Bahar Kızıltunalı has been a teacher and administrator for over 40 years. She  has been invited to take part in conferences and focus groups at many prestigious universities, including Oxford and Cambridge in the UK, and in Brazil. She has  undertaken training in Total Quality Management  and worked as a fully qualified Quality Inspector for City and Guilds for a time. She has worked closely with leading experts in the field of ELT and has a wide range of contacts within the world of ELT both in Turkey and abroad. One of her particular areas of expertise is testing. Having developed testing programmes for different institutions, she has also worked closely with many respected experts in this field. She also holds a Diploma in ELT Mangement. Email: ulku61@gmail.com

 

Background: Izmir University of Economics

Izmir University of Economics was officially established on April 14, 2001with 2 faculties, 5 schools, and 2 graduate schools pursuant to Law No.4633 published in Official Gazette No. 24373. On July 1, 2001, it moved to its current campus in Balçova with the support of Ahmet Piriştina, the Metropolitan Mayor of Izmir at the time. Starting its education journey with 288 students, Izmir University of Economics,  the first foundation university of the Aegean Region, became one of the most preferred universities across the nation, and has produced 16 thousand 200 graduates so far. A total of 464 academics, including 59 foreign nationals, work at the  university, which has almost 10 thousand students. Izmir University of Economics has made considerable progress and now offers 28 associate degree programs, 35 undergraduate programs, 30 masters programs, and 6 PhD programs.

 

Introduction

Human well-being is commonly acknowledged to be dependent on light. However, the quality of light varies greatly in nature and in controlled situations, raising the question of which artificial light properties are most conducive to learning. Dynamic lighting technology aids humans in their actualization and focus

Work and school performance including language learning are all affected by focus.

 

Lighting and learning effects

Because lighting has such a significant impact on many aspects of human functioning, including eyesight, circadian rhythms, mood, and cognition, its implications on learning and classroom performance cannot be overlooked. Several studies have looked at how lighting quality and color might affect students' visual abilities and, as a result, academic performance. Students' conduct might be affected by visual impairments alone, as well as their focus and motivation in the classroom.

As light causes physiological changes, mood and cognition may be influenced in a variety of ways. Furthermore, lighting's cognitive and mood-related impacts on humans, according to Veitch and McColl (2001), have notable implications: (a) greater performance on cognitive-related activities in the academic setting, and (b) overall increased quality of life and well-being. The sharpness of these cognitive abilities may be influenced by one's mood. The amount and quality of illumination can affect mood (Veitch & McColl, 2001; Beauchemin & Hays, 1996; Benedetti, Colombo, Barbini, Campori, & Smeraldi, 2001).

 

How lighting influences learning and educational spaces

Lighting is a fundamental element which has a considerable influence on the educational experience. Classrooms with a supply of natural light, and complemented by adequate artificial light, provide what we call dynamic lighting, which is capable of adapting to the students’ biological and emotional rhythm. As a result, there is an improved educational experience, which influences both students’ emotional and cognitive behaviour , in turn increasing their levels of concentration and motivation all needed for language learning as well. The impact of lighting on students is also very important in terms of academic achievement, including language acquisition.

One of the topics that has been extensively studied is "cognitive processes." A few of the established outcomes that show how classroom illumination affects cognition are academic achievement, attention levels, working speed, productivity, and accuracy. LED lighting appears to be the optimal type of illumination for improving psychological and cognitive processes in classrooms..

 Higher correlated colour temperatures (CCT) and a balance between natural and artificial light are particularly important. Research findings make it very evident that dynamic lighting is required in the classroom to accommodate a variety of activities. As the initial step toward intelligent classroom lighting, research is now concentrating on automating a dynamic lighting system.

In schools, fluorescent lighting is  often  employed. According to studies, students would not benefit from this lighting type. Students that utilize fluorescent lights cause physical stress, hyperactivity, and anxiety. Poor learning outcomes are caused by the cool-white tint that the bulbs emanate, especially after prolonged exposure. . What substitute for fluorescent lighting in classrooms offers the same brightness without the undesired effects? LED illumination is the solution.

