Research Paper Kindergarten

Assessment on Space and Furniture‟s Ergonomics for Children in Kindergarten 1

AAR 4171 Research Methods for the Built Environment

ASSESSMENT ON SPACE AND FURNITURE’S ERGONOMICS FOR

CHILDREN IN KINDERGARTEN

Nurrabiatul Adawiyah bte Jalaludin

Abstract

Ergonomics are the most vital consideration in

designing a space. Its determine the comfort

level of people as a user and encourage

productivity. Furthermore, in responds to the

children comfort, it is essential for the them to

be place in a space that provide the best

ergonomic arrangement which will

encouraged their productivity and creativity

in learning and growing.

This research focuses on the furniture and

space ergonomics for children in

kindergarten. The ergonomics study

encompasses the spaces such as classroom,

toilet and playground and also the furniture

design. This research was conducted through

library research, internets articles, case study,

observation, field measurement and

questionnaire. This research will explain about

the problems that were faced by the children

in suburban context as well as people

perception about ergonomics. Finally, the

findings would give some ideas on how the

ergonomics affect the wellbeing of our future

generation as well as the suitable

measurement for children furniture design

Keywords

Ergonomics; furniture; space; children;

classroom; playground; toilet

Introduction

Children are active participants in learning

about the world around them. They begin to

understand size by whether they can hold

something in their hands or wrap their hands

around it. They learn that things can be soft or

hard, smooth or bumpy by touching them. To

accommodate this active learning process, it is

beneficial for the environment to reflect the size

of the children and facilitate the children‟s ability

to see and reach objects and feel comfortable

within their surroundings. A space that is

reflective of the children‟s physical size and

abilities heightens their sense of confidence in

their ability to perform simple tasks more

independently. Appropriates sizes and elements

such as windows, tables, chair and playground

will prolong the children‟s interest and

participation in constructive activities.

In relation with that, there has been a growing

interest in children ergonomics, particularly when

it comes to children learning and playing in

kindergarten. Media suggest that children

experience the same dangers as adults if they

are treated the same way as adults in their

physical environment. There are several issues

related to the research topic which are the

condition of the kindergarten in Malaysia and

the issues of health, safety and security among

children in the kindergarten.

In Malaysia, most of the kindergarten does not

fulfill the requirement of ergonomics design for

children which cause the children to have

musculoskeletal disorders and pain for a long



term. Absent of preventative approach to

children‟s health, our future generation would

face chronic physical, mental and social health.

Moreover, the condition of the kindergarten itself

is very poor with inadequate facilities. Deeper

study about this topic will elaborate more on

how the environment affects children health

through case study and observation.

“When children feel comfortable in their

physical surroundings, they will venture to

explore materials or events around them.”

(Anita Ruil, 1987)

Issue

The main issue is related with health problems

among children and adults - musculoskeletal

discomfort and repetitive strain injuries. One of

the research on ergonomics find out that there is

a strong correlation between adults diagnosed

with repetitive stress injuries with early onset of

repetitive injuries among kindergarten children.

Young children spent many hours in kindergarten

for playing and studying; average of 5-8 hours per

day depending on the programme. If the space

and furniture are not child-friendly, children

experiencing significant musculoskeletal

discomfort, incorrect ergonomics and improper

posture when using the facilities provided. These

repetitive injuries are developed over a number

of years therefore; their postural habits during

school years will affect their health as young

adults. If these conditions are not dealt with early

on, they can easily lead to permanent problems

in life later on.

Another issue which concerns the designer is the

correct body posture when using facilities. Lack

of attention when using furniture and other

facilities in kindergarten has become a serious

health hazard to young children. From the

research done, it has been found out that

children and most of the teachers are unaware of

correct body posture and positioning while doing

activities.

