Daylighting (or the advantage of natural light to learning)
Re-Analysis
Report: Daylighting in Schools, Additional Analysis.
http://www.newbuildings.org/pier/downloads
Heschong, Lisa; Elzeyadi, Ihab; Knecht, Carey
New Buildings Institute, White Salmon, WA. , Feb 14, 2002
This study expands and validates previous research by the Heschong Mahone Group
that found a statistical correlation between the amount of daylight in
elementary school classrooms and the performance of students on standardized
math and reading tests. This research was performed under the California Energy
Commission's Public Interest Energy Research Program and was managed by New
Buildings Institute. The reanalysis findings include the following: 1) overall,
elementary students in classrooms with the most daylight showed a 21 percent
improvement in learning rates compared to students in classrooms with the least
daylight; 2) a teacher survey and teacher bias analysis found no assignment
bias that might have skewed the original results; 3) a grade level analysis
found that the daylighting effect does not vary by grade; 4) an absenteeism
analysis found that physical classroom characteristics (daylighting, operable
windows, air conditioning, portable classrooms) do not have an effect on
student absenteeism. These findings may have important implications for the
design of schools and other buildings. 89p.
Better
Lighting for Healthier Students.
( Healthy Schools Network, Inc., Albany, NY. Sep 2001 )
This brief highlights the problem that poor or inappropriate lighting in
schools can adversely affect children's health and their ability to learn. It
discusses the benefits of using daylight or full-spectrum lighting for
healthier students, citing studies that reported that students had fewer
cavities, gained weight and grew in height more than students in non-daylit
classrooms, and demonstrated better work habits and improved academic
performance. 4p
TO ORDER: Healthy Schools Network, Inc., 773 Madison Avenue, Albany, NY
12208; Tel: 518-462-0632.
http://www.healthyschools.org
Building
Better Outcomes: The Impact of School Infrastructure on Student Outcomes and
Behaviour. School Issues Digest.
http://www.detya.gov.au/schools/publications/2001/digest/building.htm
Fisher, Kenn
Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs, Australia , Jan 2001
This digest reviews a range of research studies that examine the possible
causal linkages between school buildings and student outcomes and behavior. It
presents findings in support of the theory that facilities make a difference and
also presents findings in areas where research to date is relatively
inconclusive. The report also examines studies concerning the relationship
between student outcomes and behavior based on the overall building condition
as well as the influence of individual building elements. A list of websites
for additional information is included. 6p.
Where
Children Learn: Facilities Conditions and Student Test Performance in Milwaukee
Public Schools. IssueTrak: A CEFPI Brief on Educational Issues.
http://www.cefpi.org:80/pdf/issue12.pdf
Lewis, Morgan
Council of Educational Facility Planners International, Scottsdale, AZ , Dec
2000
This paper reviews a study on the relationship between the physical condition of
139 Milwaukee public schools and student achievement in those schools as
measured by 1996 test scores from fourth, eighth, and tenth grades. Data show a
positive relationship between facility condition and student achievement. When
differences in the individual ability of students were controlled (by using the
reading scores as an independent variable), measures of school facilities
explained more of the differences in test performance across schools than
indicators of the family backgrounds and attendance/behavior patterns of the
students. These findings suggest that facility condition may have a stronger
affect on student performance than the combined influences of family
background, socio- economic status, and school attendance and behavior. 4p.
|
Daylighting
in Schools: Improving Student Performance and Health at a Price Schools Can
Afford |
|
|
Daylight
Makes a Difference: Daylight in the Classroom Can Boost Standardized Test
Scores and Learning. [Audiotape].
Kosik, Kenneth S.; Heschong, Lisa
Presentation at the Learning and the Brain Conference, Washington, D.C. , May
03, 2000
An audiotape presents study analysis of the effect of daylighting on student
performance. Results from test scores of more than 21,000 student records
along with other data sets from three school districts reveal that students
with the most daylighting had from 7 percent to 18 percent higher scores than
those with the least amount of daylighting. Despite differences in teaching
styles, school building design, and very different climates, the three
districts show daylighting to have consistently positive and highly significant
effects. 0p.
TO ORDER: Fleetwood On-Site, 31 Munroe St., Lynn, MA 01901; Tel: 781-599-2400,
Toll Free: 800-353-1830
http://www.fltwood.com/onsite/brain
Color
and Light Effects on Learning.
Grangaard, Ellen Mannel
Paper presented at the Association for Childhood Education International Study
Conference and Exhibition, Washington, DC , Apr 12, 1995
This study examined the effects of color and light on the learning of eleven
six-year-old elementary school students. The students were videotaped to
identify off-task behaviors and had their blood pressure measured while in a
standard classroom with white walls and cool-white fluorescent lights, as well
as in a classroom with light blue walls and full-spectrum lights. The study
found that the students accumulated a total of 390 off-task behaviors in the
standard classroom compared to 310 in the modified classroom, a decrease of 22
percent. It also found that students' mean blood pressure readings were nine
percent lower in the modified classroom when compared to their readings in the
standard classroom. 10p.
