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Journal of Student Research (2013)

Volume 2, Issue 1: pp.

1-8

Research Article

a. Robert Morris University, PA

www.jofsr.

com

Gender Preferences in Classroom Aesthetics

Sybile Cherenfant

Male and female students on the Robert Morris University campus were asked to complete a survey to analyze aesthetics in

classrooms.

Their answers helped determine what each gender found the most important in his or her learning environment, and

whether female students were or were not the most aware of their aesthetic environment.

The results demonstrated an

insignificant difference between males and females’ preferences, but showed that male students were slightly more aware of

aesthetics in their classrooms.

The conclusion indicated limitations in the study.

The research method included only a small

amount of students in one university.

In addition, the results are limited to college students.

Keywords: Classroom Aesthetics, School Facilities

Introduction

Physical environment, more precisely aesthetics in

classrooms, is believed to play a role in students’ attitude

toward learning.

This belief is actually the generator behind

the foundation of the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, an after-

school program for inner-city high school students.

Researchers not only consider elements, such as plants,

lighting, color and classroom shape as contributors to

student’s academic performances, but also as what makes the

classrooms beautiful.

The purpose of this study is to explore

which aesthetic element each gender consider important to his

or her learning environment.

Literature Review

The Effect of School Facilities’ Conditions on Students

Several studies support the fact that there is a

relationship between the conditions of facilities and students’

performances.

The conditions of the facilities include their

maintenance and the maintenance of the furniture, the lighting

and the carefulness to details in decorating them.

A school

located in a new building with well-maintained desks and

chairs can be considered in good condition.

Students who

attend schools in good conditions tend to perform better.

According to Tanner (2000), students who attended schools

with “positive outdoor space” scored highly in the Iowa Test

of Basic Skills (ITBS).

Another study by Berner (1993) shows

that students’ academic performances increased by 5.

points when their school facilities’ conditions improve from

poor to moderate, and increase by 10.

9 points when the

facilities’ conditions improve from moderate to very good.

These results help indicate that facilities can be helpful in

students’ performance in learning.

The founder of Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, William

Strickland Jr.

, said “A person's environment shapes who they

are and how they see the world” (2010, para.

8). This

description of environment includes the schools’ facilities, the

learning environment, and the relationship with the teachers.

The Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild is an organization that

was designed to help children in the urban areas of Pittsburgh.

It is “a multi-disciplined arts and learning center that fosters a

sense of belonging, interconnections, and hope within the

urban community” (Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, n.

d.,

para.1).

The facility of the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild

reflects Stickland’s idea on the environment.

As it is described in its newsletter, the organization

implements light, tune, art, and a staff who is involved in

shaping the students for their future (A Better Way Forward,

2009).

The idea behind this corporation was to make people

feel good about themselves.

Strickland stated that “If we treat

people like world-class citizens, that's what they will become

-- they will dream big and achieve the extraordinary” (Self,

2010, para.

1). It is for this reason that these buildings are well

maintained and decorated.

In the building, there are fresh

flowers, fountains, a cafeteria and a kitchen, handmade

furniture, and paintings and crafts (Self, 2010).

The

classrooms are spacious enough for the number of students

who attend classes in them with up to date equipment, such as

Mac laptops.

In addition, there is a mixture of natural and

artificial lighting around the building.

The building is

considered beautiful in the eyes of viewers.

This setting is

meant to inspire the students to want to succeed.

While there is no evidence that the environment of

Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild had a direct impact on the

students’ performances, the results of the work of the faculty

and staff have been positive.

In 2007, four of the students

received scholarship to attend the Art Institute of Pittsburgh,

Rochester Institute of Technology, and Dickinson College

because of their high quality works (Annual report 2006-

2007, n.

d.). In addition, many of the students who attend the

program pursue a college degree.

Among the students who

joined the program, an average of 75% to 80% of them went

to College (The “BE” list: Bill Strickland, 2011).

One thing that should be considered is that there is no

evidence that specifically show a direct relationship between

school conditions and students’ academic performance.

However, there is often a correlation between the two, the

schools’ conditions and the students’ performances.

Buckley, Schneider and Shang (2004) wrote, “While we do

not have the data to identify the specific mechanisms by

which compliance is linked to educational outcomes, from

existing research, we know that school buildings in poor

shape lead to reduced learning.

We also know that poorly

managed schools lead to poor achievement,” (p.5). In

addition, there are other factors that play a role in students’

performances in school.