In kindergarten, furniture are frequently arranged

where desks, chairs, computer monitors remain at

the same stationary height while students come in

wide variety of sizes. Children have different rate

of growth depending on the genetic and the

environment that shape them. Some are

comfortable with the standard measurement

provided for them. Others may have difficulties as

they have different height compared to the

average standard. The differences in many

dimensional aspects contribute to ergonomics

problem. In addition, some of the existing

kindergarten facilities do not suitable for children

in terms of design, safety and health.

Research Problems

Lack of awareness among people towards the

needs and safety of young children

Manufacturer does not follow the guidelines of

facilities design for children.

Parents and teacher doesn‟t conscious about

the impact of improper ergonomics towards

the children.

Aims and Objectives

The aim of this research is to evaluate the

ergonomics study encompasses the spaces such

as classroom, toilet and playground and also the

furniture. Moreover, the research intended to

identify workplace that fit the physical and

mental ability of each child while giving

ergonomics education information for public and

parents.

Therefore, the aim of this topic has generated the

following objectives:

To promote professional and public awareness of

ergonomics related to children of all abilities in all

aspects of their lives and the application of

ergonomics in educational environment.

To reduce the risk of developing musculoskeletal

disorder

To study the appropriate measurement for space

and furniture for children.



Research Questions

How ergonomic are the spaces and

furniture in kindergarten?

Does improper ergonomic for space and

furniture design in kindergarten cause

injuries to children?

What are the appropriate measurements

for children facilities?

Does public aware of ergonomics

problems among children?

Scope of Research

Scope of study will be covered on the application

of ergonomics in terms of furniture design and

proper body posture that will reduce the injuries

among children in kindergarten. The research will

involve analyzing the existing facilities in few

spaces. The outcome will be in the basis of;

Literature reviews on ergonomics

Children, parents and staff perception

and experiences in using the facilities

Feedback in the case studies

Data from field measurement

Researcher observation

Sample will be taken from two suburban context

which are IUM Educare Permata located in

Gombak, Selangor and Temiang preschool in

Seremban,Negeri Sembilan.

Limitation of research

The research would be limited to the spaces and

furniture design in kindergarten. The research is

restricted for spaces that is frequently use only

such as classroom, toilets and playground.

This limitation also applies to the range of age for

children which are between 5 to 6 years old as

they share the same dimensions in all aspects.

Moreover, this research will study the application

of ergonomics for kindergarten in suburban

context only as to know the level of exposure as

well as the awareness of teachers and parents

regarding the importance of ergonomics for

children.

Research Structure

Research methodology

In order to carry out the research, a few

strategies to collect data have been formulated.

Three types of data will be collected through:

Literature Review.

Main method will be done through the

literature studies to collect data of the

understanding detail information on

ergonomics and injuries because of

ergonomics issues. The data collected from

books and internet act as reference in finding

the suitable measurement for children.

Case Study and Observation.

Case study will be the sub-method to get the

general views and photos on the ergonomics

and a visit to the study building. Case study

will be done to observe the application of

ergonomics based on the information

gathered through the literature studies and to

Issues

Research Methods

Recommendations

Objectives

Conclusion

Aims

Identify Problems



measure the facilities. Photos of the

kindergarten will be captured during the visit.

Field measurement

Filed measurement is carried out during the

case study visit in order to evaluate and study

the dimension of furniture and spaces for

children to fit in and use. During the field

measurement, observation on the same

elements of field measurement has been

made to support the data.

Questionnaire

The questionnaire will get the general

information and response due to lack of self-

awareness among public in applying

ergonomics especially proper body posture in

kindergarten. Statistic of the level of public

awareness will be produced base on the

questionnaire. This questionnaire is conducted

to support the field measurement.

Literature Review

This research will emphasize on the importance of

ergonomics for children as it will affect the

children behavior. Literature study is done on the

aspect of children, kindergarten and ergonomics

as it is crucial to give generic ideas and overall

picture on the proposed research topic. This

background study consist of four main core

begins with definition of children, followed by

definition, history and types of kindergarten in

Malaysia. Second part gives an overview for

better understanding about the concept and the

philosophy of ergonomics for children in terms of

facilities and spaces. While the third part briefly

elaborate on the issues and problems for

ergonomics in kindergarten.

