Identifying effective spatial qualities for the development of multiple intelligences in school spaces (Case study: Primary schools in Mashhad city)

People differ in their ability to understand complex concepts, to adapt effectively to the environment, to learn from experience, how to reason, and to overcome obstacles using thinking. Learning experts believe that learning occurs in different ways in people and in most learning situations, people use their desired learning style. The similarity of users and the similarity of learning methods in different people, causes the incompatibility of the body of schools with the individual characteristics of students and different ways of learning in them. Student's individual characteristics and learning styles highly depend on their intelligence. According to Gardner's multiple intelligence theory, intelligence in individuals has different aspects and types. Each of these intelligences can be strengthened by acquiring skills in doing some activities. The present study seeks to find spatial qualities that increase students' inclination to do these activities in each space. Understanding these qualities and applying them in school spaces can increase the likelihood of occurrence of intelligence-related activities and consequently increase the likelihood of developing these intelligences in students. Therefore, in this research, field studies have been conducted to identify the physical characteristics and qualities of spaces which lead to more correspondence between spaces and intelligence-nurturing activities.

The statistical population of this study was elementary school students in Mashhad. 172 students were selected as a sample population, using a clustered random sampling method. They were asked to identify and describe the qualities of their desired space pictures for doing the above-mentioned activities among 6 provided images. The qualities were coded and classified according to the importance and frequency of repetition in SPSS software.

Qualities derived using the qualitative research strategy and the in-depth interview technique, after evaluations and analyses, have turned to guidelines for designing elementary schools. The purpose of these guidelines is to increase the desirability of school spaces for occurring activities that develop each intelligence in students.

Some qualities have been proposed only to improve the conditions under which a particular activity group occurs in a particular space and have not been repeated in other spaces and activity groups. Therefore, these qualities, from the students' point of view, merely facilitate the occurrence of that group of activities in the relevant space. On the other hand, some qualities for a single space are repeated in different activity categories. This means that activities appropriate to that space all need those qualities in order to be realized in the desired way. In other words, the space inherently needs those qualities. For example, shading on a learning terrace tends to involve all related activities. Another part of the qualities, such as the size and pleasantness of the space, are repeated in most spaces and activity categories. Students' frequent attention to these qualities, in different spaces as well as in different activity categories, can have several reasons.