For instance, one influence on a

Journal of Student Research (2013)

Volume 2, Issue 1: pp.

1-8

Research Article

ISSN: 2167-1907

www.jofsr.

com

student’s performance is his or her upbringing.

For example,

in a study done by Barry (2005), it was found that students

who came from low incomes performed more poorly than

students who came from higher income families.

Part of the school facilities “conditions that can relate to

students” improving performances are plants.

In the

Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, William Strickland stated that

he had fresh flowers and plants placed inside of the facility to

help improve the facility’s appearance.

This method is

actually used by other schools because plants can be

contributors to the improvement of students’ performances.

Daly, Burchett and Torpy (2010) found in their study that

“classroom plants consistently led to improved performance

in spelling, mathematics and science, i.

e., across the

curriculum, for possibly a variety of interlinked reasons”

(p.7).

Plants can help create an agreeable atmosphere for

students and can positively impact the students’ views.

In a

study done by Han (2009), it showed that “even six limitedly

visible plants in the classroom [in Taiwan] had an

immediately significant and positive influence on the

students’ perceptions of preference, comfort, and friendliness”

(p.680).

Another factor of a school’s facility that is often

associated with students’ performances is the lighting in the

room. Samani (2011) stated in her study that when classes are

equipped with reasonable lighting, which is a mixture of

natural and artificial lighting, students are stimulated to learn

more, and are showing improved performances.

While

lighting helps to provide comfort for students, it needs to be at

an appropriate level.

In the Pollution Prevention Resource

Center website, a statement shows that excessive lighting

cause extremely high temperature and extremely bright light,

which can conflict with the learning environment.

This

highlights the fact that the characteristic of lighting, not the

level of lighting, is important for student learning pattern

(Sustainable Design for Schools, n.

d.). Appropriate lighting

used in schools has helped improve students’ achievements.

study by Heschong Mahone Group indicated that students

located in classrooms with the most daylight had improved

15% faster in standardized math tests and 23% faster in

reading tests in comparison to the students in classrooms with

the least daylight (Tomasi, n.

d.).

Color has also been found to be associated with

students’ achievements as well.

According to Daggett,

Cobble, and Gertel (n.

d.), “color in the learning environment

provides an unthreatening environment that improves visual

processing, reduces stress, and challenges brain development

through visual stimulation/relationships and pattern seeking”

(p.1).

This means that the use of color in a classroom can help

create a better learning environment.

In addition to that,

different colors evoke different attitudes from people.

For

instance, cool colors are suggested for high school students’

classrooms because of their capability of encouraging

engagement among students, while bright colors should be

used for younger students to entice their energetic attitudes

(Engelbrecht, 2003).

Furthermore, classrooms designed for

particular subjects should be painted in colors that help

students achieve these particular goals.

For instance, the

Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild’s photography studio is

painted in light yellow.

This color is among the ones

suggested by Daggett (n.

d.), et.

al., for arts classes because of

its evocation for creativity.

The shape of a classroom is also related to students’

performances.

Lippman (n.

d.) said that contemporary learning

environments complement the idea that learning involves a

consultation between people with the supplies from the

surroundings.

He also stated that contemporary learning

environments step away from the typical ones to allow more

engagement.

In addition, like colors, different shapes of

classrooms can cause different outcomes from the students.

a study done by Amadeo and Dyck (2003), teachers found

that classrooms shaped like a rectangle or a deep rectangle

were least likely to help them use their instructional styles

than cross-shaped classrooms, or classes shaped like “T” or

“fat-L”. There is no ideal shape among the non-rectangle

classrooms; the shape depends on the course being taught and

the instructor’s style of teaching.

Nowadays, classrooms in which students actively

participate are strongly suggested.

A statement from the

Florida State University Instruction handbook (2011) suggests

that it is essential for most students to be taught through

active learning to connect with their courses.

It is for this

reason that typical rectangle classrooms would not be the

ideal ones, even if the shapes are determined by the courses

and the teaching styles.

These classrooms usually involve

lecture, in which the instructor is the mostly active member.

In the University of Delaware website, it is said that

“Teacher-centered courses, which emphasize formal lectures

and note taking, questions held until the end of class, and little

student participation in learning activities, do not seem to

promote as much learning as classrooms in which students

have a voice” (Positive Classroom Climate, n.

d., para.

2).

Classroom conditions also affect students indirectly.

Classroom conditions can affect teachers and their

performance in classrooms.

