Examining the effect of seat location on students’ real-time social interactions in a smart classroom using experience sampling method

• Published in: Journal of computers in education (the official journal of the Global Chinese Society for Computers in Education) Vol. 10; no. 2; pp. 217 - 235
• Main Authors: Wang, Jiaojiao, Xie, Kui, Liu, Qingtang, Long, Taotao, Lu, Guoqing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.06.2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Academic achievement; Classrooms; Colleges & universities; Computers and Education; Digital cameras; Education; Educational Administration; Educational Environment; Educational Research; Educational Resources; Educational Technology; Interactive computer systems; Learning; Learning Processes; Literature reviews; Real time; Research Methodology; Sampling methods; Seats; Social factors; Social interaction; Software; Students; Teachers; Teaching; Television sets; Undergraduate Students; Video equipment; Smart classroom; Experience sampling method; Social interaction; Seat location
• ISSN: 2197-9987; 2197-9995
• DOI: 10.1007/s40692-022-00229-9

While prior research has examined the impact of seats on students' performance in the classroom, no agreement has reached on how seat locations influence students’ social interactions, especially in technology-enhanced classrooms. This study seeks to understand how different seats of smart classrooms are associated with student real-time social interactions. In this study, we examine how the situational and individual factors as the key variables may account for the students' real-time social interactions. Specifically, data on real-time social interactions and different seats were collected using the experience sampling method (ESM) from 36 sophomores at a university in central China, resulting in 180 ESM responses. The results of Multilevel Analysis showed that the students' seat location and the week number within the individual had a significant impact on the student's real-time social interactions, while the gender and mastery goal of students affected their social interactions among individuals. Meanwhile, the seat fluctuations of students who participated in the smart classroom presented three typical types: front row stable type, rear stable row type, and fluctuating type.