Effect of correlated colour temperature on students' alertness, reading speed and comprehension

Abstract

This study examines the effect of dynamic lighting systems to boost reading performance. Recently, several educational research have revealed that lighting has a potential effect on various psycho-physiological phenomena. Different lighting conditions have a significant impact on cognitive function, hormonal production, mood regulation, and even circadian rhythms (and thus, on sleeping patterns). The pedagogical effects of these discoveries may be profound, particularly as regards designing the teaching environment, which has been recognized for a long time as having a considerable influence on educational results. Hence, the more control educators command over the learning space, the more that space may be optimized to achieve predesigned objectives. So far, the majority of the research has focused on the positive effects of dynamic lighting systems. Studies have shown that variations in correlated colour temperature (CCT), can make a big difference to students' attention span, concentration, motivation, and even behaviour. Consequently, scholars are beginning to pay serious attention to the ways in which artificial lighting systems can be amended to optimize learners' performance. The purpose of the current study is to investigate these phenomena in relation to students' reading comprehension and speed. The current study specifically evaluates the impacts of LED illumination on 30 undergraduate students who were pre-selected based on specific criteria (did not have pre-existing health disorders, nor did they have eye problems or learning difficulties). The research project was carried out in two phases: laboratory and field study. The research was conducted in a psychophysical laboratory. The test evaluates the following CCTs: 6500K, 5000K, 4000K, 3000K, and 2500K, at three brightness levels (275, 475, and 613lux). Students' reading speed and comprehension were evaluated in two ways: first, through printed reading exams, and second, using the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS). After determining the benchmark for the duration of the experimentation, recruiting the participants, and determining the tools for assessing the study variables; the experiment started. The experimentation was executed over 3 days (1-hour session each day) to investigate the effects of the five different light settings.