The School Cafeteria as a Social Learning Space for Students: A New Dimension in Educational Development
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Abstract
This academic article presents the concept of developing the school cafeteria as a social learning space that fosters meaningful learning and cultivates desirable characteristics for learners in the 21st century through everyday life activities. Grounded in the theoretical frameworks of social learning, life skills education, hidden curriculum, and learning environments, the article proposes that school cafeterias serve as a context for the hidden curriculum, reflected through students’ daily routines—such as queuing with discipline, communicating appropriately, negotiating to avoid conflict, and coexisting with respect for diversity. The article showcases good practices from four schools in Thailand and offers practical recommendations, systemic proposals, and identifies implementation constraints. A key finding highlights that transforming the school cafeteria into a sustainable social learning space requires a systemic design approach that links school policies, physical environment, staff roles, and real-life-based student activities to holistically develop life skills and desirable traits in ways that are adaptable to various educational contexts.
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