Suitability of classroom chairs from standpoint of body dimensions of school children in Korea

한국 아동의 신체치수에서 본 아동용 학교 의자의 적합성

School children sit long on chairs in their classrom. Their posture is closely related to their chairs. Study of this relationship is very imporant for the health and education of school children. This report presents the results of study condcuted to determine the present status of classroom chairs and solve any problems identifede. The study involved 125 teachers in Seoul and Pusan, 175 fourth graders in Seoul, and 109 fourth graders in Puasn. The body dimensions of the school children and the dimensions of their chairs and desks were measured, and their postures while they studied at their desk were photographed. The following problems were identified as a result of the investigation: (1) Chairs are allocated to pupils according to their stature. (2) The teachers are not satisfied with the chairs and the method by which the chairs are allocated to their pupils. (3) The pupils complain of low seat height, narrow seat, and hard backrest, among other conditions. (4) The pupils select a chair one size larger than that suggested by their body size. (5) The poor posture of the pupils is traced to the seat height and sasyaku$(sitting height {\times} 1/3-1)$ of their chairs, their habit, their way of holding pencils, and lack of instruction by their teachers. The following recommendations are made to solve these problems: (1) Adjust the seat height and desk height to accommodate the pupils. (2) Provide both teachers and pupils with adequate knowledge of chails. (3) Provided each pupil with one desk and make the desk adjustable to sit his or her body dimensions. (4) Allocate a chair and desk to each pupil for his or her exclusive use. (5) Reserch and develop conversion tables that help to find suitable chails for individual pupils. New values of sasyaku and desk height, not specified in Korean Industrial Standards(KS), are proposed.