While traditional seating (also known as fixed seating or fixed classroom) remains the preferred classroom seating arrangement for teachers, a new type of seating arrangement is becoming more common in schools: the flexible classroom (also known as flexible seating). The purpose of this type of arrangement is to meet the needs of students by providing a wide variety of furniture and workspaces, to put students at the center of learning, and to allow them to make choices based on their preferences and the objectives of the task at hand. This study aimed to examine the influence of flexible seating on the wellbeing and mental health of elementary school students. This article presents the results of exploratory research conducted in Quebec among Grade 5 and 6 students comparing the wellbeing and mental health of students in fixed and flexible classrooms. The study was conducted with 107 students in three Grade 5 and 6 flexible classrooms (n = 51) and three Grade 5 and 6 fixed classrooms (n = 56). It is based on a quasi-experimental, quantitative design with post-test only and a control group. The groups were matched based on natural conditions (i.e., from a convenience sample). Furthermore, the study included a gender-differentiated analysis for each group. The results showed that flexible classroom seating had a positive influence on the girls’ wellbeing and mental health. In contrast, for the boys, fixed classroom seating was most conducive to their wellbeing and mental health. However, our study has some limitations that are discussed in the article.
On observe, depuis quelques années, une croissance de la popularité et de l’utilisation de l’aménagement flexible dans les classes de niveaux primaire et secondaire. Toutefois, aucune donnée officielle ne permet de connaître le nombre de classes l’utilisant, le type d’aménagement privilégié, le vécu des principaux acteurs, etc. Ce projet a pour objectif général de recenser les classes flexibles du primaire et du secondaire au Québec afin de mieux circonscrire et comprendre le phénomène. Trois cent cinquante et un (N=351) enseignants ont répondu à un questionnaire en ligne les invitant à décrire l’aménagement de leur classe ainsi que leurs perceptions de cette nouvelle réalité dans le monde de l’enseignement. Les données indiquent que la majorité des classes flexibles se trouvent au niveau primaire. Dans une question ouverte, les enseignants livrent leurs perceptions concernant l’environnement de classe, leur vécu et celui des élèves. L’étude se conclut par les principaux défis rencontrés par les enseignants dans la mise en œuvre de leur aménagement flexible en classe.
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