SPATIAL COGNITION DEPENDING ON THE SPATIAL ORDER IN EDUCATION BUILDINGS

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the spatial order of typologically produced educational buildings and the cognitive perceptions of students upon them. The main hypothesis of this study is that children’s perceptual, social and pyhsical relations differ via the spatial configuration of educational buildings and cognitive maps of the students can be a tool to understand these relationships.Within the scope of the study, a comparative method has been followed on cognitive maps in order to examine the perceptual relationship of two different educational institutions' students between the ages of 8-12. At the end of the study, it was found that (1) the cognitive interaction that the students established with their school buildings changed according to the spatial order and (2) social interaction of students with each other affected when the spatial organization has no supportive qualities of visual interaction. In addition, it has been seen that when the spatial order has supportive visual qualities in educational buildings children can have attached feelings to their school buildingsand have more meaningful relationships with their surroundings.