Spatial Assessment of the Schoolyards in the European Side of Istanbul: A Sufficiency Analysis Based on the Number of Students

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The aim of this study is to assess how suitable the schoolyards are spatially in terms of the number of students at schools in the European side of Istanbul. The total number of schools assessed in the study is 1323. In the study,first, the areas of the schoolyards were determined on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and then the average schoolyard area was calculated per student in each school by using the total number of students of the schools. Average schoolyard area per student was calculated separately for each school, district,and entire study area, and then the results were assessed comparatively between the schools at primary and secondary education and between the schools run by the state and private sector. As the study revealed, the average schoolyard area per student in all the schools assessed in the study area is 3,17 m². This figure is 2,46 m2 in primary schools and 5,34 m2 in secondary schools.The average schoolyard area per student was calculated as 3 m² for the state schools and as 7,97 m2 for the private schools. If these figures are compared with the 5 m² per student, which is the standard value determined by the Turkish Standards Institution (TSE) for schoolyards, it is clearly seen that the schoolyards of Istanbul are not sufficient enough spatially to support students’ physical, mental, pedagogical, and social developments. Different understandings, strategies, plans, and applications are needed in Istanbul in order the current and planned schools to have schoolyards with sufficient space and characteristics.

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Schoolyards , spatial analysis , primary and secondary education , İstanbul

International Journal of Geography and Geography Education

47

International Journal of Geography and Geography Education