As a student, I find myself performing better in certain classes. This has a lot to do with who’s teaching the class, the people I know in that class, where I sit, and, mostly, how the classroom is designed. I often get bored in the classes that have the traditional rows of tables set up and have no decorations around the room. On the other hand, I love being in classes where tables are set up in a more flexible manner and there are lots of posters and displays to look at. Yet this leads to a big question: To what extent does classroom design impact student learning and engagement?
For decades, classroom designs have been evolving, continuously progressing, and shaping the education of young minds in more ways than one. Aside from the basic necessities, such as proper lighting and ventilation, many overlook the importance of tiny details in classrooms, like layouts, seating arrangements, and colorful displays, which can ultimately affect how students perform in school.
One aspect of student performance is seating arrangements. The most common seating arrangement is the traditional one—rows of tables lined up one after the other. While this may keep the classroom organized, studies have suggested that each row corresponds to a certain standard of student performance. According to Pichierri & Guido, students who sat in the first few rows received grades that were higher than the class average. However, it’s important to note that there were confounding variables, such as student participation, attention span, and whether or not the seats were chosen by the students or assigned by the teachers. It’s crucial for educators to create seating arrangements based on what will help their class do their best rather than what’s simply based on convenience. From grouping desks to allowing free seating, each student performs better in a certain way, and the best way to boost their education is to cater to their needs.
Another aspect is how lighting and ventilation can influence students’ academic performance. If classrooms don’t have appropriate ventilation or lighting, it can be a distraction for students, making it harder for them to focus. One approach that should be implemented more is indoor environmental quality (IEQ). For students in classrooms, IEQ includes significant factors such as air quality to ensure clean air, because poor air quality can cause respiratory issues and headaches. Another factor within IEQ is thermal comfort; i.e., temperatures. Extreme temperatures can cause discomfort and reduce concentration and productivity. Lighting is also an overlooked factor, yet it’s significant because poor lighting can strain the eyes, causing headaches and reducing focus. Good lighting, like natural light from windows, can improve comfort and mood. The final factor of IEQ is acoustics. If a classroom doesn’t have good acoustics, loud noise from the outside can be extremely distracting and can make students lose focus in their lessons. In short, maintaining IEQ can help increase students’ productivity by limiting distractions in school.
Last but not least, colorful displays around classrooms can boost student performance. These can be in the form of posters, diagrams, drawings, or pictures of events. Multiple studies have proved that most students understand content better when it is presented visually, with engaging colors and graphics to simplify ideas. Posters can help create an uplifting and positive environment in the classroom; even the colors used in posters and other visuals can create different moods for students. Colors like blue and green are recommended as they promote calmness and productivity, while dark colors can lead to gloomy feelings as they disrupt the natural light that should be promoted. While displays are certainly beneficial to students in understanding content better, as they help create a positive and enthusiastic learning environment, it’s important to maintain a balance. Too much decorating can cause distractions. According to researchers from Carnegie Mellon, young children in classrooms with lots of displays had less academic advancements and focus compared to students who were put in classes with minimal displays.
In conclusion, it is truly possible, with the right balance, for educators, students, and parents to work together toward building better classroom environments for children to thrive in. Focusing attention on how these little things can impact learning will allow students to excel in their education.
References
- Brink, H.W., et al. 2020. Classrooms’ indoor environmental conditions affecting the academic achievement of students and teachers in higher education: A systematic literature review. Indoor Air 31(2):405–425. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7983931/
- Brink, H.W., et al. 2022. A systematic approach to quantify the influence of indoor environmental parameters on students’ perceptions, responses, and short-term academic performance. Indoor Air 32(10):e13116. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9828016/#:~:text=In%20the%20last%20decade%2C%20there,of%20all%20four%20IEQ%20parameters.
- Fisher, A.V., et al. 2014. Visual environment, attention allocation, and learning in young children: When too much of a good thing may be bad. Psychological Science 25(7):1362–1370. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797614533801
- “Heavily Decorated Classrooms Disrupt Attention and Learning in Young Children.” Association for Psychological Science. Last modified 27 May 2014. Accessed 13 July 2025. https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/heavily-decorated-classrooms-disrupt-attention-and-learning-in-young-children.html
- “The Importance of Visual Displays in the Classroom.” Education Graphic Solutions. Last modified 1 Oct. 2024. Accessed 13 July 2025. https://schoolposterprinters.com/the-importance-of-visual-displays-in-the-classroom/
- Pichierri, M., and G. Guido. 2016. When the row predicts the grade: Differences in marketing students’ performance as a function of seating location. Learning and Individual Differences 49:437–441. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1041608016300498
- Tobia, V., et al. 2020. The influence of classroom seating arrangement on children’s cognitive processes in primary school: The role of individual variables. Current Psychology 41(9):6522–6533. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7602767/#:~:text=They%20found%20that%20students%20in,classroom%20seating%20arrangement%20on%20performance
