The Impact of Flexible Seating on Academic Performance within an Elementary Classroom

This study examined how the implementation of flexible seating in an elementary classroom impacted academic achievement. The focus for this study was to determine if allowing students the opportunity to choose the type of seating they use is more beneficial than having every student sit in traditional seating arrangements of desks and chairs. Data was collected through pre- and post-tests via the STAR Reading and Math assessments, and analyzed in a Google Sheet. This nine-week study took place within two 3rd grade classrooms, with a total of 38 participants, in a small school in west-central Minnesota. The results of this study indicated that flexible seating did have a positive impact on academic achievement as the students that used flexible seating, when looking at the averages and medians, showed more growth than their traditional seating counterparts