Earthman and Lemasters (2009)

stated in their study that “For teachers, the highly stressful

work regiment of working with children would mandate that

the physical environment of the classroom support and assist

them in helping students learn” (p.323).

Since teachers use

their physical environment to help them teach, the condition

of the environment plays a role in how effective they are in

teaching.

Earthman and Lemasters (2009) also wrote that weak

morale of teachers can affect the learning environment.

When

a classroom affects a teacher’s morale, it eventually affects

the students.

Earthman and Lemasters (2009) supported this

statement by adding that the teachers’ morale will play a role

in the students’ attitudes.

Aesthetics in Classrooms

Aesthetics in classrooms involve anything that relates to

beauty and pleasure to improve students’ attitudes toward

learning.

While there are not many studies done on its effect

on students, it is arguable that incorporating aesthetics in

classroom design can play a role in students’ performances.

Ryeden (2009) wrote in his article that “A sense of aesthetics

humanizes spaces and stimulates learning, studying and

socializing experiences.

Being in a beautiful space rather than

an ugly space enhances a student's performance” (para.15).

The beauty of a classroom can make it more attractive and

comfortable for a student to learn.

The purpose of an

attractive classroom is to bring a homelike atmosphere to

students and also to serve as another leaning stimulator.

Terrell (2009) said, decorated classrooms create a good

Journal of Student Research (2013)

Volume 2, Issue 1: pp.

1-8

Research Article

ISSN: 2167-1907

www.jofsr.

com

atmosphere for students as well as a discernible way for

students to learn.

There is a lack of study done precisely on

understanding the students’ perception of aesthetics involving

the items that contribute to the beauty of the classrooms.

The influential factors discussed, which are the color, the

lighting, the plants, and the shape of a classroom, are

contributors to the aesthetics of a classroom.

On the website,

schoolmentalhealth.

org, plants, bulletin boards, banners and

warm colors are suggested to create an attractive look for the

classrooms (n.

d.). As teachers are being meticulous on the

factors that impact students’ learning, they can also manage to

bring aesthetics or, in other word, beauty to the classroom.

In addition to these important factors for student learning

environments, other elements, such as classroom furniture,

contribute to the aesthetics.

Experts usually advised teachers

to decorate their classrooms with posters, bulletin boards,

banners, and small book shelves.

They emphasize the need to

have students participate in classroom decorations.

Terrell

(2009) said in his articles that for middle school students,

teachers should encourage them to bring their own posters to

decorate their classrooms.

This is a way to increase students’

awareness of their physical environment.

The whole purpose of adding aesthetics to classrooms is

to improve students’ awareness and involvement in the class.

Terrell (2009) used himself as an example of what he would

want in a classroom when he was a student.

He has “fond

memories of [his]… 9th grade science classroom and how

good it made [him]… feel to enter that brightly colored room

at one o'clock each school day” (para.

1). He showed a

positive attitude toward that classroom, which should have

certainly helped improve his attitude toward learning.

Creating an atmosphere in which teachers are

comfortable also contribute to students’ learning.

When the

classrooms are designed to fit the instructors’ teaching styles,

they stimulate their enthusiasms for their subjects, which

should transmit to the students.

Experts even suggest that they

personalize the classroom to allow the students to know more

about them.

Arnold (2009) encouraged teachers to create an

all-about-me bulletin board with items that described them,

such as family photos and symbols of their favorite sport

teams or bands.

Gender differences

In classrooms, male and female students perform

differently from one another.

Kovalik (2008) wrote in her

article that “they learn differently, they play differently, they

fight differently, they see the world differently, they hear

differently, and they express their emotions differently.

Girls

and boys behave differently because their brains are wired

differently” (p.2). These elements that differentiate these two

genders may impact the way they learn in classrooms.

The sexes differ in some parts of their personalities.

Feingold (1994) found in his study that males showed more

assertiveness and less anxiety than females, while both

genders varied in locus of control.

Costa, Terracciano and

McCrae (2001) wrote in their article that across cultures,

gender differences in personality traits are about the same.

There is a slight difference between the two genders in terms

of openness to aesthetics.

Costa and McCrae (1984) found in

their study that women were more opened to aesthetics than

men. In addition, women’s brains illustrate more reaction to

aesthetics than men’s brains.

Scientists found that women

showed more activity in both side of their brains compared to

men who showed more activity on the right hand side of their

brains (Sample, 2009).

Moreover, both genders displayed

different preferences in aesthetics.

Moss and Gunn (2009)

found in their study that female students preferred websites

Meanwhile, both males and females used

different themes while designing their websites.

