Abstract
Recent research concerning office desks and chairs in Japan have been carried out mainly in business fields. However, no studies have been made on the subjects of desks and chairs used for home study, the adaptability of these furnitures to students' physiques, even though such adaptability is a very important factor affecting a young student's physical development and mental health.
In 1980, by surveying three thousand students of primary, junior high and senior high schools in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, the author investigated availability and applications of students' desks and chairs used for home study and gained results as follows.
1. More than two-thirds of the students surveyed, whether they are primary, junior or senior high school students, have used desks that have been bought before, or upon their entering primary school.
2. Height of the desks and chairs which have been used by most primary school students at home are too high when compared to the optimum calculated height for desks and chairs based on the students' physiques. This happens partly because the minimum adjustable elevations of the desks and chairs available on the market are too high compared to the optimum heights of primary school students.
3. The students surveyed show insufficient understanding of the necessity for adjusting their desks and chairs to their own physiques, because about.30% of them are using unadjusted desks and chairs.
