Open Letter Assignment

Ellie Hood 

2 May 2020

Dear president Daniele C. Struppa, 

It is evident that your commitment to students’ success is immense. This is precisely why I am excited to propose the installation of one or more indoor plants in each Chapman University classroom. Recently, researchers have begun to ask themselves: Does the presence of living plants in classrooms have a positive impact on students’ academic performance? They have begun to explore the effects of the presence of indoor plants in school environments. Their research has found that the presence of plants in classrooms leads to an increase in student satisfaction with faculty, student preference, comfort, friendliness, attendance, good behavior, performance, mood, energy, and confidence. 

The main objective of The Impact of Interior Plants in University Classrooms on Student Course Performance and on Student Perceptions of the Course and Instructor Doxey, Waliczek, & Zajicek, (2009), was to investigate the impact plants have in a university classroom setting on course performance and students’ perceptions of the course and instructor. This study consisted of three sets of two classes each and 385 students. To see if plants really do impact students’ performance as well as their perception of the course and instructor, the experimental group had tropical plants present in their classroom. In the control group, no plants were present in their classroom. Comparisons of overall course and instructor evaluation scores of treatment and control groups had statistically significant differences. An extremely statistically significant difference in participants’ self reported scores revealed that the group of students who attended class in the room where plants were present learned more than the group of students who attended class in the room where plants were not present. Additionally, a statistically significant difference in participants’ self reported scores revealed that the group of students who attended class in the room where plants were present rated their instructor to be more enthusiastic and organized than did the group of students who attended class in the room where plants were not present. In summary, the addition of plants to classrooms increases student’s satisfaction with their professors, leading them to view professors as more enthusiastic and organized. The outcomes of this study suggest that if plants were to be placed in Chapman University classrooms, students’ satisfaction with their professors would increase, leading to greater faculty ratings, resulting in a higher ranking university satisfaction rating. 

Research conducted prior to Influence of Limitedly Visible Leafy Indoor Plants on the Psychology, Behavior, and Health of Students at a Junior High School in Taiwan (Han, 2009) found that natural elements such as plants increase mood, aid recovery from mental fatigue, and improve both behavior and health (Faber Taylor, Kuo, & Sullivan, 2001; Hartig, Mang, & Evans, 1991; Kaplan, 1995; Wells, 2000, as cited in Han, 2009). In this particular study (Han, 2009), two groups of students in identical classrooms, with the exception of six indoor plants in the back of the room, were surveyed once every two weeks. The students in the classroom with the indoor plants showed an immediate shift towards stronger feelings of preference, comfort, and friendliness than did the students in the control group where no plants were present. The students in the classroom where plants were present reported having fewer sick days and fewer records of punishment as the result of poor behavior, than did those in the control group where no plants were present. There was not a correlation between the classroom and student academic performance, however this could be due to the short duration of the experiment or the quality of the teachers. In summary, although students’ academic performance did not experience a statistically significant increase during this particular, short-term study the presence of plants in the classroom resulted in other positive unforeseen outcomes. The presence of plants in the classroom led students to experience an increase in the strength of feelings of preference, comfort, and friendliness, as well as a decrease in the occurrences of sick days and records of punishment. The outcomes of this study suggest that if plants were to be placed in Chapman University classrooms, not only would students’ feelings of preference, comfort, and friendliness increase, but students’ attendance and behavior would increase due to the decrease in student sick days and misbehavior. Both of these could result in a greater retention rate for Chapman University. 

The purpose of this study, Effects of an indoor plant on creative task performance and mood (Shibata & Suzuki, 2004) was to investigate the influence of an indoor plant placed in a room on University Students’ performance in an association task, as well as on their mood. In this study, three conditions in which participants were tested. In the first room, there stood a magazine stand, in the second, a plant, and in the third, no object was present. Shibata & Suzuki (2004) found that differences in task performance were primarily affected by the object placed in the room. The results concluded that participants performed better when they felt more active and confident, and when the object in the room was perceived as calm and not distracting. The magazine stand was seen as more distracting and less calming than the plant. In the no object condition, participants rated themselves as being less confident and less energized than in the other two conditions. Female participants performed much better when there was a plant in the room, than when there was a magazine stand. There was no difference in performance between the magazine stand and the no object condition. Shibata & Suzuki (2004) suggest that the presence of a plant in the room was more suitable for the association task used in this study than the presence of a magazine stand or nothing at all. Compatibility is important to have between an environment and its function for the restorative effect of said environment (S. Kaplan, 1983, 2001; Korpela & Hartig, 1996; Korpela, Hartig, Kaiser & Fuhrer, 2001; Hartig, Kaiser & Bowler, 2001; Laumann et al., 2001, as cited in Shibata & Suzuki, 2004). In summary, students perform better when an object is present in the classroom which makes them feel active and confident, and when the object in the room is perceived as calm and not distracting. These results (Shibata & Suzuki, 2004) suggest that plants are calming, undistracting, and help make students feel confident and energized. The outcomes of this study suggest that if plants were to be placed in Chapman University classrooms, female students’ level of performance and male students’ moods would significantly increase. Additionally, if plants were to be placed in Chapman University classrooms, students would feel more calm, confident, and energized. 

Thank you, president Daniele C. Struppa for taking the time to read this letter. I hope you take into consideration the information written above so that Chapman University may continue to grow and excel as an innovative institution for the many students like myself who call this place their home.

Respectfully, 

Ellie Hood

Sources: 

Doxey, J. S., Waliczek, T. M., & Zajicek, J. M. (2009). The Impact of Interior Plants in 

University Classrooms on Student Course Performance and on Student Perceptions of the Course and Instructor. HortScience, 44(2), 384–391. doi: 10.21273/hortsci.44.2.384

Han, K.-T. (2008). Influence of Limitedly Visible Leafy Indoor Plants on the Psychology, 

Behavior, and Health of Students at a Junior High School in Taiwan. Environment and 

Behavior, 41(5), 658–692. doi: 10.1177/0013916508314476

LoofandTimmy. (2019, October 12). Loof and Timmy GIF – Find & Share on GIPHY. Retrieved 

from https://giphy.com/gifs/plant-plants-cute-trex-WPtzVOKMymmZrJv8fO

Shibata, S., & Suzuki, N. (2004). Effects of an indoor plant on creative task performance and mood. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 45(5), 373–381.