For instance,

males preferred straight shapes, while females preferred

rounded shapes.

Females and males differ cognitively.

In 1974, Maccoby

and Jacklin wrote that genders differed in their verbal ability,

quantitative ability, visual-spatial ability and field articulation.

Hyde (1981) did a study on the level of these aforementioned

differences, and found an insignificant one.

For this reason,

although there is a difference in gender cognitive

characteristics, it is very slight and often influenced by other

factors aside from gender.

Although the purpose of this study

is to understand the differences of gender preferences in

classroom aesthetics, the researches mentioned help predict

that the difference will be small.

Another expectation is that,

based on research and stereotypes, the findings will show that

female students are more likely to be aware of aesthetics than

male students.

The calculations done in this research should

help determine whether these two hypotheses are true or not.

Research Method

The hypotheses for this research predict that there will be

insignificant differences between genders, but females will

show more awareness of the aesthetics of the classrooms.

The

research question is: What are the preferences between

genders in classroom aesthetics? The different elements of

classrooms, which were discussed earlier, are shape, wall

decorations, color, lighting, seating arrangements, bulletin

boards and furniture.

The examination of these preferences

provided by each gender through the research method should

help determine the ones they are the most aware of.

For the research method, a survey was designed to ask

students on their perception of aesthetics in six different

classrooms.

All the key terms in the questionnaire were based

on research done prior to designing the survey.

Students were

also asked to rate their level of awareness of the elements that

are considered part of classroom aesthetics.

They were asked

to rate, modify, add or take away, and identify in order of

importance the elements discussed in the literature review.

The questions were designed to encourage the participants to

analyze the elements and consequently identify their

preferences.

However, the questions did not allow them to

know that they were being asked on their preferences.

The students were shown pictures of the six classrooms

for which they needed to fill out questionnaires of what they

thought of them.

They were also asked on their general

awareness of classroom aesthetics.

These specific classrooms

were chosen for the survey because they each exhibited

components of strong or weak aesthetics based on the

elements discussed.

Students were asked to pick from a list

the elements, such as seating arrangements and color, which

they would change, add and take away from the classrooms.

A question was designed to allow the students to pick

what best described the six classrooms shown on photos.

The

terms suggested were chosen based on their association with

Journal of Student Research (2013)

Volume 2, Issue 1: pp.

1-8

Research Article

ISSN: 2167-1907

www.jofsr.

com

elements of aesthetics.

For instance, the term stimulating is

associated with colors.

Some of the terms were also chosen

from another research in which they were suggested for

beautiful rooms.

Richard M.

Locasso designed a

questionnaire in which he used the words warm, pleasant and

appealing as the adjectives to describe the rooms (1992,

p.139).

These words were used in that survey to get the

participants’ perceptions of each classroom.

To find out

whether the participants thought negatively of the

appearances of the classrooms, they were asked to rank them

from one to six for the adjectives, such as pleasant.

For their

general thoughts on classroom aesthetics, students were asked

about what they first noticed in classrooms and the level of

importance of several elements to their learning.

In these

latter questions, the aesthetic elements were listed with other

elements, such as class time and difficulty of class, to find out

how important aesthetics is to them compared to other factors.

One hundred students on the Robert Morris University

campus were conveniently selected to fill out the 15 to 20

minutes survey.

At the end of the survey, they were asked to

answer demographic questions that could help gather

information on students’ preferences based on gender.

The

students were asked more than one demographic question to

assure that they were not aware of the purpose of the survey

and to help accurately determine whether the hypotheses were

true or not.

They were asked demographic questions, such as

their year in school, their major, and especially their gender.

Results

Of the 100 students who participated, 72 filled out the

survey completely.

Among them were 43 males and 29

females ranging from first to last year in all four schools of

the university.

Tables 1 and 2, shown below, display the

percentage of the female and male students who would

change, add or take away from two of the classrooms that

were designed to be very different from each other.

One

classroom, the Academic Media Center classroom (Fig.

1), is

painted in white, has a bulletin board and no wall decorations,

and has a traditional seating arrangement.

Meanwhile the

other classroom, the Honors Lounge (Fig.

2), is yellow, with a

non-traditional seating arrangement, wall decorations and a

board.

Both male and female students supplied the most

response to determine what could be modified in both

classrooms.

There were differences between the percentages

of female students who were more likely to modify one item

compared to the percentages of male students.

For instance,

20.69% of females would change the Academic Media Center

classroom shape compared to 9.

