Effects of color and light on selected elementary students

This research was a replication of original research conducted in 1981 by Dr. H. Wohlfarth at Elves' Memorial Child Development Centre in Edmonton, Ontario. The purpose of this study was to compare children's off-task behavior and physiological response in a normal elementary classroom setting with those in a prescribed classroom; C. H. Decker, a public K-5 elementary school, was the research facility. The study population were five 6-year old boys and six 6-year old girls. The study took place during a seven week period in the fall of 1992; Blood pressure and pulse readings were recorded twice a day, morning and afternoon at the same time each day in three environmental fields. Phase I. Original classroom environment, ten days. Phase II. Prescribed color and light environment, ten days. Phase III. Return to original classroom environment, ten days; Video tapes were filmed twice each day. During the first week of the study, video tapes were filmed and blood pressure and pulse were taken, but not recorded, to acclimate the subjects to the test procedure; Computer generated graphs utilizing three different types of lines through the coordinates differentiated the research phases for the Systolic blood pressure readings, since that has been ascertained to be the reading most responsive to environmental change. A nine percent decrease was recorded between the first phase mean and the second phase mean. Blood pressure readings demonstrated a gradual increase during Phase III; Three observers counted off-task behaviors from recorded video tapes. Off-task behaviors decreased from a Mean of 66.5 during Phase I to a Mean of 50.8 during Phase II a 24% drop in the Mean readings of off-task behaviors; Changes in Systolic blood pressure readings and off-task behavior recordings forge a strong argument for prescribed environments in the learning milieu.