Dive Brief:
- Elementary school students have smaller learning gains and struggle to concentrate when they're in overly decorated classrooms, says a new study by Carnegie Mellon University researchers published in Psychological Science.
- Researchers taught 24 kindergartners six new science lessons — three in a sparse classroom and three in a highly decorated room — and found that 85% of the students were more off-task in the decorated room. Students scored higher on test questions when they were in the sparse room.
- While the study did find sparse rooms were more conducive for learning, it did not find the sweet spot for how little or much decorating should be seen.
Dive Insight:
The study comes out at the perfect time: before the new school year, when teachers typically load up on tons of decorations. Administrators could distribute the study to next year's staff as something to keep in mind when they set up their new classrooms.
That said, the study's authors are wary of teachers completely stripping their classrooms of anything colorful or fun.
"We are not advocating for the classrooms to look like a prison or sterilizing the learning environment. We are asking teachers to find a balance between making a classroom engaging and inviting and covering everything from window blinds to ceilings to walls with displays," lead author Anna V. Fisher told The Journal News.