The investigation of effect of physical variables of the class window on students’ mental focus reconstruction

Since students’ mental focus is one of the main conditions for learning and academic achievement, investigation of the factors that can help restoring this factor in students, is very important. In the meantime, it seems that in addition to the student’s individual and the inner factors, the factors related to teaching and learning quality, physical variables in the classroom can affect this critical feature too. It seems that creating visual permeability and the optimal visual connection of classrooms with the view of outside through the classroom window as one of the physical variables of the classroom, by creating a visual opportunity, albeit short, to a view outside the classroom can be reconstructed student’s mental activity and help them to relieve their mental fatigue. The current research seeks to achieve an optimal state with restoration of mental focus of students via investigating some physical variables of the classroom window such as the window length and height variables. It can take a critical step in line with reducing the mental fatigue and restoration of mental focus of high school students who are in specific age range and have superior learning opportunities compared to other educational levels. From that point, the view from the window has a great impact on this process. It should be noted that the window in this study overlooks the natural elements and green space of the school yard.

The statistical population of this research is all male and female students who were studying during the educational year of 2018-2019 in the high schools of Shiraz city in the age range of 16-18, who were selected as the sample pf the current study via cluster random sampling. The subjects were first assessed by a psychological test approved by psychologists and then completed a researcher-made questionnaire to make that subject more generalizable. To analyze research data and to find a relationship between physical variable of window length and height and student’s mental focus restoration, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used.

The results show that changes in the physical state and the size of classroom window can affect the restoration of students’ mental focus. Accordingly, to the present research, decreasing the window length from 3.5 to 2.5 and 1.5 reduces the level of students’ mental focus from 149 to 148.9 and ultimately 148.1. As well, changing window height from 2 meters to 1.5 and 1 m, the students’ mental focus changes from 149 to 148.8 and 147.3.

The level of students’ mental focus does not depend solely on the students' conditions, academic performance, the quality and teaching methods of teachers; but also, the physical environment of schools and the interior design of classrooms can have a significant impact on this importance. The presence of classroom window as one of the classroom physical variables, not only does not lead to the student's distraction, but also, via creating views toward outside natural elements, conscious placement, suitable dimensions can be a really important factor in restoration of the students’ mental focus.