Children

World Health Organization (WHO) has officially

defined a child as one who is below the age of

18 years old. The definition has applied globally

and this range of age is also adapted in Malaysia.

Based on the statistic released by Department of

statistic and economic planning

unit, in 2010, a total of 31.7% of the total

population, aged between 1 to 14 years old,

which decreased from 32.6% in 2005.

A child goes through a dynamic stage of

development which has different profile and

requirement. In this study, the scope focuses on

the highlighted age group.

Infant (baby) 0 to 1.5 years

Toddler 1.6 to 4 years

Kindergarten children 5 to 6 years

Middle childhood

(primary school)

7 to 9 years

Pre-pubescence, a

subset of the above

10 to 12 years

Youth and

adolescence

13 o 18 years

In context to the children in suburban areas in

Malaysia, the daily routine of these children are

similar, attending kindergarten from 5 to 6 years,

starting primary at 7 till 12 years and going to

religious classes, skill classes and tuition after

school. According to Anita Ruil (1987), “Children

use the environment to improve themselves;

adults use themselves to improve the

environment. Children work for the sake of

process, adult work to achieve and end result”.

This shows that children learn from their

environment and activities through movement,

promote imagination, social interaction and

learning through play.

Kindergarten

Merriam-Webster dictionary (2010) defined

kindergarten as a program or class for 4 to 6 years

old children that serve as an introduction to

school. Referring to Wikipedia, kindergarten is a

form of education for young children which

serves as a transition from home to the

commencement of more formal schooling. It is

education for pre- and emergent-literate children

before the age of 6 or 7. UNESCO, Institute of

Statistic (2008) elaborates the statistic of

kindergarten in Malaysia based on surveys in



2008. According to them, there are 536 children

enter the preschool with minimum aged of 5

years old consists of 276 Male and 260 Female.

Historically, many origins are claimed for the first

kindergarten in the world. For examples, in

Scotland in 1816, Robert Owen opened an infant

school in New Lanark while the first kindergarten

in Hungary was founded on 27 May 1828 by the

countness Theresa Brunszvik (1775–1861) in her

residence in the city of Buda under the name of

Angyalkert (Angel garden). On the other hand,

Enotes.com stated that the first kindergarten was

opened in Blankenburg, Germany, in 1837.

Friedrich Froebel (1782–1852) designed this system

to offer a preschool education to young children

in a less formal environment. His plan was to offer

an organized setting in which children's creativity

and play instincts were nurtured in a constructive

and supervised manner. He believed that

children could be taught to become better, more

cooperative learners through the use of tools like

songs, stories, games, and other group activities.

The central idea of his theory was that a good

education starts with learning creative expression

and social cooperation.

Bandini (1994) explains that kindergarten has

been in existence as a recognized institution for

over a century. However, it has been identified

only relatively recently as a distinct architectural

type. Its gestation can be traced from the original

idealistic educational theories of the 18th and 19th

centuries to the present sophisticated

architectural and educational synthesis seen in

many of the best contemporary examples.

Nanyang articles emphasize that the history of

kindergarten in Malaysia begins in July 1934 when

the Nanyang Kindergarten in Singapore is

believed to have been the first Chinese

kindergarten in the whole of Malaysia when

Singapore was still in the merger. Preschool

Malaysia (2007), further emphasize that in

Malaysia, kindergarten is a non-formal and

flexible programme for young children aged 4 to

5 years old. The programme runs for duration of

one to two years depending on parents'

requirement. These centres are mostly privately-

run and cater for children from high and middle-

income families. The fees charged by these

kindergartens vary and are largely determined by

overhead costs and market forces. Kindergarten

classes conducted by the MOE (also known as

Ministry of Education, Malaysia) and other

government agencies enable under-privileged

children from lower income families access to

kindergarten education for free or at a minimal

charge. Priority for admission to these classes is

given to those who could not afford to attend

privately-run kindergartens.

