This literature review aims to identify and discuss research studies exploring lighting in school environments from 1980 to 2020. The article explores how methods and tools, attributed to various research fields, have been used in education-related studies. The review has shown a shift in focus related to light variables studied across the four decades, from daylight to electric lighting. Additionally, the methods used to evaluate and suggest new lighting shifted from participatory approaches to software simulations, resulting in a primarily mixed-method approach during the last decade (2010–2020). Lighting evaluations are at the forefront of research projects, followed by retrofit solutions and new design implementations. This approach reveals a gap in design processes to implement new lighting. The article discusses the importance of an interdisciplinary and mixed-method approach when working with educational environments, underlining lighting characteristics that require further study, and the importance of learning activities in connection to lighting. 

This paper explores the use of participatory methods prior to designing interventions within a research project at a primary school in central Sweden. The approach presented in the paper is based on the principles of participatory design (PD), to enhance the use of these methods within the areas of educational research (ER), lighting, and architecture. This approach aims to include participants of educational spaces and incorporate their views prior to design interventions. Two workshops were designed to support teachers' participation through hands-on activities. Twenty-eight teachers participated in the workshops. Scale models corresponding to two of the school's classrooms were used to initiate discussions regarding the interconnection between spatial layouts, lighting, and learning activities. The workshops' data collection analysis assisted the research group in understanding the school's spatial and learning characteristics. The information gathered from the workshops provided additional knowledge and informed the research project in a way that allowed for further development and changes within the project related to the additional variables measured along with light. According to the analysis, there is a correlation between the activity and the desired layout of the space, while the type of equipment also varies according to the task. 

This study focuses on a workshop exploration based on participatory methods before lighting interventions at a primary school in east-central Sweden. This approach is based on participatory design (PD) principles, aiming to support teachers’ and pupils’ voices within educational research (ER), lighting design, and architecture disciplines. Two workshops are presented, one addressing teachers (n=5) and the other addressing pupils (n=33). The first workshop focused on lighting perception, while the second addressed pupils’ choices of space for certain learning activities. Results from teachers’ work revealed that higher light levels are evaluated more favourably for on-screen activities. Furthermore, shadow evaluation was the factor that varied the most when comparing the two lighting scenarios. Additionally, pupils’ preferred working location depended on their activity, and the proximity to daylight was higher for individual tasks than group discussions. Findings from both workshops were later implemented as design directions to inform a larger research project on school lighting interventions.

This article explores how light distribution affects classroom environments and highlights its potential as a design parameter. While lighting intensity and spectrum have been widely studied due to recent technological advances, light distribution, especially from children’s vantage points, has rarely been addressed.

The study includes a survey of current classrooms, reviews school lighting guidelines, and presents a pilot study exploring various lighting scenarios. Observations from six schools are summarized through sketches, followed by a pilot study to develop and illustrate six light distribution schemes, such as horizontal and vertical light levels at the children’s desk locations. Six lighting schemes are developed and evaluated using illuminance measurements and photo documentation. These are then compared with software simulations (Dialux Evo 12) to assess the on-site with the software-based illuminance measurements.

One outcome, relevant when designing for children, showed higher vertical illuminance for 1.00m eye height compared to 1.20m for the same horizontal illuminance measurement under directional light. In contrast, reflected lighting scenes show minimal variation in vertical illuminance for different measurement heights. This result was used for the definition of a series of scenes, achievable using one lighting system, to inform a design research project and field study related to classroom lighting.

This article presents a three year long observational study in a learning environment and the development of design steps that led to a lighting proposal for two primary school classrooms. An analysis of learning activities along with the related spatial characteristics, including furniture and lighting configurations, are described and compose the basis for the lighting design proposal. A series of sketches, photo registrations, and discussions with the teachers working in these classrooms were used to register and collect information. Sketches and floor plans were compared in order to register furniture and lighting changes, and notes from the observation logs were compiled to identify usage patterns and types of learning activities. The analysis resulted in outlining six typical learning activities that can be grouped into three broader groups, each encompassing a distinct use of classroom furniture andtools. Based on these findings, the project developed lighting scenarios for each of the six identified activities, with a variation in light distribution and intensity to cater to different needs. The study concludes with a discussion suggesting a generalised design process model by combining input from lighting guideline documents and site-specific characteristics. This model outlines how a generalised process can incorporate site-specific attributes for lighting interventions in learning environments.

This field study explores the effect of spatial lighting distribution on creativity and attention at a primary school in east-central Sweden. A total of n=28 pupils (10-12 y.o) participated in a two-year study, where new lighting was implemented in two of the school’s classrooms. The intervention consisted of a combination of direct/indirect lighting and vertical (wall) illumination. Horizontal and vertical illuminance, and M-EDI and EML values, were registered to compare the intervention to the former lighting condition. A within-subject study was designed, and data on illuminance, temperature, and test scores were gathered to compare and assess the newly installed lighting. Results suggest a significant effect of seasonality on school children’s attention (d2 test of attention) beyond expected variations according to developmental changes. No significant differences in test scores were registered for acreativity test (Torrance Test of Creative Thinking, TTCT) under the new lighting.