The Effect of Artificial Classroom Illumination on Students’ Academic Achievement in Public Boarding Secondary Schools in Nairobi County of Kenya
##article.abstract##
Light is a key factor in instruction. Classroom illumination is intended to create an excellently lit environment that is conducive to instruction. A conducive instructional setting creates a stimulus where students have a feeling of well-being which soothes them to concentrate and perform well in their learning tasks. Even though there has been a mammoth advancement in lighting technology, artificial classroom illumination in many secondary schools is below the requisite threshold. The goal of this research was to investigate the effects of artificial classroom illumination on instruction which in return influence public boarding secondary school students’ academic performance. A descriptive survey research design was used in this study. The study was guided by the Walberg’s theory of education productivity. The target population of this study comprised 29 public boarding secondary schools, 29 principals, 1,120 teachers and 2,015 students of Nairobi County public boarding secondary schools. The study sample comprised of 20 principals, 200 teachers, and 435 form three students. The sample was selected by the use of purposive, stratified and random sampling techniques. Questionnaires and interview schedules were used to collect data for the study. A pilot study was conducted in the neighboring Kiambu County. A Cronbach alpha of 0.822 was obtained which was considered appropriate for the study. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings were presented in graphs tables and narrations. The study established that in Nairobi County, public boarding secondary schools, artificial classroom illumination negatively impacted on instruction and students’ academic achievement. The artificial illumination of the classroom made it difficult for the students to see clearly what was written on the chalk/whiteboard, letters displayed on the computer screen and diagrams on the classroom projector screen. The study recommended that all secondary classroom to be installed with adequate classroom illumination so as to eliminate undesirable illumination effects on instruction and academic achievement.
References
Aloyo, P. (2015). The relationship between physical environment and academic achievement in public secondary schools in Nairobi City of Kenya. (PhD Thesis, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya). Retrieved from https://ir-
library.ku.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/123456789/18162/The%20relationship%20between%20physical%20environment%20and%20academic%20achievement%20in%20public%20secondary%20schools%20in%20Nairobi%20city,%20Kenya.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1
Blazer, C. (2012). The impact of school buildings on learning. Information Capsule Research Services 14, 1-5.
BRANZ (2007). Designing quality learning spaces: Lighting developed. Wellington: New Zealand New Zealand Ministry of Education Publication.
Buckley, A. (2014). Switching on: Lighting for learning in the secondary school classroom. London: England. Helen Hamlyn Center for Designing.
Bullina, M. (2016). Illuminating education: Composition and use for lighting in public K-12 classrooms. (Bachelors Thesis, The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Britain). Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2158244012445585
Energy Focus (2015). LED Lighting sets the new standard in schools improving health, Safety, and performance in classrooms with a simple switch. Green Apple. Retrieve on 14th July 2016, from http://www.energyfocusinc.com/
Etayo, B., Skandali, C., Morris, I. Macrae, I., Glynn, D., Grabe, C. Cleverly, M., and Martin, J. (2007). Standard Specifications, Layouts, and Dimension: Lighting Systems in Schools. London. Britain. Scribd
Gilavand A, Gilavand M, Gilavand S. (2016). Investigating the Impact of Lighting Educational Spaces on Learning and Academic Achievement of Elementary Students. International Journal of pediatric; 4(5), 1819-1828.
Higgins, S., Hall, E., Wall, K., Woolner, P. & McCaughey, C., (2004). The Impact of School Environments: A literature review. London. United Kingdom. University of Newcastle Upon Tyne.
Keis, O., Helbig, H., Streb, J., & Hille, K. (2014). Influence of Blue-enriched Classroom Lighting on Students’ Cognitive Performance. USA: New York. Elsevier GmbH.
Kuterbach, J. M. (2013). Amodel of academic enablers and academic performance among post-secondary learners. Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation, Pennsylvania State University.
Loe, D., Watson, N., Rowlands, E. & Mansfield, K. (1999). Lighting Design for Schools. London. St Clements House.