90% among males.

One note

from the tables is that there was a similar pattern for both

male and females students when it came to what elements

they selected the most.

For instance, the majority of male and

female students selected the color of the wall (46.

51% and

62.07% respectively) as the element that they would change

in the Academic Media Center classroom.

Figure 1: The Academic Media Center classroom

Figure 2: The Honors Lounge

Journal of Student Research (2013)

Volume 2, Issue 1: pp.

1-8

Research Article

ISSN: 2167-1907

www.jofsr.

com

Table 1: This is a comparison between female and male students.

The numbers on the left represent the percentage of female

students who would change, add or take away the listed elements from the Academic Media Center classroom.

Meanwhile, the

numbers on the right represent the percentage of male students.

Academic Media Center classroom - Female(left) Male (right)

Change in Classroom

Add to classroom

Take away from classroom

Wall color

62.07% 46.

51% Bulletin Board

10.34%

4.65% Bulletin boards

6.90%

Classroom shape

20.69%

9.30%

Plants

24.14%

39.53%

Plants

Seating arrangement

34.48% 20.

93% Furniture

31.03%

16.28% Furniture

17.24%

Furniture

24.14%

13.95%

Wall Decorations

75.62%

32.56%

Wall decorations

6.90%

4.65%

Wall decorations

31.04% 30.

23% Other (Specify)

3.45%

4.65% Other (Specify)

Other (Specify)

6.90%

9.30%

Nothing

13.79%

32.56%

Nothing

79.31%

86.05%

Nothing

13.79% 23.

26%

Table 2: This is a comparison between female and male students.

The numbers on the left represent the percentage of female

students who would change, add or take away the listed elements from the Honors Lounge.

Meanwhile, the numbers on the right

represent the percentage of male students.

Honors Lounge - Female (left) Male (right)

Change in Classroom

Add to classroom

Take away from classroom

Wall color

17.24%

18.60% Bulletin Board

24.14%

9.30% Bulletin boards

3.45%

4.65%

Classroom shape

24.14%

16.28%

Plants

34.48%

32.56%

Plants

Seating arrangement

44.83%

41.86% Furniture

17.24%

25.58% Furniture

10.34%

2.33%

Furniture

48.28%

39.53%

Wall Decorations

10.34%

Wall decorations

20.69%

11.63%

Wall decorations

6.90%

13.95% Other (Specify)

3.45%

4.65% Other (Specify)

6.90%

2.33%

Other (Specify)

6.90%

4.65%

Nothing

34.48%

34.88%

Nothing

62.07%

67.44%

Nothing

24.14%

6.98%

A few questions from the survey were meant to find out

which elements were more important to the students in

classroom aesthetics.

One question requested that the students

rate on a scale of one to six the level of importance each

element listed in their classrooms.

The average ratings of each

gender were calculated by finding the means.

For this

question, both genders rated lighting in the classrooms highly

at 5 for females and 5.

09 for males.

The level of importance

of the color of the wall, plants and bulletin boards for both

genders was about the same (Wall color=3.

35 females, 3.

males; Plants=2.

86 females, 2.

91 males; Bulletin boards=3.

females, 3.

67 females).

Female students did find wall

decorations and the seating arrangement to be more important

than male students (Wall decorations= 4.

86 females, 3.

males; Seating arrangement=5.

83 females, 4.

33 males).

Meanwhile, male students considered the furniture and the

shape of the classrooms more important than female students

(Furniture=5.

47 males, 4.

28 females; Classroom shape=5.

males, 4.

07 females).

In addition to what they found the most important in

their learning environment, students were asked to select the

elements they first noticed when they walked into a

classroom.

The majority of both male and female students

first noticed the seating arrangement when they walked into a

classroom (96.

56% for females and 86.

05% for males).

Lighting came in second as the first thing female and male

students noticed in classrooms (51.

72% and 37.

21%

respectively).

Table 3 displays the percentage of male and

female students who noticed each of the elements first.

Both genders showed a fair amount of awareness of the

physical appearance of their classroom.

However, contrary to

the hypothesis, males actually rated their level of awareness

slightly higher than the females’ at 4.

19 in mean compared to

3.66 for females.

For this reason, the results supported the

first hypothesis, but did not support the second one.

The

results showed a small difference between the males and

females who completed the survey in terms of their

preferences in classroom aesthetics.

However, the female

students are surprisingly less aware of their classroom

aesthetics.