Kindergarten education aims at providing a firm

foundation for formal education. All kindergartens

have to abide by the curriculum guidelines set by

the MOE. The curriculum which is in line with the

NPE (also known as National Private Education,

Malaysia) enables kindergarten children to

acquire basic communication and positive skills in

preparation for primary schooling. Specifically,

the aim of kindergarten education is to develop

children‟s intellectual skills which emphasize on

physical environment, physical skills which focus

on the physical activities, social skills which

emphasized focus on children‟s interaction with

the environment and the people and spiritual skills

which stressed on inculcation of noble values and

believe in God.For children who previously have

spent most of their time at home, kindergarten

may serve the purpose of helping them adjust to

being apart from their parents without anxiety.

In terms of spaces and facilities, there are long

established and broadly agreed programmatic

requirements for the design of pre-school

kindergartens and nursery schools. For example,

Joseph Featherstone in a series of articles

published in the 1960‟s in The New Republic, set

out a clearly prescribed set of ideal conditions:

Storage space, including individual lockers, rooms

divider, flat working surfaces, easels, play store,

dress-up area, with racks for adult clothes,

costumes etc; puppet theatre, library alcove, with

book shelves ,tools, zoo etc…..This will emphasizes

on the infrastructure or components that should

be provided for children to support their study

programme.



Ergonomics

Ergonomics is knowledge about body sizes and

muscular capabilities which is fundamental for

proper human factors design. David Caple stated

that according to International Ergonomics

Association (IEA), ergonomics or human factors is

the scientific discipline concerned with the

understanding of interactions among humans

and other elements of a system, and the

profession that applies theory, principles, data

and methods to design in order to optimize

human well-being and overall system

performance. Ergonomists contribute to the

design and evaluation of tasks, jobs, products,

environments and systems in order to make them

compatible with the needs, abilities and

limitations of people. There are few keys to take

into consideration when we talked about

ergonomics which are physical, cognitive and

organizational.

In terms of children ergonomics, ergonomics

researchers stressed that children ergonomics is

different from adults. Thus, appropriate furniture

design and facilities should be adapted to avoid

hazard or injuries to children such as muscular

disorder. The ergonomics will focused on the

suitable height of furniture for children, the width,

length, the materials and the design itself. Ruth

(2000) set a design standard for children‟s

environments which comprise of all the details of

anthropometric and ergonomics design for

children.

Children spend about five hours per day sitting

down while doing their school work. Considering

this as well as the potential inadequate use of

school furniture, it is likely that some anatomical–

functional changes and problems in the learning

process may occur.

The aim of this study was to compare facilities

and space layout within three different

kindergartens with the anthropometric

characteristics and ergonomic standard

guidelines in order to evaluate the most

appropriate design for children. Most (1993) and

Mark (1996) emphasize that there is an

inadequate match between the design process

and the imaginative spatial needs of the young

child. The principle is that; the needs and

requirements children up to age of six or at most

seven at particular, their right (as individuals) to

high quality educational environments that care

for them and rigorously support their social

development.

Assessment On Space And Furniture‟s Ergonomics For Children In Kindergarten 7


Result and analysis

Literature review

Literature review provides detail information

on ergonomics and injuries because of

ergonomics issues. This data act as reference

in finding the suitable measurement for

children.

Questionnaire

From the questionnaire, public satisfaction

about kindergarten had been analyzed to

know their level of understanding and

awareness about ergonomics.

Observation

The observation done have been used to

compare with public perception about

ergonomics in the kindergarten. Observation

also support the data on how children

response with certain height and dimension

when using the facilities in the kindergarten.

Case study

Both case studies have provided sufficient

data to use in the research. The data included

the measurements of facilities and the

measurement of the children dimension in

order to get the range of height, knee height,

and arm length.