Martel L. D. (2017). Light: An element in the ergonomics of learning. U.S.A.: NewYork. National Academy of Integrative Learning, Inc
Ministry of Education Science and Technology (2008) Safety standards manual for schools in Kenya. Nairobi. Kenya Ministry of Education.
Mirrahimi, S., Ibrahim, L. M. & Surat, M. (2012). Effects of daylighting on student health and performance. Computational methods in Science and Engineering. National University of Malaysia.
Mott, M. S., Robinson, D. H. Walden, A., Burnette, J. & Rutherford, A. S. (2012). Illuminating the effects of dynamic lighting on student learning. SAGE, 1(1), 1-9, http://www.sgo.sagepub.com., DOI:101177/2158244012445585.
Mousavi, S. A., Salehzadea, M. R., and Janjania, H. (2016). Evaluation of the combination of natural and artificial lighting conditions in primary schools (Case study: Baneh City of Kurdistan Province, Iran). Journal of Arch HygSci 5(3), 160-65.
Nuhfer, E. B. (2007). Some Aspects of an Ideal Classroom: Colour, Carpet, Light, and Furniture. USA: New York. California University of Channel Islands.
OCC (2020). How does lighting affect learning? Out of Order Chaos, 2020.
Oribo, C. & Okemwa, P. (2020). Artificial Classroom Lighting Effects on Secondary Schools Students Health in Nairobi County of Kenya. International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology, 5(10) 928-934.
Rugutt, J. & Chemosit, C. C. (2005). A study of factors that influence college academic achievement: A structural equation modern approach. Journal of Educational Research and Policy Studies, 5(1), 66-90.
Samani, S. A., & Samani, S. A. (2012). The Impact of Indoor Lighting on Students’ Learning Performance in Learning Environments: A knowledge internalization perspective. International Journal of Business and Social Science 3 (24), 127-136.
Sleegers, P., Moolenaar, N., Galetzka, M., & Van der Zandenc, B. (2012). Lighting and Student Concentration. University of Twente, Twente, The Netherlands. Netherlands.
Sleegers, P., Moolenaar, N., Galetzkab, M., & Van der Zandenc, B (2013). Lighting affects students’ concentration positively: Findings from three Dutch studies. Lighting Research Technology, 45: 159 - 175.
Suleman, Q., Pakhtunkhwa, K., & Hussain, I. (2014). Effects of Classroom Physical Environment on the Academic Achievement Scores of Secondary School Students in Kohat Division. International Journal of Learning & Development, 4(1), 2164-4063.
Walberg, H. J. (1981). A psychological theory of educational productivity. In N. Gordon & E. H. Farley (Eds.). Australian Journal of Education. (26)2, 115-122.
Wall, G. (2016). The impact of physical design on student outcomes. (ISBN 978-0-478-16826-6). Retrieved from https://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Primary-Secondary/Property/Design/Flexible-learning-spaces/FLS-The-impact-of-physical-design-on-student-outcomes.pdf
Walton, M., Clark, T., and McMillan, M., Morante, P., & Brons, J. (2008). Classroom lighting system demonstration research study final report. (# NYSERDA PON 953) Retrieved from https://www.lightsearch.com/pdf/classroom_lighting_system_demonstration_research_study.pdf
Winterbottom, M. & Wilkins, A. (2015). Lighting and discomfort in the classroom. Journal of Environmental Psychology. 29(2009), 63 – 75.
Wishaw, K. (2017). The Problem of Artificial Light at Night, is Solution at Hand? USA: New York. Elsevier.
Yucan, S. (2014). Impact of Daylighting on Preschool Students’ Social and Cognitive Skills. Maters Thesis. University of Nebraska. Lincoln, Nebraska. USA.
Zumtobel Lighting GmbH (2017). The Lighting Handbook: Your Concise Reference Book, 5th edition. Australia. ShweizerStrasse.
