The environment around us has a great influence on our ability to learn and grow as people. Even the development of a foetus inside a mother is affected by her emotional, mental, and physical state of being.
Students and children are all products of their environment. If you are constantly in a positive environment without a lot of distractions, then you will probably become a good learner and a very successful person.
The learning of a university-level student is even more impacted by their environment. With such advanced course material to learn, university students cannot afford to be distracted. If they are their academic performance is bound to suffer as a result.
Below are the top 5 environmental factors that affect the learning of a university-level student.
Unattractive Learning Environment
The aesthetics of your learning environment are very important. No one wants to study in a classroom or student lounge which has solid colours on the walls and no windows to allow in natural light.
Students do not want to feel like they are being cooped up inside all day. They want to have as much natural beauty around them as possible, such as sunlight and greenery. This has a positive psychological effect on the brain and makes them feel more comfortable as they learn.
At Sydney University, there is a project underway to add more beauty to the areas of the school where students like to lounge and study.
A professional team of commercial planters are going to “green up” these student areas with potted plants, flowers, and other green elements.
Visual Distractions
Visual distractions are all around us. For instance, if you are sitting in a classroom while trying to listen to the teacher, you might be distracted by the other students sitting next to you or the people walking in the hallways.
If there is an open window in the classroom, you might see some interesting things going on outside that draw your attention away from the teacher.
It is hard to control these distractions, so you are better off trying to move to a different area of the room where you cannot see these distractions as much.
Sound Distractions
Sound distractions can happen anywhere. You might hear other students whispering to each other behind your desk if you are in a classroom. At home, the sound distractions can be much worse if there are children around.
The best way to reduce background noise is to wear earplugs or listen to white noise. You can use an mp3 player or fan to create white noise. It should be able to block out most of the other sounds in your environment.
Uncomfortable Temperature
Students cannot learn well if the temperature of their environment is too hot or too cold. Sometimes a school will turn on their air conditioning to an extremely cold temperature, which means it will make students feel uncomfortable.
It is counterproductive to use the air conditioning system in this way. The temperature of your learning environment must be between 23°C to 25°C.
If you have no control over the temperature, then wear appropriate clothing to your learning environment so that you can stay warm or cool.
Mental Distractions
Student learning is not always affected by their immediate environment. Sometimes it is their social relationships and experiences in other environments that cause them to be mentally distracted in their current environment.
In other words, they cannot stop thinking about certain problems in their life, even when those problems are not immediately around them. Perhaps a student has trouble with their parents at home or with their roommates in a dormitory.
Mental distractions can be the worst because you can take them with you wherever you go. All you can do is try to resolve the problems you have with the people in those environments.
This could mean moving to a new apartment or getting a new side job. If you can change your environment in one location, it can have a positive effect on your environment in other locations.
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