Study: Efficacy of sensory rooms in enhancing motivation and academic achievement
In 2021, researchers Abla Ibrahim and Dr. Muhammad Imran conducted a study to examine the efficacy of sensory rooms in enhancing motivation and academic achievement among female students with academic learning difficulties. In order to meet the criteria for attaining a doctoral degree in the field of philosophy of special education. The research encompassed a randomly selected subset of female students from Faisal Al-Husseini Primary School located in the urban area of Ramallah. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a sensory room in enhancing the motivation and academic achievement of female students who face difficulties in academic learning.
Research summary
The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of sensory rooms in enhancing motivation and academic achievement among students facing difficulties in academic learning at Faisal Al-Husseini Primary Girls School. In order to accomplish the goals of the research, a sample of 30 students was utilised. These students were evenly divided into two groups: an experimental group consisting of 15 students, and a control group consisting of 15 female students. The selection of participants was done randomly using a stratified group sampling technique. A motivation measure was developed and administered, which consisted of four dimensions and a total of 32 items. Additionally, the academic portfolio for Arabic language and mathematics, which is approved by the Ministry of Education, was employed to assess the academic achievement of the female students. The female participants in the experimental group were exposed to the sensory room following a group instructional session. The findings of the study suggest that the implementation of a sensory room had a positive impact on the motivation and academic achievement of female students in the experimental group. Additionally, the results indicate that there were no significant differences in motivation and academic achievement based on grade level. The study yielded several recommendations, one of which is the utilisation of sensory rooms specifically for female students encountering difficulties. Academic learning, irrespective of the educational level.
About researchers
Dr. Mohammad Omran Saliha
Dr. Saliha have two doctoral degrees, the first in educational administration and the subsequent one in curriculum and instruction, both obtained from Columbia University in New York. The individual served as the director of the Higher Education Council in the West Bank and Gaza. He also serves in the position of department head at the University College of Educational Sciences, which is associated with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Specifically, they oversee the Department of Education and Psychology. Subsequently, he assumed the position of dean for a duration of twenty-three years. Dr. Saliha has provided supervision for a significant number of academic theses, specifically 800 master’s theses and 65 doctoral theses in the field of educational sciences. These supervisory activities have taken place both within and outside the geographical boundaries of Palestine. He held the position of Department of Graduate Studies in Educational Sciences at the Arab American University, assuming the role of head. Currently, they continue to serve as a faculty member at the same institution.
Abla Mustafa Abid-dien Ibrahim
An-Arab American University doctoral researcher in special education. She is currently employed by the Birzeit Education Directorate as a special education supervisor. She previously worked in several schools as a special education and primary education teacher. She received a number of honours, including the International Cooperation Foundation’s Distinguished Teacher Award at the level of Palestine and the diaspora in 2017, and the Palestine Inspiration Award, first level, in 2017 and 2014. She attended numerous international and local conferences. She has both published and unpublished research. She collaborated with a group of Arab educators to write an internationally classified book on a specific learning disorder. I also worked with the Ministry of Education on the publication Professional Standards Guide for Resource Room Teachers in Palestine.
You can access the research paper on the following link
Watch the opening ceremony video of the sensory room at the school
