Article Details

The study examines the influence of classroom interior design features on the academic performance of engineering trades students in Rivers State Technical Colleges. Two research questions were answered in the study. The study employed descriptive research survey design and was carried out in all the four Rivers State Government Technical Colleges which include Government Technical College, Port Harcourt, Government Technical College, Eleogu, Government Technical College, Tombia and Government Technical College, Ahoada respectively. The population of the study was all the 38 teachers and 237 students of engineering trades in Rivers State Technical Colleges. Due to small population census study was used to select teachers while simple random sampling technique was employed to select 123 students. Hence, the sample size for the study was 161 respondents. The instrument used for data collection was a self-structure questionnaire tagged “Classroom Interior Design Features on the Academic Performance of Engineering Trades Questionnaire (CIDFAPETQ)” structured on a 4-point rating scale of agreement with numerical values of Strongly Agree (SA - 4), Agree (A - 3), Disagree (D - 2) and Strongly Disagree (SD - 1). The instrument was validated and tested for reliability using the test-retest method. A reliability coefficient of 0.80 was established using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) coefficient. The study found that, presence of visual aids in the classrooms and seating arrangement in the classrooms influence the academic performance of engineering trades students at Rivers State Technical Colleges. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended among others that visual aids such as step-by-step diagrams and instructions should be installed in technical college classrooms designed for engineering trade students as it improves students’ ability to perform technical tasks and practical assignments and that movable and adjustable seats should be installed in classrooms for engineering trades to enable students to adjust and seat in circular or U-shape as it enhances students’ ability to work in groups and engage in hands-on activities.