Building together: A child participatory prototyping guide for rural school environments in Kenya and beyond

Abstract

This thesis investigated how including students as active collaborators in the design and construction of their learning spaces through Child Participatory Prototyping could enhance educational environments in contexts with limited resources. Working in an under-resourced context means that key resources like materials, infrastructure, and funding are limited. The case study was Awelo School in Siaya, Kenya. The research investigated how the involvement of children in design processes can foster a sense of ownership, resulting in practical, low-cost improvements that aligned with the children‘s needs. The study responded to key problems expressed by the students, particular issues such as dust, a lack of seating on the school compound, under-resourced outdoor spaces, and inadequate climateresponsive architecture. Public school architecture being built by the Ministry of Education often continues to use colonial-era design templates, which have been adapted over time primarily for cost-efficancy rather then educational or climate improvement. While national initiatives such as Vision 2030 and the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) emphasized education reform, the design and maintenance of school facilities were largely overlooked. This research addressed the gap by exploring affordable, context-sensitive solutions that relied on local and recycled materials. The study used a hands-on, child-participatory approach, moving from exploration to co-design, prototyping, and implementation. Through a series of workshops, the students shared their ideas through prototypes, drawings, models, and practical material testing, thereby contributing to the design process. The insights from this process informed the creation of a practical guide, while the Child Participatory Prototyping Tool Sheet is offering strategies and considerations for similar school contexts. The study examined how child-participatory approaches enabled students to interact with their environment and collaborate to create solutions that improved sustainability and usability. The guide aims to support future practitioners and suggests that participatory prototyping can complement broader educational reforms.