ERIC NO: ED382381 ;
TO ORDER: ERIC Document Reproduction Services
http://www.edrs.com
Effects
of Color and Light on Selected Elementary Students
Grangaard, Ellen Mannel
Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Nevada , 1993
This study compared children's off-task behavior and physiological response in
a normal elementary classroom setting with those in a prescribed classroom
environment. In the prescribed environment, the colors of the classroom walls
were changed from brown and off-white to blue, while Duro-test Vita-lite
fluorescent tubes without diffusers replaced the standard cool-white
fluorescent tubes with diffusers in the lighting fixtures. Eleven first-graders
took part in the study, which measured their off-task behaviors, blood
pressure, and pulse twice each day at the same time each day for 10-day periods
in the original classroom environment, then in the prescribed environment, and
back in the original environment. Results indicated that off-task behaviors,
as recorded by three observers, dropped 24 percent after the change from the
normal to the prescribed environment, and that systolic blood pressure readings
dropped 9 percent after the change. Blood pressure readings demonstrated a
gradual increase after the return to the normal environment. (Observer credentials
and blood pressure and pulse readings are appended. Contains 126 references.)
183p.
ERIC NO: ED383445 ;
TO ORDER: ERIC Document Reproduction Services
http://www.edrs.com
A Study
into the Effects of Light on Children of Elementary School-Age--A Case of
Daylight Robbery.
http://www.naturallighting.com/articles/effects_of_lighting_on_school_children.htm
Hathaway, Warren E.; And Others
Policy and Planning, Branch Planning and Information Services Division, Alberta
Education, Edmonton, Alberta , 1992
This report describes a 2-year study of the effects of various lighting systems
on elementary school students' dental health, attendance, growth and
development, vision, and academic achievement. The four light types used were:
(1) full spectrum fluorescent; (2) full spectrum fluorescent with ultraviolet
light supplements; (3) cool white fluorescent; and (4) high pressure sodium
vapor. Data on students were collected before and after the study. Results
indicated that over a 2-year period, students who received ultraviolet light
supplements had better attendance, greater gains in height and weight, and
better academic performance than did students who did not receive the
supplements. Students under the high pressure sodium vapor lighting had the
slowest rates of growth in height and academic achievement and the lowest
attendance. It was concluded that lighting systems have important non-visual
effects on students who are exposed to them over long periods of time.
Implications for facility planning are considered and recommendations regarding
lighting for classrooms are offered. 68p.
ERIC NO: ED343686 ;
Lights,
Windows, Color: Elements of the School Environment
Hathaway, Warren E.
Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Council of Educational Facility
Planners, International, Columbus, OH , Sep 26, 1982
Discusses recent research indicating the many non-visual effects of light on
people and how physiological and psychological effects vary with the type of
artificial light, whether it is from incandescent, cool-white, or full-spectrum
fluorescent lamps. Notes that student behavior appears to be favorably
affected by full-spectrum lamps, that color also has an effect on people
and their behavior, and that research findings suggest that blues and greens
tend to foster relaxation while shades of red or orange tend to induce
activity. Reports that building occupants seem to favor the ability to view the
outside world rather than work in windowless spaces. 28p.
ERIC NO: ED226423 ;
TO ORDER: ERIC Document Reproduction Services
http://www.edrs.com
Improving
Performance.
http://asumag.com/ar/university_improving_performance/index.htm
Hale, Olivia
American School and University; v75 n2 , p32-35 ; Oct 2002
Describes how using skylights and other daylighting methods can improve the
efficiency of a school facility, enhancing the learning environment and
simplifying maintenance.
Color
and Light in Learning.
Rittner-Heir, Robbin M.
School Planning and Management; v41 n2 , p57-58,60-61 ; Feb 2002
Discusses studies showing that color and light have a significant influence on
how students learn and retain information (for example, daylight is much
more beneficial than fluorescent light). Describes how many architects and
designers are now incorporating these findings into their work in schools.
Lighting
the School of the Future
Clanton, Nancy
School Planning and Management; v38 n12 , p33-35 ; Dec 1999
Discusses the Austin Independent School District's (Texas) school redesign
efforts to allow more daylight in its schools, increase the students' comfort
and productivity, and lower utility costs. Return on investment potential from
savings in maintenance, replacement, and productivity of the school are
highlighted.
Effects
of School Lighting on Physical Development and School Performance
Hathaway, Warren E.
Journal of Educational Research; v88 n4 , p228-42 ; Mar-Apr 1995
This study collected data on the physical development, attendance, and school
performance effects of four types of school lighting on elementary students over
a two-year period. Results indicated that regular exposure to the lights had
important non-visual effects on students. Full-spectrum fluorescent lamps with
ultraviolet supplements were found to be the most beneficial.