The spatial arrangement of classrooms is studied as an important factor influencing interaction and communication among students. To measure interactions in a field experiment in classrooms, Jakub Cigán, Jan Nehyba, and Libor Juhaňák innovatively utilized sociometric badges, which can measure taking turns in interactions and how long speech segments take, or how students intonate.
Results of their interdisciplinary study show that students sitting in rows speak more often than students sitting in a circle; however, the rate of interactions also varied depending on student groups. Their data contradict the traditional research that simplistically suggests that sitting in a circle or semi-circle increases interactions en masse.
You can find the article here:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00220973.2021.1954865
Martin Lang received the Czech National Foundation’s Junior Star grant with his project titled Computing Religious Devotion: How Reinforcing Supernatural Beliefs Affects Normative Models in the Mind.
The vice-rector for Research and Doctoral Studies at Masaryk University has awarded two LEVYNA graduates - Dan Řezníček and Radim Chvaja with a price for excellent results during their Ph.D. studies.
