predictions of competing theories. In addition, more focused research methods

such as naturalistic observation or in-depth interviewsmay provide richer data that allows

for the development of a detailed explanation for why an intervention might have a new

effect.

, in a between-subjects design, students may be assigned to spend two school years in a

small class or a large class.

the more likely randomization will produce groups approximately equal on relevant

characteristics.

observational methods can be used in conjunction with experiments to help provide

a richer theoretical explanation for the observed effects.

Data will be collected using

Because of these big changes in education,

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I tend to believe that teachers/researchers usually focus on the consequences and thereby try

to traces the causes, like when students are not performing well, teachers will conduct an

action research tracing the factors contributing to the poor performance of the students. But

its not really the usual practice to investigate the conditions that

Seldom have I focused on stimulus conditions or settings that brought the problems.

Honestly prevention is better than cure. rather than consequences may help teachers

discretely to prevent problem behaviours before they occur and avoid utilising unnecessarily

intrusive interventions.

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 CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

This chapter contains the discussion of the research design, locale of the study,

subjects of the study, research instrument, data-gathering procedures, method of scoring and

data analysis, and statistical treatment.

Research Design

This study will use an experimental method of research in order to determine the

difference between free-seating and other types of seating arrangement in relation to the

academic performance of the students.

The control group will be exposed to free-seating arrangement, while the

experimental groups which consist of four sections will have the other types of seating

arrangement. Both groups (controlled and experimental) will be exposed to the same

conditions except seating arrangement. This experiment will be conducted in only one of

their subjects, and that is Technology Empowerment. The subject is handled by one teacher.

This present study will be conducted to ABM students only during the second

semester of school year 2016-2017.

Locale of the study

This present study will be conducted at Leyte National High School, which is located

at Lino Gonzaga Avenue, Tacloban City. The school is the biggest secondary school in

Tacloban City Schools Division with an estimated population of 7,000 students with 300 +

teachers. Since the population of the senior high school students reaches to 1,200+ but less

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than 1,400, it is classified as a large integrated senior high school in Tacloban City managed

by one (1) principal and three (3) assistant principals, including 1 assistant principal in the

academics for junior high, 1 assistant principal in the academics for senior high, and

assistant principal for operations and learner support.

Subjects of the study

The subjects of the study will be the entire population of 11 th grade students who are

enrolled in the Accounting, Business and Management (ABM) Strand with a total population

of 218 students of Leyte National High School during the second semester of school year

2016-2017. These ABM students, who are involved in the study, are divided into five (5)

sections as follows: equity with 44 students; asset with 43 students; income with 43

students; operation with 43 students; and variable with 45 students. One section will be

treated as the control group while all other sections will be treated as the experimental

groups. All sections are enrolled in one common subject-empowerment technology which is

handled by one and the same teacher.

Research instrument

A sixty-item (60) multiple-choice pre-test with five (5) options for every item will be

conducted to the 218 students (subjects) prior to the implementation of the seating

arrangement. The pretest will cover the first quarter topics. After the first quarter

examination, a post-test which is exactly the same as the pre-test will be conducted to

measure if there is a significant increase in the students scores of the exam.

Data-gathering procedures

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 A pre-test will be conducted to all subjects consisting of five sections. After which,

the implementation of the seating arrangement will follow. One of the sections will be

treated as the control group, while the four other sections will be subjected to the experiment

and therefore will be exposed to different seating arrangement other than free-seating such

as traditional rows and columns, U-shape, V-shape, and row-in-pair seating arrangement.

Method of scoring

Data analysis

Statistical treatment

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The purpose of this study was to determine: (1) if classroom seating arrangements

affect student on-task/off-task participation in CL activities, (2) in what ways seating

arrangements affected student participation (3) students preferences of different

classroom seating arrangements, namely rows and columns and circles (4) if students

preferences to seating arrangements are affected by their personal views of their

participation rate inside the class and the reasons for their choices were and (5)

whether their preferences changed after experiencing both seating arrangements.

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