Journal of Student Research (2013)

Volume 2, Issue 1: pp.

1-8

Research Article

ISSN: 2167-1907

www.jofsr.

com

Table 3: This is a comparison between the percentage of male

and female students who first noticed each element listed.

The

percentages of male students are listed above, and the

percentages of female students are listed below.

What do you first notice when you walk in a

classroom- Male Students

Color

32.56%

Seating arrangement

86.05%

Shape of classroom

27.91%

Wall decorations (posters, banners, etc…)

16.28%

Plants

18.60%

Furniture

30.23%

Lighting

37.21%

Bulletin board

4.65%

Temperature

32.56%

Other (specify)

4.65%

What do you first notice when you walk in a

classroom- Female Students

Color

48.28%

Seating arrangement

96.56%

Shape of classroom

20.69%

Wall decorations (posters, banners, etc…)

13.79%

Plants

6.90%

Furniture

20.69%

Lighting

51.72%

Bulletin board

Temperature

51.72%

Other (specify)

3.45%

Discussion and Conclusion

Compared to females, males reported that they were

more aware of their physical environment.

However, as

expected, there is a slight difference, but not significant,

between both genders in terms of their preferences in their

physical learning environment.

The participants often showed

a similar pattern in the elements they selected when analyzing

the classrooms.

The majority of males and females mostly

ranked the same elements in their level of importance to them.

Among these element (color, classroom shape, seating

arrangements, wall decorations, bulletin boards, lighting and

furniture) students appeared to pay less attention to plants,

wall decorations and bulletin boards.

These three elements,

especially plants, are actually related to students’

improvement in academic performances.

Meanwhile, both

genders often ranked the lighting and the seating arrangement

in the classrooms more highly.

While certain elements were

ranked more highly than others by the participants, there was

mostly an insignificant difference in those rankings.

The participants more often chose to change and add to

the six classrooms, rather than take away from them.

Meanwhile, they mostly picked the color of the wall as an

element that they would change in the classrooms, excluding

the Honors Lounge, which exhibited components of strong

aesthetics the most.

The Honors Lounge consists of brick

walls with one painted in white.

Another classroom, for which

students wanted to change its color, consisted of yellow walls,

and a fuchsia wall.

Compared to the latter classroom, the

Honors Lounge contains many wall decorations.

This

suggests that students may consider a wall, despite its color,

more aesthetically pleasing when decorated.

The seating arrangement, the lighting, and the color of

the wall are the three aesthetic elements that female students

identify as the first thing they notice when they walk into a

classroom.

Meanwhile, male students first noticed the color of

the wall, the seating arrangement, the shape of the classroom,

the furniture and the lighting.

These elements can be

considered what the genders prefer with lighting and seating

arrangement being on top of the list for both males and

females.

As mentioned in the Literature Review, classrooms

should be designed to fit the course material and teacher’s

style of instructing.

For this reason, a “T” shape classroom

could be ideally to a teacher or the students, but not to another

group.

Certain classrooms for creative projects are designed

to allow a more interactive setting.

For instance, one art

classroom would be painted in yellow, would have a seating

arrangement in which several desks are placed with group of

four to six students, and would have the students’ projects

displayed as decorations.

This study is certainly in need of expansion.

A larger

number of participants in a more spread out area, several

universities around the country, could help determine whether

the results were accurate or not.

It is possible that the

participants will have different attitudes toward classrooms

they are not familiar with.

In this research, students were

under the impression that they were asked on their thoughts

and opinion what needed to be changed in the classrooms in

Robert Morris University to improve their learning

environment.

At time, several students were confused with a few

questions from the survey.

For this reason, there is a

possibility that they did not answer these questions accurately.

Further study on this research will require more

comprehensive questions to obtain more accurate answers

from the subjects.

This could lead to slightly different results.

The replication of the research method should involve a

survey completed by about the same amount of males as

females.

The results are also limited to college male and female

students’ preferences toward classroom aesthetics.

Therefore,

to generalize the results, there will need to be students from

different grades in high school, middle school and more.

There will also need to be more than just a survey.

The survey

limits the participants from providing more information on

their attitudes toward classroom aesthetics.

A research method

that involves observations and focus groups could also lead to

very accurate results.

Acknowledgement

Sincere thanks goes to advisors Dr.

Philip Harold and Dr.

Monica VanDieren.

Journal of Student Research (2013)

Volume 2, Issue 1: pp.

1-8

Research Article

ISSN: 2167-1907

www.jofsr.

com

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