Purpose: Social stress is a psychological and biological pressure that stems from one's relationship with others in social environments, which has become the most serious humanitarian issue today. Learning environments are one of the most important environments for reducing or increasing social stress and concentration. This study aims to…

The likelihood of teaching a student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has steadily increased over the past two decades. However, the practical information about working with students with ASD has not increased at a similar rate. Teachers may therefore be unaware of simple modifications they can make to their classrooms to meet the needs of…

Contrarily to color research, white values of paint are the most commonly applied finish selection on classroom walls today. White walls have been used in American schoolhouse settings since the first discovered paint, also white, was invented and made available some two hundred years ago. Originally, white paint was seen as hygienic and…

THIS ARTICLE PRESENTS BASIC PRINCIPLES OF PROPER SCHOOL LIGHTING, DRAWING DIRECTLY FROM THE NEW "AMERICAN STANDARD GUIDE FOR SCHOOL LIGHTING." PRINCIPLES FOR PROVIDING A COMFORTABLE AND EFFICIENT VISUAL ENVIRONMENT ARE THESE--(1) ANY SCHOOL LIGHTING SYSTEM SHOULD BE DESIGNED IN SUCH A MANNER THAT IT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO A CHEERFUL, FRIENDLY, AND…

This compilation is a survey of the literature pertinent to the design of lighting for educational facilities. The contents are selected to be an overview of the topic while maintaining a technical level comprehensible to the layman concerned with school planning and design. The general subject areas are--(1) the visual and lighted environment as…

Research gathered by the Functional Efficiency Division of the National Building Research Institute, South Africa, is aimed at providing lighting conditions under which the school child can produce his maximum effort with the least strain and fatigue. These favorable conditions are outlined along with specific examples of their realization in…

The most persistent question in the field of school facility planning relates to that of the relationship between the built environment and the performance and behavior of users, particularly students. Ways in which the built environment affects two student variables--student achievement and student behavior--are explored. The first variable is…

Various factors of the classroom environment that can contribute to a more complete learning atmosphere are explored. The author presents a review of certain research findings that may serve as guidelines in the development of an environmentally coordinated classroom. The importance of providing a classroom which promotes a multisensory approach…

An exploratory field study was conducted in 42 self-contained, elementary grade classrooms in 18 school buildings. Subjects were 1,030 fifth-grade students. The purpose of the study was to determine the range of physical environmental conditions in the classrooms; and how students' perceptions of the physical environment (1) describe the…