'Visual clutter' in the classroom: voices of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Objectives: To date, there has been little qualitative research exploring how students interpret visual sensory input in the classroom. Research has found that seeking student voice has the capacity to act as a change agent for Educational Quality of Life (EQOL), in several aspects of educational decision-making. In light of this knowledge, this study endeavored to fill this gap in the educational research literature. In this research, we take a qualitative, deductive approach to exploring students' interpretations of 'visual clutter' in the classroom, to seek to improve EQOL. Methods: Through Arts-informed methodology, this study sought students' interpretations of 'visual clutter' in the classroom. The study was conducted in three stages using photo elicitation, draw and talk, and semi-structured interviews. Results: In seeking three students' voices regarding their personal interpretations of 'visual clutter' in classrooms, light was shed on four themes: color palette, feature congestion, affordances, and spatial size, which were each shown to elicit negative emotional responses from the students. We analyzed the drawings of one child in depth as an exemplar for the qualitative methodology used. Conclusion: Student voice is central to educational quality of life. In seeking student voice, students are given the opportunity to convey the scope of their adaptive responses to incoming visual input, thus providing personal context to support measures. In doing so, student voice is given meaning in another facet of educational decision-making. This can include implications for classroom design.