Learning with Nature in Malaysia: Methods of Incorporating Nature in Kindergarten Outdoor Physical Environments

Learning with nature is increasingly popular in Malaysia. However, there are challenges when designing kindergarten outdoor physical environments to assist learning with nature in Malaysia. Previous studies have looked into the types of necessary nature interaction and spaces needed for learning with nature. However, there is a gap in understanding the factors influencing the methods to include nature in the kindergarten outdoor areas. This research aims to investigate the methods of incorporating nature in the outdoor physical environment of kindergartens to facilitate learning with nature. This research is a multiple case study using maximum variation sampling. The main findings suggest that each school’s design is unique as their curriculums and philosophy are different, and the way children interact with nature depends on it. Gibson’s Theory of Affordances, which is when the environment and surroundings allow for the interaction we intended, can help design kindergarten outdoor areas to cater to the curriculum. Integrating nature and man-made materials in the design can create a conducive environment for learning with nature. External factors namely the size of available outdoor areas, terrain conditions, and others will influence how nature is incorporated in the design

Preschool Design and School Readiness

Preschool physical environments significantly affect children behavior and development. Efforts by the Malaysian Government to improve the quality of preschool education shows a lack of emphasis on the physical learning environment - despite overall improvements, school readiness remains moderate. In Malaysia, the impact of preschool physical learning environments on children’s school readiness is still unclear; thus, this paper aims to investigate, highlight and conclude a clear theoretical relationship between these two aspects through literature review. Findings are hoped to lay the groundworks for future research into this matter to improve preschool education in Malaysia.Keywords: Malaysian preschool education; Physical learning environment; Children school readiness; Children developmenteISSN 2398-4279 © 2018. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia

The Quality of Building as a Whole for Public Preschools at Klang Valley in Malaysia

High-quality preschool buildings are crucial for pedagogy. This paper explores and proposes improvements to the ‘building as a whole’ quality of 26 Malaysian public preschools in Klang Valley. Five aspects (image and scale, circulation, common core of shared facilities, indoor environmental quality, safety, and security) were assessed with the Children’s Physical Environment Rating Scale. The average ‘building as a whole’ quality is rated ‘Good’ and none were rated ‘Excellent’ nor ‘Poor’. However, the ‘common core of shared facilities’ aspect was only rated ‘Fair’ in most preschools. Recommendations are hoped to guide stakeholders to ensure better preschools in Malaysia.Keywords: circulation; facilities; image and scale; indoor environmental quality; safety and security.eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2019. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer-review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v5iSI1.229

Assessing the Quality of Overall Planning for Public Preschools at Klang Valley in Malaysia

Poor overall planning leads to overcrowding in preschools. Ample space and a low teacher-child ratio in activity spaces are crucial. This paper investigates and proposes improvements to the overall planning quality of 26 Malaysian public preschools in Klang Valley. Four planning aspects were assessed (building size, size of indoor activity spaces, enrolment and quality of modules) using the Children’s Physical Environment Rating Scale. Most preschools were too small and the average planning quality of the studied preschools was only rated Fair. Design recommendations discussed in this paper will help designers devise better planning for Malaysian preschools in the future.Keywords: building size; children’s activity spaces; preschool design; learning environmenteISSN: 2398-4287 © 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v5iSI1.228

Nurturing Environmental Stewards through Preschool Physical Design

Environmental stewardship starts with education. This paper aims to discuss how preschools can be used to nurture environmental stewards among Malaysian children. In summary, elements of preschool physical environments can be manipulated to enhance environmental education while landscape elements such as vegetation and topography can be manipulated to maximize interaction with nature. Effective interaction with nature is the most important factor to ensure environmental awareness. Findings are useful for Malaysian designers and policy makers to ensure that preschool’s physical settings support environmental education to respond to climate change and preserve the planet for future generations.© 2016. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.Keywords: Malaysian preschool ; Green preschool design ; Children environmental behaviour ; Environmental educatio

The Influence of Modified Open-Plan Preschool Spaces on Cognitive School Readiness in Malaysia

