Questions often arise spontaneously in a curious mind, due to an observation about a new or unknown environment. When an expert is right there, prepared to engage in dialog, this curiosity can be harnessed and converted into highly effective, intrinsically motivated learning. This paper investigates how this kind of situated informal learning can…

This research contributes to answer the question whether learning/cognitive styles of students serve as a justified starting point for creating target-group appropriate instruction. The study was realized in a self-regulated problem-based learning environment. Data of 56 participants on their individual learning styles, their acquired problem…

This study selected 28 illustrative examples of the visual culture in comparative education used since the 1960s. Journals examined are the "Comparative Education Review"; "Comparative Education"; "Compare"; and others. From visual analysis of these sources, four scopic regimes or visual subcultures are identified.…

This paper reviews the literature on visual literacy over the past 25 years. The following areas of visual literacy are reviewed: theoretical foundations of visual literacy; establishing a research agenda; visual vocabulary; visual learning/visual teaching; visual thinking; visual-verbal relationship; and visible language. (Contains 158…

This paper is a report on a decade of teaching visual literacy at the American University (Washington, D.C.). Visual literacy is defined as an awareness that comes with appropriate development of basic visual and aural competencies. The 15 reasons for studying visual literacy are perception, drawing, expression, brain awareness, design elements,…

Successful approaches employed by a principal of a school for blind students in supporting regular class teachers of mainstreamed visually handicapped students are reported. Four factors of importance in evaluating the environment are described: (1) appropriate work space (height of chairs); (2) color contrast problems (work surfaces of adjacent…

The purpose of this study was to apply the theory of person-environment fit in assessing student well-being in a university computer room. Subjects were 12 students enrolled in a computer literacy course. Their learning behavior and well-being were evaluated on the basis of three symptoms of video display terminal stress usually found in the…

Recent research indicates there are a great many nonvisual effects of light on people. The control of rickets and the suntan effect are well understood. Less well known effects include synchronization of a number of physiological rhythms and prevention and control of infantile jaundice. Physiological and psychological effects also vary with the…

The experience of an urban waterfront setting can enhance sociocultural education for children, facilitate development of mental and physiological skills, and can function as a playground. The designs of waterfront environments should therefore consider children's needs and enhance both the interaction of children with their environment and…

Research findings indicate that students are affected positively or adversely by the visual, acoustical, and thermal characteristics of the classroom environment. During the 1986-87 school year, 280 fourth- and sixth-grade students housed in two separate school facilities--the oldest and the newest in a rural Tennessee county school district--were…

This paper discusses several considerations and techniques in doing research which attempts to measure the effects of visual images on viewers. For example, to describe precisely the effects of some element of a visual image or series of images, researchers must be able to specify the institutional context in which the image is presented and…

This paper reports on a study which was conducted to determine the impact of color on learning. The entire seventh-grade class from a Midwest junior high school was used in the study. Each student was randomly assigned into one of four treatment groups: (1) color-cued presentation, color-cued assessment; (2) color-cued presentation, black/white…

In this speech, the author traces the history of lighting in schools, discusses the variables affecting the amount of illuminance needed, and provides a table of illuminances recommended for Ontario schools. Other factors that affect vision--glare, veiling reflection, color, and brightness balance--are outlined. Planners are admonished to…

As the use of computers has become more common in society, human engineering and ergonomics have lagged behind the sciences which developed the equipment. Some research has been done in the past on the effects of screen colors on computer use efficiency, but results were inconclusive. This paper describes a study of the impact of screen color…

Environment may be regarded as a form of communication, with environmental linguistics becoming a new discipline that will have to be explored. Its goal is to demystify some of the constructs that contribute to the built environment as a communication tool. Treating the built environment as a language requires a recognition of its dynamic nature.…