Case study and field measurement

This research supported by two case studies

which are IIUM Educare Permata and Temiang

Preschool and a short and simple questionnaires

that has been imposed to 30 staff and parents

Each of these case studies also involved field

measurement and observation. The results are as

stated which covers 3 major area regarding the

space planning and also the finishes and design

for the furniture involved.

Table 1: Data collected from both kindergartens.

The average height for children are : 113 cm

The average knee height for children are: 30 cm

The average arm length for children are : 29 cm

The tallest children : 122cm /33/32

The shortest children : 104cm /37/26

Case study 1: Temiang pre-school,

Negeri Sembilan.

Temiang preschool is located at the suburban

area. The preschool consists of ten staff and

several part time workers as they cater children

between 5 to 6 years old only. From the

questionnaire given to the staff and parents, 15

out of 20 people agree that the preschool

facilities provided are ergonomics for children in

terms of furniture design and measurement.

However, the others disagree in terms of location

of the preschool and space planning such as the

location of toilet and playground area. Most of

them teachers suggest that the playground area

should be located near post guard or open area

for safety reasons

The data for Temiang preschool have

elaborated in details under three different study

which are study on the classroom, study on toilet

and study on playground.



Study on the classroom

As located in suburban areas, Temiang

preschool have only three classrooms for

kindergarten and a shared facilities. Most of the

furniture is made of woods but not too heavy for

children to

In overall, the design of the classroom is

appropriate with the children with average

height and measurement.

The children will not facing any repetitive injuries

if they seat properly with good posture.

Seating on the floor for reading and discussion is

a good approach for children; however,

children tend to seat with wrong posture as there

is no back support.

The reading table

Types of

furniture

Height

(cm)

Width

(cm)

Materials Analysis from observation

Chairs

-seating

-back

support

320

360

360 x

340

330 x

330

Wood The chairs are suitable for children with average

height. It can be considered as ergonomics except for

the tallest and shortest children.

Tables 600 720 x

1300

Wood The tables are ergonomics for children with average

height.

Table for

audio visual

660 1380 x

600

Wood The height of the table does not ergonomics for

children as the children need to seat down on the floor

to watch television. Will cause injuries to neck.

Multipurpose

table

430 1200 x

600

Wood +

steel

The tables is ergonomics for children if the seat on the

floor.

Adjustable

whiteboard

30 (floor)

900

610 x

900

The adjustable whiteboard is appropriate for children

to do activities. Adjust to their height.

Three-tiers

drawer for

toys

980 1500 x

600

Woods Located on the floor. The height of each drawer is

appropriate with children measurement.

Reading

table

390 1900 x

700

Woods The tables are ergonomics for children if the seat on

the floor while the width suitable for children to seat

together and discuss.

Multipurpose

drawer

980

300 (each

compartment)

1500 x

600


appropriate with children measurement. Children use

this type of drawer for keeping books and bags.



Multipurpose drawer for toys

Study on toilet

Tables and chairs

types of

furniture

Height

(cm)

Width

(cm)


Toilet

dimension

3000 2400 x

1650

Tiles +

concrete

The toilet dimension is suitable for children height

and width as well as movement dimension. It can

be considered as ergonomics for children.

Cubicles

size

3000 1060 x

1120

Tiles +

concrete

2 cubicles. The dimension of cubicles also suitable

for children.

Toilet bowl

-overall

size

-bowl size

300 500 x 500

250 x 280

Ceramic The height of the toilet bowl ergonomics for

children as the average knee height for children is

300cm.

Pipe inside

toilet

630 from

floor

Galvanized

iron

Ergonomics for children to use.

Door 2100 800 Too height for children toilet.

Sink

Sink bowl

600 790 x 500

390x300

The height and width of the sink are appropriate

with children of average measurement.

Shower

tap

900 from

floor

Galvanized

iron

Height for children to use.

