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Study Proves Student Performance is Directly Linked to Classroom Design


Study Proves Student Performance is Directly Linked to Classroom Design

There has long been a theory that it is not just teaching methods that have an impact on the end of year grades. This has prompted a number of studies looking to investigate these theories. Consequently, through such a study, it has been discovered that the design of a school building and the classroom layouts in particular can impact the development of students in a negative or positive way, by up to 25%, across a full school year.

St Mary’s School Hampstead - Classroom Refurbishment by TaskSpace

For this groundbreaking research, Nightingale Associates, a leading architecture agency, and the School of the Built Environment at the University of Salford, studied a total of 751 students who were spread out into 34 different classrooms in 7 different schools.

Francis Holland School - Learnstor Teaching Wall by TaskSpace

The study involved the collection of standardised information about each student, both at the start of the academic year and at the end. This information included gender, age and performance. Alongside this information, every classroom was given a rating based on quality when it came to 10 unique environmental aspects, including acoustics, temperature, colour, shape and natural light.

Chestnut Park Primary School - School Collaboration Pods by TaskSpace

The published results showed that the design and architecture of a classroom played a crucial part in the performance of pupils. Specifically, 6 aspects, in particular, were closely related to academic performance:

  • Light – Natural Light Levels in Particular
  • Flexibility – How Easily can the Classroom be Reconfigured
  • Complexity – How Simple and Clutter-Free Environments Affect Performance
  • Connection – Technology Integrations
  • Choice – Giving Students Choice and Flexibility
  • Colour – How Colour Palette Affects a Student’s Mood and Productivity
Glyn School - School ICT Room and School Library Refurbishment

The lead author of the study, architect Peter Barrett, stated that this research was the first time an assessment of this kind had been carried out. And that it definitively links school pupil learning rates with the design of their immediate learning environment, affecting a student’s rate of learning by up to 25% across a full academic year.

With these results in mind, it comes as no surprise that the design of classrooms, ICT rooms, school libraries and even dining areas are now seen as vital in the development of young minds.

Bilton Grange - Classroom Design and Refurbishment by TaskSpace
St Andrew’s and St Mark’s - School IT Room Design by TaskSpace

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