Abstract
In general, teachers' perceptions on the physical environment of elementary school are related on the quality of education and school life. But, we don't have study what teachers think of their enviroment of school. This study analyzed elementary school teachers' satisfaction with overall physical environment and their assessment of spaces with specific functions in order to understand teachers' perception of the physical environment of elementary schools. A survey questionnaire was administered to 982 homeroom teachers working at 67 elementary schools located in Seoul and Busan. Teachers' satisfaction with physical environment of school and their assessment were analyzed comparatively according to the teachers' personal attributes and school conditions. 1) Most of the surveyed teachers were satisfied with overall physical environment of the school, and assessed high the substantiality of functional spaces indoor and outdoor. By sub-factor, however, their satisfaction with work environment was lower than that with education and living environment. 2) The teachers perceived that the optimal number of classes was 30~36, and this is probably because they were relatively accustomed to large scale schools. 3) As might be expected, negative assessments were more frequent among teachers working at a large-scale school, an old school, or a school with small outdoor spaces. The results of this study show that, though partially different according to region, gender, teaching experience and school condition, teachers' satisfaction with school environment was relatively high. This suggests that elementary school teachers perceive their current school environment positively. Because they are accustomed to traditional education methods that have been maintained.