Mirror 130 from

sink

460

460 x 460 Located on top of the sink. The height of mirror is


In overall, the design of the toilet is appropriate with the children average height and measurement. The

tallest children will have difficulties in using the dimension that is provided for the average height of

children



Sink area

Toilet area

Study on the playground

First playground

Second playground

Swing



Playhouse

Slide

Overhead ladder

There are two playgrounds for preschool.

The playground consists of several equipment

such as slide, climbers,playhouse,overhead

ladder ,swingset,see-saw

Form the observation and measurement done at

the playground, the playground follows the

requirement for children ergonomics as well as

the safety and security measures.

The railing for the slide and playhouse are

suitable with the height of children in order to

prevent them from falling to the ground.

Steps for slide Playhouse

Types of

equipment

Height Width

Overhead

ladders

-overall

-steps

-ladders

180 frm

ground

300

-

1650 x 1000

-

300 between

ladder

Slide

-overall

height

-railings

-steps

1600 frm

grnd

800

200

260

Swing 300 from

ground

330 x 150 (seat)

See-saw 450



Case study 2: IIUM Educare Permata,

Gombak, Kuala Lumpur.

IIUM Educare is located at suburban area. The

building consists of kindergarten and

childcare. However, the research is focused

on kindergarten only, for the children range

between 5 to 6 years old.

From the questionnaire given to the staff and

parents, 20 out of 30 agree that the furniture

design and space planning of the Educare

doesn‟t gives injury to the children.

Study on the classroom

On the other hand, 10 out of 30 people

disagree. They realize that the furniture design

does injured the children in terms of sharp

edges, heavy used of materials for chair

,slippery floor, toilet bowl which is too height

for children to use and others.

From this statistic, it shows that only a few

people aware of the ergonomics and safety

issues of children.

Types of

furniture

Height

(cm)

Width

(cm)


Chairs

-seating

-back

support

260

310

270x

300

310 x

300

Steel The chairs are suitable for children with average

height. It can be considered as ergonomics except

for the tallest children.

Chairs 2 300

290

310 x

330

230 x

100

Wood

and steel

The tables are ergonomics for children with average

height. But it is too heavy and not safe if children are

playing around. Easy to fall.

Tables 500 1200 x

590

Wood The tables are ergonomics for children with average

height.

Book

shelves

800

(240)

1200 x

800

Wood +

steel

The shelves are ergonomics for children to take the

books.

Whiteboard 900 The whiteboard is meant for the teacher to use only.

Three-tiers

drawer for

toys

800

(250)

1120 x

300



Reading

table

390 1900 x

700

Woods The tables are ergonomics for children if the seat on

the floor while the width suitable for children to seat

together and discuss.

Multipurpos

e drawer

950

300- each

compartmen

t

1500 x

300


appropriate with children measurement. Children use

this type of drawer for keeping books and bags.



Discussion table

Book shelves

Drawer area

Drawer area

Discussion table



Chair Design

Two types of chairs were used in the

kindergarten. One is chairs made from steel

while another one is chair made of mix of steel

and woods.

Children are in variety of sizes and height, thus,

the same height of chair design or fixed chair

sometimes does not ergonomic with all children.

From the observation done, some children can

sit properly while a few other cannot because

of their height. When a child grows up above

the average size of standard children, their

needs are different.

The new chair design can cause repetitive

injuries to the children as the chairs are made of

heavy woods and steel. Each time the children

need to carry the chair or put it on the table

after class, they will suffer from disorder.

The older version of chair is light to carry but

does not comfortable in terms of design as well

as maintenance.

Sink Design

The height of the sink is actually appropriate for

the children. However, the sink becomes not

ergonomics when it was confined with the

shelves.

Children need to raise their foot to reach the

tap and wash their hand. This can lead to

repetitive strains injuries as children used the sink

every time they have art activities in class.

The new chair that

is used is heavy for

children.

The former chair

used is simple, light

but easy to have

defects.

View from the back

of the sink showing

the child use the

sink.

