Tribhuvan University

Institute of Engineering
PURWANCHAL CAMPUS
Dharan-8, Sunsari, Nepal

LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS FOR CHILDREN IN OUTDOOR SPACES

Submitted by:
SABITA GURAGAIN (072/BAE/035)

SEMINAR AND DIRECTED STUDIES

Submitted to:
Department of Architecture

Date:
2 FEBRUARY 2020
 Thesis Proposal and Research 27 November 2019

Abstract:
Learning continues permanently from the start to the end of life. During this period, there
are many factors that help learning. Considering the learning process in the childhood, play
is the best communication and the most natural learning environment for children. Outdoor
spaces are the best play environments for children. These areas offer opportunities that are
not found in indoor spaces and physical environment contributes to children’s learning with
owned affordances. Thus, outdoor spaces designed for children are very important. These
outdoor spaces will be more meaningful and useful when they contribute to children’s
learning. This paper primarily focuses on the concept of child-environment relationships,
learning environments, and discusses the contributions of the physical environment to
children’s learning. It describes with examples what a learning environment is, how to
provide children with physical environments for learning, and which environmental
characteristics contribute to learning. In addition, the paper explains the importance of
designing learning environments and the design of these environments.

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 Thesis Proposal and Research 27 November 2019

1. INTRODUCTION
The environment is an essential element for human beings. The environment around
children has an important role on their development. According to psychologists
Bloom and Deutsch, especially in their early childhood children’s
environments and experiences have an important effect on their intelligences and
developments. Working on children’s environments, Clare Cooper Marcus (cited in
Loebach, 2004) claims that “children are more deeply affected by the environment
than any other age group”.
Learning
In the past, learning was considered as “a passive activity” and learners as “empty
organisms that incidentally react less or more to stimuli”. This perception is within
a deterministic model which suggest that specific learning activities or responses
are produced by bringing in specific stimuli in the learner’s perceptual environment.
However, the individual’s intent has not been taken into consideration in this
interaction. If this model had been absolutely accurate, then all children would have
learned the same things with the same method even if their individual competences
and capacities were different. The advances in learning processes and learners show
that it is not true. According to Piaget, children are active participants in their
learning processes. Later studies made by child psychologists have also indicated
that even newborn babies perceive the stimuli around them. Today the prominent
view is that childhood is a time period which consists of active and continuous
learning, which is started and managed generally by children during the play, and
which is influenced by different environmental factors. Thus, the role of the
environment is important in this process.
The child-environment relationship
Issues regarding children’s experiences with, and needs in the environment can be
found in the studies of the disciplines of ecologic psychology, developmental
psychology, and environmental psychology. Of these, especially the discipline of
environmental psychology deals with issues of perception, cognition and social
learning between human and environment. The best concept in evaluating the child-
environment relationship in the discipline of environmental psychology is the theory
of affordance which refers to the functional opportunities and elements that the
environmet offers (Acar, 2013). Children carry out outdoor activities according to
the affordances of the environment and their aims, and as a result of these activities
learning is realized. For physical environment affects human behaviour (Proshansky
et all, 1976; Day and Midbjer, 2007), enables children to know themselves during
the childhood years, (Francis, 1997), and “outdoor spaces have been neglected
educational areas” (Francis, 1990 cited in Jones, 1997). Children become socialized
and learn about the environment as a result of their experiences in the physical
environments (Francis, 1997). For this reason, by considering the importance of the
outdoor spaces to be created for children, it is necessary to design environments
which will have equipment that are not standard and which will offer different
activities and learning opportunities.

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 Thesis Proposal and Research 27 November 2019

2. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Why Rehabilitation???
 To return someone into good healthy condition
 Maintain their optimal physical, sensory, intellectual, psychological and social
functional levels.
The project consists of
 a home and learning center for street children
 Also provision of rehabilitation for drug addicts
 Basically incorporates landscape architecture
 Green building approaches so as the center can self-sustain itself
 As the name suggests it plays a important role in rehabilitation of street
children
 Training programs for helping them be independent
3. JUSTIFICATION OF THE PROJECT
REHABILITATION
Social Socially Productive +
Physical, rehabilitation acceptable Acceptance
emotional,
mental
rehabilitation Uplift living
Independence
and health

 The centers with these services at present are just focused on providing food,
clothing, and health facilities. But lack adequate recreational spaces.
 It is necessary to have a special environment solely designed for them so as to
uplift their living and health as well
 The present centers lack the self- sustainability.
 The proper functions based on the basis of age group is found missing; as the
people of 2 different age groups have different psychology.

4. OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

A center-child oriented is appropriate for their age, functional aesthetical and
environmentally sensitive Built environment for targeted people( Street Child) and
expose them to well- designed environment where they can learn, interact and come in
tune with nature.

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 Thesis Proposal and Research 27 November 2019

Main Objectives of this Project are as follows;

 To Create Space to exhibit their talent through art craft and plays.
 Spaces for different mental, physical, and intellectual development.
 Spaces to train them with various kinds so as to uplift their living standards
 to rehabilitate and provide philosophical, educational and vocational training
to the street children as they become self-dependent individuals as much as
possible.
5. STUDY AREA (SITE)
Scope and Limitations (Minimum 40000 - 50000 Square M.)
This study gives information about problems and causes of street children in Nepal.It
provides the knowledge and necessary information concerning with the street children
in eastern Region. It helps to get an idea regarding current situation of the street
children, which will ultimately help in the development of the children’s physical,
social and mental behaviors. But above all this, the study gives to train them with
various kinds so as to uplift their living standards, to develop self- sustainability.

6. DEFINITION OF TERMS
Street Children
It Refers to Those children in the age of 5-12 years, who have been living on the street
as a result of running away from home, or been abandoned or separated from family
members.
Rehabilitation Centre
It Refers to the selected rehabilitation centre for street children where the study will
be conducted
7. LITERATURE REVIEWS
Theoretical Understanding
Planning, design and drawings
8. PROPOSED CASE STUDIES
Research Based, Project Based
9. METHODOLOGY
Literature Review/How, Case Study/How, Quantitative and Qualitative/How
10. DATA ANALYSIS
Graphical representation and data interpretation

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 Thesis Proposal and Research 27 November 2019

11. EXPECTED OUTCOMES

Theoretical understanding
Planning, design and drawings
12. REFERENCES

Lect. Pradip Pokharel

B. Arch. Thesis Coordinator

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