INFLUENCE OF ERGONOMIC CLASSROOM DESIGN ON STUDENTS’ LEARNING OUTCOME IN THE FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC, ILARO.

Abstract

In the contemporary educational landscape, the optimization of the learning environment is paramount to fostering academic excellence and ensuring student well-being. This study investigated the influence of classroom ergonomics on students' learning outcomes at Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State, specifically focusing on physical, environmental, and cognitive dimensions. A survey research design was adopted, and the population comprised 6,966 ND II and HND II students of The Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State. A sample size of 346 was selected using Krejuice & Morgan's Sample Size Table. Three hypotheses were formulated and an online structured questionnaire was used to gather data from the respondents. The data were analyzed using simple linear regression. The findings revealed that all the three ergonomic factors have a statistically significant influence on students' learning outcomes (p-value = 0.000). Physical ergonomics accounted for 17.3% of the variance in learning outcomes (Adjusted R² = 0.173, β = 0.420, t = 6.920). Environmental ergonomics showed a stronger influence at 39.2% (Adjusted R²=0.392, β = 0.629, t = 12.071). Most notably, cognitive ergonomics emerged as the most critical factor, explaining 46.9% of the variance (Adjusted R²=0.469, β = 0.686, t = 14.093). The study concluded that academic achievement is not solely dependent on student's effort or instruction given in the classroom but also influenced by the holistic design of the learning environment. It was recommended among others, that the institution should prioritizes instructional design training and environmental upgrades to maximize student performance. KEYWORDS: Cognitive Ergonomics, Environmental Ergonomics, Physical Ergonomics, Students' Learning Outcome, The Federal Polytechnic Ilaro.