Volume 4 Issue 3 (October 2012) - Ozean Publications

European Journal of Educational Studies 4(3), 2012
This study revealed that CO2 levels were very high in nearly all rooms in the school building. Poor ventilation
and a high number of students in classrooms are the reasons for this high CO2 concentration in the school. In
one classroom, the CO2 level was 3.254 ppm at the beginning of the less, which is three times higher than the
recommended level. There were approximately 35 students in the classroom. By the middle of the lesson and the
CO2 level increased 26%, reaching 4.107 ppm in 20 minutes. Figure 10 shows that a number of students fell
asleep by the time the second measurement was taken. The third measurement was taken near the end of the
lesson, almost 20 minutes after the second measurement. At this time the CO2 level had increased 28% from the
previous level and reached 5.292 ppm, five times higher than recommended level. Figure 10 shows that nearly
half of the students had fallen asleep by the time the third measurement was taken.
Figure 10: Students falling asleep in a crowded classroom with increasing CO2 level
Spatial and temporal changes in the CO2 level in Sisli High School building show that school buildings,
especially classrooms, are not ventilated well in the winter months. This is largely because nearly all windows
are kept closed due to the cold weather. The study showed that classrooms are also not ventilated enough during
break times. The CO2 level was found to be many times higher than the recommended level. As observed in the
study, a high concentration of CO2 affects students’ performances negatively by forcing them to sleep. To avoid
the effects of a high CO2 level, school buildings and classrooms should be ventilated regularly during break and
class times. School managers and teachers should be informed about the cause and effects of high CO2 in
classrooms and how to avoid this problem by airing classrooms and other parts of the school building regularly
an in an efficient manner.
CONCLUSION
Ten students in Sisli High School measured the spatial and temporal change of CO2 in their school building.
They conducted interviews with people from public and private institutions, collected data in their school
building using special equipment, learned what GIS is and how to use it for certain purposes, transferred data
into a GIS environment, analyzed and displayed data in different formats using GIS, and informed related people
and institutions about their findings through conferences. As part of the project, students developed a strong
research question and tried to answer that question using GIS.
The study showed that GIS is a powerful tool for learning and teaching. Students used GIS and participated in
many different activities for the first time in their lives. They not only worked on a school project, but also felt
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