Visual and sensory-motor functioning in the classroom: a preliminary report of ergonomic demands

Observations were made in 11 4th and 5th grade classrooms of the specific ergonomic conditions including physical space, lighting conditions, and academic task demands placed on the students. The data indicate remarkable homogeneity, including the findings that light levels were consistently lowest in the front of the classroom, and that more than 50 percent of the students' time involved near task demands. Observations of behavioral compliance with the task demands will be discussed. We conclude that classroom ergonomic conditions require extensive near work and students with ocular motor dysfunctions may have difficulty meeting the behavioral expectations of the classroom. Implications for future research will be discussed.