 

The difference between warm white and cool white

The Kelvin (K) scale measures color temperature( Color temperature is a way to describe the light appearance provided by a light bulb.); the lower the value, the warmer the white light seems, whereas the higher the Kelvin, the cooler it appears. Generally speaking, the color temperature ranges from 2700-3300K (warm) to 3300-5300K (cool), with 6500K being sunshine. Lower color temperatures (2700–3000 K) are referred to as "warm colors," whereas color temperatures beyond 5000 K are referred to as "cool colors" (bluish) (yellowish). Rather than temperature, "warm" in this context refers to the radiated heat flux of conventional incandescent lighting. Warm-colored light has a spectral peak that is closer to infrared, and the majority of warm-colored light sources in nature produce considerable amounts of infrared radiation. Confusion is sometimes caused by the fact that "warm" illumination in this sense really has a "cooler" color temperature. [1]

Warm White is a yellowish that resembles a traditional incandescent or halogen light.Warm White, that generates around 3000 Kelvin Degrees (3000K), Natural White that generates around 4500Kelvin degrees (4500K) and Cool White that generates between 5000 and 6000 Kelvin Degrees (5000-6000K). Warm White is a yellowish that resembles a traditional incandescent or halogen light. Cool White on its side, leans towards shades of blue and more like the light you would get from a neon.

 

Which color temperature is most conducive to studying?

It seems sense that the light that most closely resembles daylight should be the best for learning. Here's when understanding color temperature becomes important. It is crucial to study color temperature, which is measured in Kelvin (K) when studying. A light source's color temperature reveals the hue of its white light. Cool light has a high color temperature, and   warm light, a low color temperature.

Let's use an illustration to assist us comprehend. Candlelight has a warmish glow and has a color temperature of about 1800K. The brightest part of the spectrum is daylight on a wintry day. The color temperature of such a light is around 6500K. The color temperature reading on the product label should be about 4000K for   natural white LED bulbs, which are the closest artificial light to natural light. Therefore, for studying, we advise a color temperature of roughly 4000K. In essence, this implies that you should use natural white LED lighting for your study space.

For learning, it is important to ensure the  color rendering index (CRI) and the color temperature is appropriate.

 

What is the best Colour Rendering Index (CRI) for studying?

To begin with, let's define what a color rendering index is. How accurately a light reproduces the colors of the item it illuminates is determined by the color rendering index (CRI). CRI is measured on a scale from 0 to 100. Any light that reads 90 or higher is said to be particularly good,   but if the reading is 80 or below, the light is probably not of sufficient quality.

CRI90+ LED bulbs have the advantage of not producing blue light, which can be quite harmful. Low-score bulbs, on the other hand, could produce blue light and should be avoided. Additionally, LED lights with CRI90+ ratings produce the brightest, glare-free light.

In the following section we review the literature on lighting and its effect on studying.

 

Literature review

Some illumination features may cause pain and impair visual and cognitive function, according to Winterbottom & Wilkins (2009). These qualities include daylight and fluorescent illumination, as well as the invisible 100 Hz flicker of fluorescent lighting and the glare created by interactive whiteboards (IWBs) and dry-erase whiteboards (DWBs) (Winterbottom & Wilkins, 2009, p. 8).

His research sought to ascertain how much exposure to the previously noted lighting inefficiencies students in the classroom receive. The study found that some of the classrooms had "excessive fluorescent lighting and excessive daylighting," while others had "an unreasonably inefficient type of fluorescent lighting that has been known to create headaches and impair visual performance."

The effect of lighting on the brain's ability to focus is important. Studies show that pupils who were in well-lit classroom environments outperformed those in dimly lit ones. It appears that poor lighting makes it more difficult for the brain to adequately process the information needed for language. Additionally, full spectrum illumination that mimics natural light is preferable for improving behavior, reducing stress and anxiety, and improving general wellness.

Good lighting enhances both group and individual student performance in learning contexts. Evidence suggests that effective lighting generally increases performance and production while lowering eyestrain and fatigue, which may increase   chances of success. (One workplace, 1999; Monteiro, 2012; Johnson, 2011).  Students who took their classes in classrooms with more natural light performed up to 25% higher on standardized examinations than other students, according to study by the Heschong Mahone Group. The setting of a well-designed school or university may serve as an inspiration, helping both instructors and students to perform better.

