Color Sense
Aug 1, 2009 12:00 PM, By Heidi S.S. Johnson and Jennifer A. Maki
The classroom environment can affect students' behavior, sense of well-being and academic success.
Discussion of color
The results of this study showed that color in a classroom can reduce off-task behavior and anxiety, as well as positively affect perceptions of learning and sense of well-being. When the test group was observed after the classroom had been painted, it was striking to see how much more attentive the students were. The lighting in the classroom was not changed, but once the walls were painted, shadows and glare appeared to decrease, which likely helped students focus. In terms of impact on actual learning, although there was not a large difference in exam grades between the two groups before and after painting, the test group at least did not falter as much with regard to quiz scores.
One limitation of the study was that the control and test groups were taught by different professors. However, the two professors worked collaboratively to cover the same material in the same timeframe, and compared quizzes and exams for equal difficulty. Second, the test classroom had desks, and the control classroom had tables. Both of these conditions are potential confounds, but as descriptive statistics indicated that the two professors' groups had similar “before” ratings, “after” ratings likely were because of the room color change.
This simple change appeared to positively affect students' ability to stay on task, perceptions of learning and emotional well-being. Education institutions may want to consider adding color and making other small environmental changes for classrooms at all levels.
Johnson, M.L.I.S., M.A., is an assistant professor: library first-year/information literacy librarian with The College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, Minn. Maki, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of chemistry at the college. Debra Schroeder, Ph.D., assisted with statistical analysis.
