Saviez-vous que la lumière est un facteur qui affecte à la fois l'apprentissage et le développement psychologique des écoliers ? Le bon type de lumière peut améliorer les performances en lecture, en écriture et en mathématiques, et supprimer l'agitation et l'agressivité.

Nous avons maintenant des preuves scientifiques complètes des effets de la lumière sur les gens. Par exemple, la lumière est directement liée à notre rythme diurne.

Ce rythme adapte notre corps à un cycle de 24 heures de lumière et d'obscurité. La lumière régule des choses telles que nos habitudes de sommeil, la température corporelle et les niveaux d'hormones du stress. En d'autres termes, la lumière du jour est essentielle pour garantir que notre rythme diurne fonctionne comme il se doit.

SINTEF a récemment achevé un projet visant à compiler tous les résultats de recherche existants dans ce domaine. Le résultat est un ensemble de nouvelles directives sur la façon dont l'éclairage dans les bâtiments scolaires doit être conçu.

"Étant donné que la lumière a un impact sur les élèves dans différents domaines, il est important de mener davantage de recherches sur la manière exacte dont la lumière peut être utilisée dans les écoles norvégiennes", déclare Claudia Moscoso, chercheuse au SINTEF. "Des espaces d'apprentissage bien éclairés peuvent soutenir l'éducation et favoriser un bon développement physique et psychologique chez les élèves", déclare-t-elle.

Les conditions d'éclairage sont très importantes pour les enfants à l'école qui passent beaucoup de temps à l'intérieur. Cela a un impact sur leur vigilance, leurs capacités cognitives et leurs niveaux de cortisol, l'hormone du stress. De plus, les conditions en Scandinavie sont telles que leur exposition à la lumière bleue le matin est réduite pendant les longs mois d'hiver. Cette lumière est essentielle pour activer nos horloges biologiques.

De grandes fenêtres conduisent à de meilleurs résultats d'examen

Par exemple, une étude menée au Royaume-Uni en 2015 (le projet HEAD), qui a recueilli des données auprès de 3 766 écoliers au Royaume-Uni, a révélé que des écoles primaires bien conçues servaient à améliorer les performances scolaires des élèves en lecture, en écriture et en mathématiques. Une découverte particulièrement intéressante était que 16 % de la variation du développement de l'apprentissage sur une période d'un an pouvaient s'expliquer par la conception physique de la salle de classe.

Ces résultats ont clairement démontré que la lumière était le facteur qui exerçait le plus d'effet (21 %), tandis que la qualité de l'air (16 %) et la température (12 %) avaient également une influence majeure. Ces trois facteurs étaient donc responsables de près de la moitié de l'effet sur le développement de l'apprentissage.

Une autre étude scientifique a révélé que les salles de classe avec de grandes fenêtres étaient associées à entre 15 et 23 % de l'amélioration des résultats des élèves aux examens. It also showed that adequate and stable daylight conditions throughout the year boosted academic skills by between 20 and 26 percent, compared with classrooms with low levels of daylight.

Does adequate lighting promote less absenteeism?

A third study found that classrooms with adequate access to daylight and sunlight were associated with less pupil absenteeism and improved academic skills. On the other hand, classrooms with inadequate lighting design can restrict pupils' ability to learn. This is because low levels of lighting can impact on a child's visual system and thus restrict access to visual information and suppress learning ability.

In fact, the difference between classrooms with windows (providing adequate daylight conditions) and those without has been found to influence cortisol levels in children, which in turn are associated with pupils' psychological health and levels of concentration in the classroom. Another major research project , which used data taken from 2,837 schoolchildren aged from eight to 12, found that pupils working in classrooms with large windows exhibited better academic skills compared with those in classrooms with less window area.

In the case of artificial light, research studies have found that variable levels of lighting (i.e. Illumination that varies both in strength and color temperature) serve to boost academic skills in reading speed and comprehension. For example, skills in reading aloud were increased for 38 percent of pupils working under variable lighting conditions, compared with only 18 percent for those under normal white light.

It has also been found that blue-enriched white light reduces restlessness and aggressive behavior among schoolchildren compared with standard white light.

Many variables

Even though minimum lighting requirements have been stipulated for Norwegian schools, these do not in fact guarantee adequate lighting quality in any given school space. For example, the requirements linked to daylight, such as daylight factor (DF), describe an average value for overcast weather.

"If a classroom only succeeds in achieving the minimum requirement of 2 percent DF as set out in the Norwegian statutory building regulations (TEK17), or the Lyskultur recommendation of 5 percent DF, the same classroom may still encounter issues with glare or overheating under clear skies," explains Moscoso.

Moreover, the requirements for artificial light offer inadequate information about the color temperature of the light source. In fact, research has shown that the color temperature of a light source impacts on both the behavior and psychological and mental states of pupils.

So, in order to carry out a comprehensive assessment of lighting conditions in schools, we have to analyze other parameters. For example, classrooms should be monitored to identify issues linked to glare. We should be noting the colors of surfaces and assessing whether the pupils' visual environment is good enough to provide them with mental and visual "relief."

Linked to architecture

Classrooms and group rooms are among the most important learning spaces in any school.

"This makes it very important to evaluate the floor plans and physical design of such spaces," explains Moscoso. "For example, we must look at daylight openings (windows and skylights, if any) and their design, the types of glass, installation angles, as well as the accessibility of sun-screening or daylighting systems," she says.

The aim of daylighting systems is to make better use of daylight, for example by allowing it to penetrate deeper into a space, or by distributing the light more evenly. Even if these factors have already been considered during the design phase, it is also common to retrofit them in existing buildings.

"It's also beneficial to focus on the arrangement of furniture in a space, the color and reflectivity of surfaces, and the location of whiteboards and suchlike. This can provide us with important input during our analyses of light distribution, contrasts and factors that can cause glare," says Moscoso.

Improving light conditions

The researchers have now attempted to identify a suitable method that incorporates the most important factors that should be assessed in the search for a well-lit classroom. Their literature review offers an evaluation of the most important aspects of lighting in school spaces and the methods that can be used to record light conditions in our schools.

"This information can be used in the future either to evaluate and improve existing light conditions in schools, or serve as a set of recommendations during the planning of new schools designed to support learning and well-being," says Moscoso. + Explorer plus loin

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