Effect of Different Amounts of Wood Used in Classroom Interiors on Junior High School Students' Visual Impressions

Abstract

We conducted a photographic survey to examine the differences in impressions that junior high school students receive from classroom interiors with varying amounts of wood ratios, as well as the structure of their evaluations. The students were shown photographs reflecting three wood ratio patterns of the interior elements (ceilings, walls, and floors): all wood, half wood, and no wood. The students evaluated the photographs using the semantic differential method based on a seven-grade scale with 21 adjective pairs. The results of the factor analysis showed a three-factor structure. Factor 1: “preference of the space”; factor 2: “school-likeness of the space”; and factor 3: “physical characteristics of the space.” The factor 1 score increased with an increase in the wood ratio. The factor 2 score remained unchanged, whereas the factor 3 score changed with the presence or absence of wood. This study suggests that the wood ratio of classroom interiors affects the visual impressions of junior high school students.