Classroom wall color: a multiple variance analysis on social stress and concentration in learning environments

Abstract

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 investigate the effect of classroom wall color on students' stress and concentration in four common types of classrooms.

Design/methodology/approach

This research is a survey of 275 university students with an age range of 20–24. The methodology is a combination of quantitative and qualitative research. Data analysis was performed by multiple variance analysis and the internal reliability of the questionnaire was calculated based on Cronbach's alpha.

Findings

Results show that classroom wall color has a significant effect on student stress and concentration. In class type one, wall color had an effect of 10.4% on stress and concentration; in the second type, this variable had an effect of 8.8%, also in the third type it had an effect of 7.3% and 8.8% in the fourth type.

Originality/value

It can be concluded that wall color has an effective role in understanding the level of stress and concentration of users in the classrooms, and considering this factor in designing classrooms improves students' behavior and the quality of education in learning environments.

Citation

Pourbagher, S., Azemati, H.R. and Saleh Sedgh Pour, B. (2021), "Classroom wall color: a multiple variance analysis on social stress and concentration in learning environments", International Journal of Educational Management, Vol. 35 No. 1, pp. 189-200. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-06-2020-0282