Effect of Classroom Environment on Physical and Mental Stress of Teachers and Students

Abstract

newline Classroom is a place where students spend most of their time in any academic institution. This research proposal discusses the Effect of Classroom Environment on Physical and Mental Stress of Teachers and Students. The present study aims to study physical stress in terms of body temperature, oxygen saturation in blood and blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) in students and teachers before and after the class; study mental stress through psychological questionnaire in students and teachers before and after the class; measure class room environment in terms of temperature, humidity, sound and light in empty and fully occupied condition; correlate the classroom environment with academic performance of the students and provide suggestions to improve the classroom environment . A total of 100 Post graduate students and 20 teachers from 10 departments of Lalit Narayan Mithila University were selected for the study. Readings were noted before and after the class. Self-structured questionnaire, standard questionnaires, observation sheet, still pictures and specific tools were used to measure different variables. The collected data were coded, tabulated, and analysed using various statistical techniques for drawing valid conclusions. Still pictures were analysed to study the posture of students while attending the class. Results revealed that on an average students used to sit for 3.33 hour continuously in the classes without any rest break unless and until any emergency occurs. Major reason of physical stress was poor sitting posture and continuous sitting of students due to unawareness, habitual postures, lengthy classes and lack of rest breaks. For teachers, major physical problem was due to It was recommended to the students to attend regular classes, submit assignments and projects on time as well as do proper planning of academic and extracurricular activities to maintain good mental health. It can be concluded that attending class is physiologically light activity in which students sit for at leas