The child needs to

raise his feet to

reach the tap; not

ergonomic to use

From above, it shows

that the sink size is

actually meeting the

ergonomics standard

but the shelves length

makes the sink not

ergonomic to use.



Other measurements

Measurement is also done on the other facilities

and component of the buildings such as the

window, doors, table for teacher and also

whiteboard.

Study on the toilet

Sinks are design in various heights and next to

shower area

The whiteboard is

only meant for

teachers. Not at

suitable height for

children.

The railing is at

suitable height for

safety reason – to

prevent children

from open the

window and fall.

Width of the doors

is appropriate for

the users.

The sink is not

suitable for children

as it is

manufactured for

adult‟s dimension.

The toilet is a bit

height from the

children dimension.



Types of

furniture

Height

(cm)

Width

(cm)


Cubicles size 1500 1600 x

1200

Tiles +

concrete

The dimension of cubicles is suitable for children.

Toilet bowl 370 300 x 400 Ceramic The height of the toilet bowl not ergonomics for

children as the average knee height for children

is 300cm.

Pipe inside

toilet

700 from

floor

Galvanized

iron

Ergonomics for children to use.

Door for

cubicles

1500 800 Suitable height for children toilet.

Sink

Sink bowl

700 1270

540 x 50

The width of the sink is not ergonomics for

children as the distance to the pipe is 460.

Shower tap. 800 from

floor

Galvanized

iron

Shower tap and the shower are ergonomics for

children to use. They are design based on

children height.

Clothes hook 1220 Quite suitable from the children height as they

can reach the hook.

The shower area

Hanger for cloth

The cabinet located above the ground

Entrance to toilet



Study on the playground

The playground consist of several equipment

such as slide, climbers, playhouse, overhead

ladder, swing set, see-saw, spring rider and

jungle gym.

Form the observation and measurement done

at the playground; most of the play equipment

follows the requirement for children ergonomics

as well as the safety and security measures.

The railing for the slide and playhouse are

suitable with the height of children in order to

prevent them from falling to the ground.

However, for the swing, the seat is too height

from the ground while for the spider web, the

strings easily cut off with a sharp edges that can

injured the children.

Bird eye view toward the play ground

Three seesaws design with a safety precautions

Rocking animal chair are design with appropriate

for children under age 5

Various design of slide offered for the children

4 numbers swings provided

Simple round-climb ladder completes the set



The playground area

Questionnaire analysis

The Questionnaires question is on what

features that building must have to classify

as a green building concept.

The entrance

0

5

10

15

Wide enough

Swing safely

Nu

mb

er

of

staf

f/p

are

nts

Assessed criteria

Entrance

Totally Agree

Agree

Average

Disagree

In responds to the entry, most of the interviewee agrees to have a wide entrance with a safety swing

door. However, there are some people who did not agree with the swing door as they prefer the sliding

more than the swing.

Types of

equipment

Height Width

See-saw 530 350x350

(seat)

Slide

--railings

-steps

940

300

Swing 500 from

ground

330 x 150

(seat)

Spring rider 450 350 x 350

Stepping

area

230

300



05

101520

Acc

essi

ble

Des

ign

er

gon

om

ical

ly

Spac

iou

s an

d

com

fort

able

Ad

equ

ate

acce

ss t

o

wo

rk s

tati

on

Eno

ugh

sp

ace

to m

aneu

ver

chai

r

Wo

rk c

an b

e d

on

e in

co

rrec

t …

Free

fro

m

ob

stru

ctio

n

Nu

mb

er o

f st

aff/

par

en

ts

Assessed criteria

Classroom

Totally agree

Agree

Average

Disagree

For the class room, the questionnaire shows that an adequate access to the work station and

accessibility to the class room is the most imperative aspect to be considering the most. Ergonomically

aspect however is the second together with the comfort and sufficient space required for the class

room. For the least case, the respondents found it not very significant to for the space to be free from

obstruction as they understand that most of the classrooms in kindergarten are free from the hazardous

furniture or equipment that may dangerously barricade the children.

