The classroom environment exerts a far more significant influence on student learning than many educators initially realise, shaping not only students’ capacity to absorb information but their motivation to engage with it in the first place. The classroom environment is the atmosphere and setting of the room that students learn within. It includes a wide range of educational concepts that encompass both the physical and psychological environment. These concepts consist of both social context and instructional components related to teacher characteristics and classroom setting (Konza, Grainger & Bradshaw, 2001). “The physical environment of a classroom explains a lot about the expectations of a teacher towards their students” (Konza, Grainger & Bradshaw, 2001). Before a student begins learning effectively, they must be provided with a safe, positive, and supportive learning culture. In return, this will reduce conflict and enhance learning capabilities. A student’s education is affected by the following concepts of the classroom environment: choice of colour, type of lighting, noise level, room temperature, class size, and decoration.
A classroom’s choice of colour impacts highly on student learning. Certain colours used on the walls of the classroom create both good and bad moods, affecting student learning. Mood is a pertinent aspect of learning within a classroom. A student who is in a good mood and surrounded by others in a good mood will seek to learn and take in more from their lessons, whereas a student who is in a bad mood and surrounded by others in a bad mood will be reluctant to learn and will seek distraction. Konza, Grainger and Bradshaw’s (2001) research demonstrates that the colours orange, yellow, green, and light blue used in classrooms create a cheerful, sociable environment with minimal hostility and irritation. In return, these allow for students to increase the intake of information and understanding for learning, as opposed to the dull, white, brown, and black colours used in a classroom that create a non-stimulating nor productive environment. Hence, colour itself is a vital part in encouraging comfortable and effective learning. Consequently, the choice of colour when used in a classroom setting needs to be addressed as it impacts highly on a student’s mood and in return affects their learning abilities.
Sound is another concept that impacts on student learning. On a daily basis, the classroom encounters many amounts and different types of noise, ranging from classroom discussions to background noise, conversations, and music. Nevertheless, Marsh (2008) states that “sounds are all around us; however, when sounds are unwanted, they are deemed as noise.” In order to learn, students are subjected to conversations throughout their day. The level of variable noise will alter depending on settings, such as the difference between libraries and art classes. Every classroom has background noise such as fans, ventilation, discussions, and conversations, which is measured in decibels as BNL (Background Noise Levels) (Marsh, 2008). A teacher can communicate clearly in a quiet voice when the BNL rises to 35dB, providing a safe and comfortable atmosphere. A normal voice will carry well over a BNL of 40dB where learning takes its peak, as information and instructions can be delivered and heard clearly. Opposed to anything over 45dB or 50dB, where a teacher or student must speak very loudly, which in return can cause distraction, irritation, stress, and fatigue (Marsh, 2008). This clearly outlines the importance of noise level in the classroom and its effects on education.
There is much research evidence based on the effects of class size that is considered contradictory, whether it impacts on students’ achievements or not. However, there are many studies that do identify the significance of class size and its impact on student learning. Larkin (2004) states “that by reducing class size, especially for the younger children, will have a positive effect on student achievement.” In doing so, this will build better teacher-student relationships which will better their attitude towards learning and improve their education. The state government had taken action to reduce class sizes; for example, New South Wales had aimed to have class sizes varying from 20 to 24 students in the first three years of schooling for all state schools by 2007 (Marsh, 2008). The students within these classrooms will have the opportunity to gain more of the teacher’s time, attention, and teaching. Rather than students being subjected to a large class size where the teacher struggles to meet the needs of all students, smaller classes allow for more one-on-one teaching and time for questions and answers that will enhance student knowledge. Based on the synthesis of Course, Minus, and Passing (2008), small classes in the early grades generate better environments for students, and these benefits are greater the longer the students are exposed to smaller classes.
When assessing the classroom environment, temperature is a vital concept as it can affect students’ behaviour and in return their ability to take on knowledge. Marsh (2008) states that “Common sense would indicate that there is a fairly limited temperature range in which school students might be expected to work at their best.” She explains that high temperatures can cause some students to be irritable and uncomfortable and, in extreme cases, both lethargic and nauseous, while cold temperatures may bring out aggression and negative behaviour in some students. The temperature of a classroom can be altered through the use of oscillating ceiling fans, oil and gas fired heaters, and air-conditioning (Marsh, 2008). It is the responsibility of the teacher to be aware of the possibilities of temperature stress if too high or low temperatures prevail and to adjust their activities accordingly. Temperature is a vital aspect of the classroom environment; it can alter how a student feels and in return their attitude to school and education.
A student’s ability to learn is highly affected by the concepts of the classroom environment. Students go to school to be educated and this education can be manipulated by many factors that exist within the classroom. Therefore, constant revision and assessment of classrooms is needed to ensure that there is an increase in sufficient and effective learning taking place without distraction and distress. By researching and acknowledging that the classroom environment has many concepts to it, such as choice of colour, level of noise, class size, and temperature, schools and teachers can work together to create a comfortable learning environment suited to the learning needs of students.
As Uline and Tschannen-Moran (2018) argue in their study of school building quality and student achievement, the relationship between physical learning environments and academic outcomes is neither simple nor unidirectional; school facilities affect teacher morale and instructional behaviour as much as they directly affect students, meaning that investment in classroom environments is simultaneously an investment in teaching quality. For educators, policy-makers, and students studying educational psychology or school management, understanding the environmental dimensions of learning helps shift attention from individual student deficits to the structural conditions that either enable or hinder academic progress.
References
Uline, C., & Tschannen-Moran, M. (2018). The walls speak: The interplay of quality facilities, school climate, and student achievement. Journal of Educational Administration, 46(1), 55–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2018.1518506
Konza, D., Grainger, J., & Bradshaw, K. (2001). Classroom Management: A Survival Guide. Social Science Press.
Marsh, C. J. (2008). Becoming a Teacher: Knowledge, Skills and Issues (4th ed.). Pearson Education Australia.
Hattie, J. (2009). Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203887332