Kwok, AlisonRivera, Maria2020-02-272020-02-272020-02-27https://hdl.handle.net/1794/25257Recently, there has been a growing concern about poor thermal comfort and air quality conditions that can have a negative effect on children’s health and academic performance. Research in the U.S. and Europe has shown high classroom indoor temperatures and CO2 concentrations, and low ventilation rates. Little is known about classroom conditions in developing countries like Chile, where there is no adherence to environmental standards. Additionally, there is limited knowledge about students’ and teachers’ perceptions of environmental conditions in primary schools. Furthermore, studies have shown that current thermal comfort standards criteria might not be applicable to children. This thesis aims to advance our understanding of students’ and teachers’ perceptions of thermal comfort and indoor air quality in primary school settings. Moreover, this dissertation intends to identify other factors that may influence thermal and air quality comfort. The research questions are: 1) What are the physical conditions of classrooms in Chilean primary schools?; 2) What is the relationship between physical conditions of classrooms among the three types of schools (public, private–subsidized, and private non–subsidized) commonly found in Chile?; 3) Do expectations of thermal comfort and air quality differ between students and teachers?; and 4) Do subjective perceptions of classroom environmental qualities differ between the types of schools that represent different social/economic backgrounds? Two field studies were conducted in nine free-running classrooms in the city of Concepción, Southern Chile. Various methods were implemented to collect data, based on previous studies on children: survey questionnaires, physical measurements, interviews, behavioral observations, and statistical analysis. Approximately 880 students, aged 10-14 years old, and 80 teachers were surveyed twice a day in the fall and winter season of 2018. Overall, the results show that students and teachers were comfortable, despite low indoor temperatures and poor air quality conditions, outside the comfort zone limits of the ASHRAE–55 standard adaptive model. Analyses from subjective responses reveal 80% of comfort acceptability, thanks to personal adaptations. A statistically significant difference (p<0.001) in students’ thermal perception was found between private-subsidized and public schools, and between private-subsidized and private-nonsubsidized schools. This dissertation includes previously published and unpublished co-authored material.en-USAll Rights Reserved.Children and teacher surveyDeveloping countryIndoor Air QualityIndoor Environmental QualitySchool BuildingsThermal ComfortElectronic Thesis or Dissertation