Modified open-planning to define children’s spaces is important in preschool design. Cognitive school readiness (SR) is an objective of Malaysian preschools. This study investigates the correlation between modified open-plan spaces and cognitive SR in Malaysian preschools. A prospective cohort study involving 378 children at 18 Malaysian Ministry of Education (MOE) preschools was conducted. Compared to other preschool physical aspects (size, scale, circulation, facilities, indoor environment quality, safety, home bases, activity areas, and play yards), the quality of modified open-plan spaces showed the strongest correlation with children’s cognitive SR (Pearson’s r=0.658, p=0.000). Findings are hoped to promote better preschool designs. Keywords: Modified open-plan, preschool design, children education, school readiness eISSN: 2398-4287© 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v5i15.2374

Addressing Recent PISA Rankings: The potential role of preschool physical environment design quality in Malaysia

Recent PISA assessments revealed unsatisfactory cognitive abilities among Malaysian children. Poor cognitive development, stemming from inadequate preschool cognitive school readiness (SR), is an underlying factor. Well-designed preschool physical environments (PPE) could potentially enhance cognitive SR and subsequently improve childhood cognitive development. This study aims to highlight the importance of PPE design quality on children’s cognitive SR in Malaysia. A cohort study involving 336 children at 16 Ministry of Education (MOE) preschools was conducted. PPE design quality demonstrated a significant positive association with cognitive SR. Conclusively, better PPE design is hoped to improve cognitive development by ensuring cognitive SR among Malaysian preschoolers.Keywords: Preschool Physical Environment; Cognitive School Readiness; Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development; PISAeISSN: 2398-4287 © 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v5i13.205

Optimising Daylighting Performance in Tropical Courtyard and Atrium Buildings for Occupants’ Wellbeing

Daylighting has attracted increasing attention from researchers as an energy-efficient and sustainable building design technique. This research investigates the daylighting of atrium and courtyard building by comparing the performance of various Window to Wall Ratios (WWR) appropriate to Malaysia's tropical climate. The most acceptable option for daylight performance was to specify a moderate WWR value of 30% with shading devices. The results of The Radiance Daylighting Simulations confirmed the daylight performance by a comparison of calculated data and modelling. The findings show the combinations of daylighting parameters that work for courtyard and atrium buildings for the occupants' wellbeing. Keywords: Daylighting Performance, Courtyard, Atrium, Tropical, Radiance Simulations eISSN: 2398-4287© 2021. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v6i16.271

Greenhouse Daylight Illuminance for Users’ Satisfaction in Hot and Humid Climate

The greenhouse is vital to protect indoor crops from the harsh hot-humid climate. This study firstly identifies design attributes of greenhouses such as dimension, shapes, orientation, and shading. Secondly, it assesses the impacts of design attributes on the greenhouse daylight performance using VeluxVisualizer. The results showed an increase in the number of skylights caused higher average daylight illuminance in the greenhouse. All the models passed the requirement for plants with small sunlight claim between 7 and 9 hours per day. This study paves the way for energy-efficient buildings with the aid of building simulation to benefit the users. Keywords: Greenhouse Design Features, Daylight Simulation, Hot and Humid Climate eISSN: 2398-4287© 2021. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer-review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v6i16.271

Architecture as Urban Catalyst: Infographic Design Guideline on Kuala Lumpur Riverfront Revitalisation

In various areas, communities and localities worldwide, a traversing river plays a vital role as the lifeblood of many dwellings and urban areas. Kuala Lumpur's expanding urban spaces indicate a thriving economy. Despite this, the rapid development has led to the construction of many residential and commercial buildings along the river, resulting in pollution from domestic, physical, and chemical waste. This pollution poses a threat to urban waste management, impacting both health and the river's ecosystem. To address this issue, this study endeavours to recommend an updated set of design guidelines for the Dayabumi, Kuala Lumpur riverfront architecture. The recommended guideline will focus on alterations to the river form and build form interventions to achieve the desired results. Through case studies, literature reviews, and observations from developed countries, the study identified best practices for waste management and architectural design. The findings encompass waste management programs and design guidelines covering build form, river form, green coverings, economy injection, and the overall urban environment. By enforcing appropriate regulations and preparing for future waste production, we can protect and revitalize the riverfront at Dayabumi, Kuala Lumpur