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

Ergonomic in design Suitable height for use

Nu

mb

er

of

staf

f/p

are

nts

Assessed criteria

Drawer and bookshelves

Totally agree

Agree

Average

Specifically for drawer and bookshelves, the most respondents agree to have an ergonomically design

bookshelves and drawer with a suitable high in responds to children with various ages.



Justification of research

Ergonomics can be integrated as a

lifestyle/philosophy in order to live life to its

fullest. Ergonomics can be incorporated as

a subject in the educational curriculum of

teachers

Ergonomics learning activities can be

developed by subject matter, e.g.,

science, math, reading, social studies,

physical education. Children can learn to

apply concepts of ergonomics in their daily

activities and environments; and

encouraged to teach others

Significance

The significance of this study is to find the

solution of reducing health problems

among children and adults -

musculoskeletal discomfort and repetitive

strain injuries due to incorrect ergonomics

and improper posture at workstations. This

study attempts to provide information to

formulate new design recommendation for

kindergarten by emphasizing on

ergonomics issues while taking notes on

advantages and disadvantages.

People rarely talk about ergonomics for

children. Overall view will be on how to

encourage more people to support the

promotion and practice of proper

workstation health within the structured

school environment will influence young

people to practice proper sitting posture

during both school and non-school hours.

In order to prevent widespread health

problems in students as they grow older, we

need to make the importance of correct

posture and proper ergonomic workstation

set-up and proper posture habits while

activities.

Promotion and practice of proper

workstation health within the structured

school environment will influence young

people to practice proper sitting posture

during both school and non-school hours.

Solution

Some of the solution for ergonomics problems is

to educate people about ergonomics for

public awareness.

Other is to implement the new technology in

manufacturing the furniture for children which

can be adjustable.

Conclusion

Both of the case study and findings shows

that not all people aware of ergonomics

issues among children. Some of the facilities

provided does not take into account the

suitability and comfortability of children.

Thus, the result of this study is to emphasizes

on the importance of ergonomics and to

provides the ergonomics information about

children in kindergarten to variety of

people and professional.

This study also will lead to a new

intervention of furniture design which will be

integrated for children well-being as to

avoid unhealthy future generations.

References

Anita Rui Olds (1987) Child Care Design

Guide, New York,Ny; Mc Graw-Hill

Bandini (1994), „Typological Theories in

architectural design‟, Companion to

Contemporary Architectural

Thought,Routledge,London.

Hadith Bukhari and Muslim

Most.P (1993), „Environment”, Quality in

Services for Young children- A discussion

Paper, European commission Child Care

Network, Thomas Coram Research Unit,27-

28 Woburn Square, London, p.11

Mark Dudek (1996), Kindergarten



Architecture, United Kingdom,UK; E&FN

Spoon, an imprint of Chapman & Hall.

Linda Cain Ruth (2000),Design standards for

children environment, New York,Ny;Mc

Graw-Hill

Merriam-Webster dictionary (2010),

retrieved from http://www.merriam-

webster.com/cgi-bin/book.pl?five-

lang.htm&1

UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Data Centre,

http://stats.uis.unesco.org/unesco/ReportF

olders/ReportFolders.aspx,

Prof david C. Caple (2008), NES

Conference,Ergonomics is a lifestyle ( PDF

document)

Joseph Featherstone articles published in

the 1960‟s in The New Republic

Statistic by Department of statistic and

economic planning unit, retrieved from

www.malaxi.com

www.wikipedia.org

World Health Organization (WHO), retrieved

from www. who. Int

-----------------------------------------------

Nurrabiatul Adawiyah bt Jalaludin

Bachelor of Architecture, Department of

Architecture, Kulliyyah of Architecture and

Environmental Design, International Islamic

University Malaysia

[email protected]

Documents

Research Paper Kindergarten