The Correct Height of School Furniture

Abstract

Pupils were photographed by automatic camera during a four-hour examination. All of them were bent far over their tables in an unacceptable manner. An experiment was conducted to determine what height the pupils themselves preferred. Without exception, they preferred to sit much higher, which automatically placed them in a sitting position with a straight back. Revised design of furniture corrected the posture problem. It was concluded that the table should be at least half the person's height (80-90 cm for older pupils) and that the chair should be at least one-third the person's height (50-60 cm for older pupils). The seat should be capable of sloping forward 10-15 deg, and the forward sliding tendency counteracted by a small, fixed cushion. The tabletop should slope backward 10-15 deg.