In order to provide students with a better learning environment, this study examined how learning settings like schools, universities, and colleges should be constructed. In this study, researchers made an effort to explain how lighting quality influences students' learning performance. It is important to  be   aware  that light has a big impact on how effectively people function at work and in the classroom.

 

Academic performance

In this section we focus specifically on how light affects concentration, specifically, academic performance.   Lighting is important, but it is a neglected issue. Classrooms with LED lighting instead of fluorescent  and show a higher level of concentration.

Students show increased productivity during tests when given the opportunity to work under 6,500 K lighting than students working under fluorescent lights. The minimum illuminance level in classrooms should be 500 lux. (Lux is the unit of luminous flux spread over a given area of a surface such as a school desk or a blackboard. It is not to be confused with lumen, the unit of luminous flux emitted by a light source, a value displayed on lamp packaging.) Lighting should always accommodate the visual needs of the users, so planning should not be based just on the size of the room, but also on the activities undertaken in it. Failing to do so will cause discomfort to the students, such as  eye fatigue, missing important pieces of information, and also reduce their concentration, which, in the long run, might even affect their learning performance.

A classroom should not only be designed for high academic performance, but also for the well-being of learners. When it comes to the role of lighting in the classroom, having the appropriate type  of light is fundamental to the student’s ability to concentrate. Natural light positively contributes to a higher academic performance. It also supports attention, the stability of the circadian cycle and overall health, mental health and comfort, which in turn, leads to better academic performance. Fluorescent lights plague many classrooms,  with  the flickering of fluorescent lights, as well as poor release of lighting, interfering  with the student’s concentration. However, dynamic LED lights are an ideal replacement not only because they  flicker,  but also because they  offer better lighting overall.

 

Conclusion

As seen above, lighting has such a significant impact on how people behave that it has given rise to a new school of design known as illuminating engineering or light design. In this industry, lighting designers optimize lighting for a space's desired function and ambiance in corporate offices, retail locations, and other types of venues. In  contrast to soft, low light, people act differently in bright light. Although this is common knowledge, this study   is the first to examine how students   respond to illumination that resembles the sun. A change in light could have the intended impact if you wish to boost your energy and productivity. Lighting has a potentially tremendously favorable impact on health because it synchronizes the circadian cycle of all living things with the variations in light throughout the day.

CRI90+ LED bulbs should be used since they provide the most balanced light, and Natural White LED bulbs are best for studying because they closely resemble natural daylight.

 

Other considerations

In this section we look at other considerations, including effect on behavior, as well as concentration.  In every interior environment, appropriate lighting is essential due to its influence on people's moods and emotions. Schools are one place where proper lighting is very important. The major objective of creating an effective lighting system for the classroom is to enable students to perform as well as possible. All age groups and demographics may benefit greatly from increased learning if classroom fluorescent lighting is replaced by  LED bulbs and more natural light. Simply altering the type of lighting used in classrooms can improve students' test scores, concentration, and general wellbeing. According to research, pupils perform better in both classrooms that are brightly lit in a way that mimics natural light, and those that additionally feature natural light. Brighter classrooms have been linked to better behavior and lower levels of anxiety and stress among students of all ages.

As for non-visual effects regarding comparison of LED studies and fluorescent studies, over the past few decades, research on lighting's impact on people has mainly concentrated on fluorescent lighting, but more recent studies are looking at LEDs and how they affect work and learning environments, including dynamic or programmable lighting. For example, Ferlazzo et al. (2014) investigated how LED light sources affected participant performance of visual spatial abilities and executive processes was affected.

Forty-four college students with a mean age of 25.6, were studied in a setting that was specifically designed with totally controlled lighting, using 2800K halogen lamps against 4000K LED lamps in the experimental cabin. The results showed that exposure to cooler light reduces errors in the mental rotation of 3-D objects through enhancing cognitive ability to handle numerous tasks or task switching.