COLOUR IN LEARNING ITS EFFECT ON THE RETENTION

COLOUR IN LEARNING: IT’S EFFECT ON THE RETENTION RATE OF GRADUATE STUDENTS Olurinola, O. , and Tayo, O. (2015) Colour in Learning: It’s Effect on the Retention Rate of Graduate Students. Journal of Education and Practice, 6(14), pp. 1 -5 Presented by Kimberly Fleming

COLOR IN EDUCATION • Color: • Important for memory (NIA, 2008)(Pett, 1996) • Used to motivate students and enhance learning (Wichmann, 2002) • May affect students positively or negatively Introduction Methodology Results Figure 1 a & b. Examples of how color can be used in a classroom http: //wallinked. com/best-classroom-wallcolor-ideas-gallery/12 -tips-for-choosingpaint-colors-bright-walls-schoolclassroom-wall-color-ideas/ Discussion & Conclusions References

COLOR IN EDUCATION • Color: • Important for memory (NIA, 2008)(Pett, 1996) • Used to motivate students and enhance learning (Wichmann, 2002) • May affect students positively or negatively Congruent Colored Words Incongruent Colored Words Grass Red Figure 3. Monochromatic refers to different shades of one color. Achromatic refers to black, white & gray. • Color Relationships: • Congruent vs. Incongruent • Monochromatic vs. Achromatic Introduction Methodology Results Figure 2. Comparisons between congruent & incongruent colored word lists (Mrs. Fleming, 2018) https: //kathrynlaurenlangmaid. wordpre ss. com/tag/colour-wheel/ Discussion & Conclusions References

REVIEW OF LITERATURE Problems & Contradictions: Fraley & Grant 1976 • Colored Multimedia increased attention & memory • First to conduct these types of studies Mc. Connohie Boyatzis & Varghese 1994 • Colored scenes recalled more when congruent colors used Hall & Hanna Smilek 2002 Pan 2012 Introduction 1999 2004 • White background better for recall than colored background • White background easier to read • Congruent colored-text recalled more than other conditions • Colors increase attention, therefore memory Methodology Results Gap in the Literature: Lack of studies on post-graduate students Discussion & Conclusions References

RESEARCH QUESTIONS & HYPOTHESIS Research Questions: Null Hypothesis (H 0): 1) Does the use of color affect retention rate of graduate students? 2) Which colors are most effective in increasing retention rate of graduate learners? 3) Is there a difference in the retention rate of subjects exposed to congruent & incongruent colors and those in the control group (achromatic color)? Introduction Methodology Results There is not a significant difference in the retention rate of subjects exposed to congruent & incongruent colors and those in the control group Discussion & Conclusions References

METHODOLOGY 20 words 10 Achromatic (Control) Grass Distraction 30 Volunteer Post -grad students Introduction 10 Congruent Grass 10 Incongruent Grass Methodology Results 10 min Math Test 30 minutes Discussion & Conclusions Written Recall References

ANALYSIS • ANOVA test • Dependent variable: # of recalled words • Comparisons between: • Achromatic • Congruent • Incongruent • Significance threshold p=0. 05 • Descriptive statistics • Mean • Standard deviation • Standard error Introduction Methodology Results If p<0. 05 If p>0. 05 Reject the null hypothesis. There is a significant difference between groups Accept the null hypothesis. There is NOT a significant difference between groups. Table 1. An explanation of how significance was determined Discussion & Conclusions References

RESULTS Average Number of Recalled Words Organized by Groups # of recalled words 14 12 Figure 4. Average number of words recalled (out of 20), according to groups. Error bars represent standard error. (Fleming, 2018) 10 8 6 4 2 0 Achromatic Introduction Congruent Methodology Incongruent Results • Congruent highest rate of recall • Incongruent lowest rate of recall Discussion & Conclusions References

