Exploring the effects of background colours of digital materials on learners’ comprehension in higher education

Recent studies demonstrate that colours could enhance human memory, attract attention, improve concentration and readability, and help information recall. Although colour design is an important factor in education, little scientific research has examined the optical colours for instructional materials. The project encompasses a focus group, pre-experiments, and main experiments all aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of the effects of colours on human comprehension in digital learning environments. 40 participants completed a comprehension ability test with 16 questions displayed on eight different background colours: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, grey, and black. Note that to ensure consistent contrast between foreground (text) and background colour, grey fonts were used for the black background and black fonts for the other seven colours. It also assessed the preference, readability, and legibility of the different colour materials. The study found that native English speakers performed better in the tests with grey and red background colours; there were higher correct rates and shorter response times for the two colour conditions. Especially, there were significant differences in the evaluation scores between grey and black backgrounds, which have black and grey foreground colours, respectively. On the other hand, none of the colours did significantly affect non-native English speakers' comprehension ability. In the subjective assessment of preference, legibility, and readability, however, the two groups had no significant differences. To sum up, this study suggests that people's cognitive performance may be better under light background and dark foreground colour combinations. Also, preferred colours may not lead to a better understanding of text-based information. Educators, instructional designers, and developers of digital educational materials can benefit from these insights to enhance digital learning experiences by optimizing the integration of colour and addressing the impact of language proficiency.