Teachers’, parents’, and five-year-old children's perceptions of preschool classroom design and arrangement: what really matters to whom?

Physical learning environments affect their users by affording opportunities for action, interaction, and meaning-making, as conceptualized in Gibson's theory of affordances. From an ecological perspective, Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory emphasizes that children's development is supported through co-agency and coordination among key social contexts, including home and educational settings. Accordingly, this study revealed the degree of coordination among a triad of teachers, parents, and 5-year-old children regarding their perceptions of the classroom design and arrangement and the affordances of the preschool physical learning environment. All participants were Jewish from a middle socio-economic background. A mixed-methods design was employed. Teachers ( N = 6) participated in in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Parents completed a digital questionnaire ( N = 116). Children ( N = 116; 53 girls; mean age = 64.83 months, SD = 4.06) were interviewed using the Photograph-Interview with Children (PIC) instrument, based on photographs they took of their preschools, and an age-appropriate Smiley Face Questionnaire. The findings revealed both alignments and discrepancies across the triad. All groups perceived the physical learning environment as contributing to children's knowledge, social interaction, and well-being. Parents and children primarily viewed the environment as promoting social interaction, whereas teachers emphasized knowledge-related affordances. Although parents expressed a desire to be consulted about classroom design and arrangement, most teachers opposed such involvement. Moreover, parents’ perceptions of their children's preferred learning spaces frequently diverged from children's reported preferences. Overall, the findings underscore the need for improved dialogue and coordination among teachers, parents, and children to strengthen co-agency and better support children's development.