Evaluation of Extent of Mismatch Between Classroom Furniture and Anthropometric Measures of Girls' Students of High Madrasah (School)

Abstract

The present study was aimed to evaluate the extent of mismatch of bench and desk unit of Madrasah with the body dimensions of the girls’ students and its comparison with that of general higher secondary girls’ schools in West Bengal (India). The study was carried out 703 students, having age range of 10-15 years were selected randomly from different High Madrasah and general high schools, in different districts of West Bengal. The furniture of the school was evaluated class wise (Class V to X). For the evaluation of classroom furniture match criteria equations were defined. The mismatch level was determined for different characteristics of bench and desk unit by considering the furniture dimension and anthropometric measures of the students. After considering the existent classroom furniture dimensions in each match criterion equation, the anthropometric characteristics of the considered students were in order to determine the mismatch between them. The result revealed that there was no significant difference of most of the measures in different classes between Madrasah and general school. Most of the students in class V to X showed higher mismatch in seat height, seat width, seat to desk clearance and seat to desk height both High madrasah and general high schools. Thus, the extent of match percentage was gradually increased with the enhancement of the age of the students. The seat depth of the existent school furniture was lower than the buttock-popliteal length, So there was 100% lower mismatch for the girls of High madrasah and general high schools in class V to X. It may suggested that to take necessary steps to set design criteria of the school furniture for different classes separately considering the change of body dimension of the students due to growth.