1.1 Introduction
Furniture is one of the important physical facilities provided in a classroom environment where the students spend most of their time working with different learning activities. The design of workplace for students should ensure effective learning process and comfort. The functional utility of the student's classroom furniture is a result of its physical design in relationship to the physical structure and biomechanics of human body. Studies on classroom seating furniture revealed that students reported to have experienced musculoskeletal pains, headache and low back pain due to incompatible seating furniture in a number of schools. So the ergonomists need to treat the issue of furniture design for students as a necessity and educational institutes should treat the selection of right kind of furniture as social responsibility towards the student community.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Classroom furniture plays a significant role in the day to day lives of children attending school. Within socio-material theory (Fenwick, Edwards, & Sawchuk, 2015) furniture can be considered a material aspect of the social environment of the classroom, influencing decisions made by students and teachers. The furniture used within classrooms evolves over time and across contexts reflecting resources available, beliefs, and educational policies. Influenced by the OECD, a current trend in the New Zealand context is the introduction of a range of furniture types in open plan or flexible classrooms, also known as modern or innovative learning environments (OECD, 2013; 2015).
In the early 1900s school desks with attached seating were fixed to the floor and having movable desks could be a cause of disorder (Le Garde, 1911). The beliefs about the role of education at the time included developing obedience and self-discipline. It was also a time when information about the world was restricted to written or oral formats which in the schooling context was through textbooks, wall charts and the knowledge of the teacher. Classroom furniture was fixed facing the same direction for order and control (Herman, Van Gorp, Simon, & Depaepe, 2011) and to enable children to focus on the teacher at the front of the classroom.
More recently flexible learning environments with fewer desks than children and different types of furniture such as bean bags, tables, cushions and sofas have been introduced into schools. In addition, furniture is not allocated to specific students or teachers. This reflects a significant change in beliefs, policies and resources since the start of the 1900s underpinned by societal change such as the access to information broadening from texts to digitised resources and interactive technologies (Starkey, 2012). Rather than a focus on order and control, flexible learning environments are designed with the belief that teachers should focus on the students as individuals and their learning needs (OECD, 2013).
Therefore, in Kwara state where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the assess Furniture Surfaces in Classroom within Science Complex.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Investigation reveals the problems of the research which entails that many potentially infectious bacteria, viruses, yeasts and moulds can survive on surfaces for considerable amounts of time. Surfaces add a new level of difficulty. A pathogen must land on a surface and be able to survive on it until you touch it. After that, it still has to make it from the touch point to whatever area of the body the pathogen targets before it can thrive.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to Microbiological Assessment of Furniture Surfaces in Classroom within Science Complex. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To examine the type of furniture used in the classroom within science complex
- To isolate the identified bacteria from Furniture Surfaces
- To identify the bacteria involve in the Classroom Furniture Surfaces
1.5 Significance of Study
This study will be of immense benefit to teachers, students and other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.6 Scope of Study
The study focuses on the Microbiological Assessment of Furniture Surfaces in Classroom within Science Complex in University of Ilorin, kwara State.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).
1.8 Definition of Terms
E.coli: Is an acronym for Escherichia coli which is a bacterium commonly found in the intestines of humans and other animals, some strains of which can cause severe food poisoning.
Staphylococcal: Staphylococcus (staph) is a group of bacteria. There are more than 30 types. A type called Staphylococcus aureus causes most infections. Staph bacteria can cause many different types of infections, including; skin infections which are the most common types of staph infections.
Isolates: isolate simply means cause (a person or place) to be or remain alone or apart from others.
Phytochemical: This is a substance produced mainly by plants, and these substances have biological activity.
Component: it simply means one part of a whole thing.
Antibacterial: Anything that destroys bacteria or suppresses their growth or their ability to reproduce. Heat, chemicals such as chlorine, and antibiotic drugs all have antibacterial properties.
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