University students taking exams in rooms with high ceilings scored lower than expected, according to new research. The study, conducted by researchers from the University of South Australia and Deakin University, analyzed data from over 15,000 undergraduate students across nine years and three campuses.
Dr Isabella Bower, the lead researcher with backgrounds in architecture and psychology, and her team compared students’ exam results with the ceiling heights of their exam rooms. They found that students in rooms with elevated ceilings had lower scores than anticipated, even after accounting for individual differences and prior performance.
“These spaces are often designed for purposes other than examinations, such as gymnasiums, exhibitions, events and performances,” Dr Bower says.
The study, published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, considered factors such as students’ age, sex, time of year, and previous exam experience in the courses studied.
Brain Activity and Room Size
Dr Bower’s team also conducted virtual reality experiments to measure brain activity in different room sizes. Using electroencephalography (EEG), they found that simply sitting in a larger room resulted in brain activity associated with concentrating on a difficult task.
“Based on these results we were curious to apply our lab findings to a real-world dataset and see if being in a large space like a gymnasium while having to concentrate on an important task would result in a poorer performance,” Dr Bower explains.
The researchers are still working to determine whether the lower scores are due to the room’s scale itself or other factors like student density, poor insulation, temperature fluctuations, or air quality – all of which can affect brain and body function.
Implications for Education and Design
Associate Professor Jaclyn Broadbent, an educational psychology researcher from Deakin University, emphasizes the importance of these findings for the education system.
“Examinations have been a key part of our education system for over 1300 years, shaping students’ career paths and lives,” says Assoc Prof Jaclyn Broadbent.
She adds, “In Australia, many universities and schools use large indoor spaces for exams to streamline logistics and costs. It’s crucial to recognise the potential impact of the physical environment on student performance and make necessary adjustments to ensure all students have an equal opportunity to succeed.”
The research team believes their findings could have significant implications for building design. Dr Bower suggests that understanding how different spaces affect our cognitive performance could lead to better-designed living and working environments.
Dr Bower, who recently received a NOMIS and Science Young Explorer Award for her research into building design’s effects on brain functioning and mental health, continues to investigate this area. As the first Australian to receive this award, her work highlights the growing importance of understanding how our physical surroundings impact our mental processes and overall well-being.
