The physical environment in educational settings impacts students’ emotions, engagement, and academic performance differently. By understanding these differences, inclusive learning environments...Show moreThe physical environment in educational settings impacts students’ emotions, engagement, and academic performance differently. By understanding these differences, inclusive learning environments can be created to optimize students’ well-being and learning. Therefore, this thesis investigated the relationship between the perception of the light and sound environment and the affective experience (AE) of students with and without communication difficulties (CD), with the focus on exploring whether CD moderates this relationship. Using self-reports and real time surveys, the study assesses AE and environmental perception. Participants consisted of 23 individuals with CD and 18 without (mean age= 19.29 years), recruited from university and high school settings. The findings revealed distinct preferences between CD and non-CD students. CD students demonstrated an association between positive affect and better sound environment, whereas non-CD students exhibited a preference for better light environment. Furthermore, CD students reported a higher prevalence of negative emotions compared to their non-CD counterparts. Notably, a discrepancy emerged between the overall experience and real time measures, highlighting the need to refine methodologies for accurately capturing individuals’ perceptions of the environment. In conclusion, the study’s findings highlight the importance of considering individual differences among students and shaping their AE. The higher prevalence of negative emotions among CD students emphasizes the need for further research to better understand the underlying mechanisms contributing to this vulnerability. Moving forward, it is crucial to validate and expand upon these findings to promote the development of inclusive educational practices that prioritize the well-being and success of all students.Show less
The present study is part of a larger collective to examine the effects of accessibility on the well-being of young adults with and without communication difficulties. This specific study talks...Show moreThe present study is part of a larger collective to examine the effects of accessibility on the well-being of young adults with and without communication difficulties. This specific study talks about the connection between sound and human perception which is formally known as psychoacoustics. Individuals with communication difficulties (CD) often have to expend more cognitive resources to process auditory signals (e.g., speech) which can cause listening-related fatigue. This form of fatigue may result in cognitive and physical exhaustion which can affect both social and emotional health. This paper aimed to apply psychoacoustics in the context of university education to investigate whether the level of listening-relate fatigue is higher in CD than non-CD university students and if this effect could be predicted from situational factors. This study used real-time data collected through an ecological momentary assessment which was filled out by 24 Leiden university students (non-CD = 11, CD =13) aging between 18 and 27. Results showed that the CD and non-CD groups did not significantly differ in fatigue level, F (1,20) = 2.167, p = .157, and that the regression model used was not a good fit (p =.143). Only the interaction between sound level and CD was found to be a significant predictor of fatigue (b = .08, t(14) = 3.04 , p = 0.01). Further investigation into this interaction effect revealed that the slope for the relationship between fatigue and sound level was in the positive direction (0.04) for the CD group and in the negative for the non-CD group (-0.04). This indicates that the presence of loud auditory signals likely lead to higher fatigue in the CD demographic but not in the non-CD demographic. Limitations of this study included a small and unrepresentative sample size and lack of data relating to the independent variables. These shortcomings could explain the non-significance of a majority of the findings. Further research should focus on investigating different situational factors (e.g., reverberation and stress) to help explain more variance in fatigue. Continuing to present how environmental and sound features increase or decrease fatigue in students with CD can encourage university to think critically about how they structure their campuses. This paper showcases the importance of soundproofing study environments to prevent prolonged exhaustion in the CD demographic.Show less
Sense of belonging at school is an important factor in the school context. Especially for pupils with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) a sense of belonging is important in order to have positive...Show moreSense of belonging at school is an important factor in the school context. Especially for pupils with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) a sense of belonging is important in order to have positive experiences at school. The most important contributor to a sense of belonging at school is the staff-pupil interaction. The purpose of the current research is to investigate the relationship between a sense of belonging at school and staff-pupil interaction for pupils with ASD. The relationship will be investigated for boys and girls at primary school and secondary school. Participants are parents of 200 children with ASD between the age of three and seventeen years old. The parents filled in questionnaires about the well-being of their children in the school context. The current research showed that there is a strong positive relationship between sense of belonging at school and staff-pupil interaction for pupils with ASD. No differences were found in the levels of sense of belonging at school and staff-pupil interaction between boys and girls and between primary and secondary school.Show less
