How surroundings affect a student’s learning

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Trying to study and can’t concentrate? It’s possible that your surroundings could be having an impact on your ability to learn. Studies show that surroundings can affect our concentration and motivation. Below are some of the environmental factors to consider.

How comfortable is it?
When we’re not comfortable, we’re likely to be distracted. It’s important that our learning environment is cosy so that we’re not constantly shuffling around.

Make sure that you’re not studying from an uncomfortable chair. If you’re studying at home at a desk, consider buying yourself a height adjustable office chair. This will allow you to position yourself at the right height and will provide the lower back support that you need. 

What’s the lighting like?
Poor lighting can make it harder to concentrate. Ideally, you want lots of natural light pouring in while you study - natural light can help to reduce anxiety and lift our mood more so than artificial light. 

Many schools have started looking into modular building hire, investing in purpose-built classrooms with lots of natural light. It’s worth noting that while natural light can improve concentration, it needs to be positioned correctly - if students are studying at computers, you should ideally avoid having a light source directly behind as this will cause screen glare. Instead light should be pouring in from in front or from the side. 

How noisy is it?
Many of us are easily distracted by loud noises. At the same time, silence may increase anxiety levels - many of us need some background noise to concentrate. 

A good learning environment should have the right balance. When studying from home, choose a room that is fairly quiet where you haven’t got sounds like the TV or washing machine to distract you. Ambient sounds and low-volume music could be worth trying to see if concentration levels are improved. 

Is there a lot of clutter?
Being surrounded by clutter can negatively affect concentration. You should consider whether your learning environment is tidy and organized - and if not what you can do to reduce clutter.
Finding ways to store clutter away out of sight can help. When studying at home at a desk, try to keep your desk relatively tidy.

Are the colours affecting your studies?
There have been many studies into colour psychology when it comes to learning. Certain colours can be more suited to certain types of learning. 

Blue tends to be a good colour for improving concentration, while green can help to nurture creativity. Yellow can be an uplifting colour that is great in young kids’ classrooms. Red is a colour that is generally best avoided aside from heavily practical areas - it is an energising colour and may increase stress levels due to its association with dangers, making it ill-suited for study tasks that require concentration.

In all cases, it’s better to use colours than it is to stick to neutral tones. Whites, greys and blacks are uninspiring, which could negatively affect concentration when it comes to creative tasks.