RESULTS Table 2. Descriptive statistics of the retention scores of the graduate students Table 3. One-Way Analysis of Variance of the difference in the retention scores of the graduate students. Significant at p<0. 05 • Congruent color group mean scores >other groups(Table 2) • Incongruent color group mean scores were lowest (Table 2) • Significant difference between the means of the groups (Table 3) Introduction Methodology Results Discussion & Conclusions References

DISCUSSION & CONCLUSIONS The Null Hypothesis (H 0) was rejected, therefore: • There is a significant difference in the retention rate of subjects exposed to congruent & incongruent colors and those in the control group(p<0. 05) • • Introduction Congruent colors > incongruent colors Incongruent colors < control group (achromatic) Only color used appropriately will have a positive effect on memory Results confirmed past studies (Onasanya, 2002)(Boyatzis, 1994) Methodology Results Discussion & Conclusions References

DISCUSSION & CONCLUSIONS Research Questions: 1) Does the use of color affect retention rate of graduate students? Yes. It can increase (congruent) or decrease (incongruent) retention scores 2) Which colors are most effective in increasing retention rate of graduate learners? Congruent 3) Is there a difference in the retention rate of subjects exposed to congruent & incongruent colors and those in the control group (achromatic color)? Yes, significantly different Introduction Methodology Results Discussion & Conclusions References

RECOMMENDATIONS & FUTURE STUDIES Recommendations: • Educators should be trained to use color appropriately with their instructional material • Instructional materials should include color to highlight appropriate points Future Studies: • Effect of color on long-term memory • Effect of color on different age groups Figure 5. An example of how colors can be used to separate and highlight material in a chemistry class https: //www. texasgateway. org/resource/matter-and-energy-metals-nonmetals-and-metalloids Introduction Methodology Results Discussion & Conclusions References

REFERENCES • Boyatzis, C J; & Varghese, R. (1999) Children's Emotional Associations with Colors. Journal of Genetic Psychology; 155 (1), 77 -85. doi: 10. 1080/00221325. 1994. 9914760 • Fleming, K. (2018) Created in Microsoft Excel on Wednesday October 3, 2018. • Fraley, F. H. & Grant, A. P. (1976). Arousal and cognition: Memory for color versus black and white multimedia presentation. The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied. 94(1), 147– 150 available from http: //www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles • Hall R. H, & Hanna P. (2004). The impact of web text-background color combination on readability, retention, aesthetics and behavioural intention. Behavioral Information. 23(3), 183– 195 • Mc. Connohie, B. V. (1999). A study of the effect of color in memory retention when used in presentation software. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Johnson Bible College. • National Institute on Ageing. (2008). Making Your Printed Health Materials Senior Friendly. Available from http: //www. nia. nih. gov/health/publication/making-your-printed-health-materials-senior-friendly • Onasanya S. A (2002). The effect of colour on students’ cognitive performance in instruction using photographic prints. Ilorin Journal of Education, 21, 156 - 166 • Pan Y. (2012) Attentional capture by working memory contents. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology. 64(2), 124– 128. Retrieved from http: //www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmed/20565178 • Pett D. & Wilson T. (1996). Colour research and its application to the design of instructional materials. Educational Technology Research and Design. 44 (3), 19 -35 • Smilek D, Dixon M, Cudahy C, & Merikle P. (2002). Research Report: Synesthetic color experiences influence memory. Psychological Science. 13(6), 548– 552. Retrieved from http: //www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmed/12430840 • Wichmann F, Sharpe L, & Gegenfurtner K. (2002). The contributions of color to recognition memory for natural scenes. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology. 28(3), 509– 520. Retrieved from http: //www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmed/20565178 Introduction Methodology Results Discussion & Conclusions References

COLOUR IN LEARNING: IT’S EFFECT ON THE RETENTION RATE OF GRADUATE STUDENTS Olurinola, O. , and Tayo, O. (2015) Colour in Learning: It’s Effect on the Retention Rate of Graduate Students. Journal of Education and Practice, 6(14), pp. 1 -5 Presented by Kimberly Fleming